The Teaching Company's Basic Math??

[DaisyMay]

Anyone know if the Teaching Company's Basic Math course is good, and if it would be a good supplement for a struggling 7th grader? I'm thinking it would be a good addition to help him better understand the basics, but am worried that it might be too hard. Any opinions on it?

 

Thanks!

Gayle

[Sweet Home Alabama]

Anyone know if the Teaching Company's Basic Math course is good, and if it would be a good supplement for a struggling 7th grader? I'm thinking it would be a good addition to help him better understand the basics, but am worried that it might be too hard. Any opinions on it?

 

Thanks!

Gayle

 

 

Gayle,

We tried to use it last year when I had a 6th and 4th grader (practice).

 

The teacher was a very sweet grandfatherly man. He would demonstrate how to do math and then write down problems on a white board for the at-home student to work out. Then, he worked them out to see if we got the right answer.

 

We started out watching the teaching part, but we soon gave up on it. The teacher was long-winded. We all determined that he could have communicated the lesson in a much better way and shorter time. His teaching and explanations made for a LONG lesson.

 

We began to fast-forward through his talking. When a problem came up, each child would copy and answer it on a white board. I would do the same on my own, and we would check the math together before checking with the teacher. It was very easy just to use the play-FF feature on our dvd player. That way we could see the teacher's explanation and answer without having to hear him go on and on.

 

We never got all the way through it, but there were some decent algebra problems toward the end. I'm not sure if it covered anything past algebra. The student who completes the entire curriculum could get a great review. Since we did not complete the program, my review might be an unfair one.

 

I ended up returning Basic Math without finishing it. It just wasn't a good match for us. As for 7th grade, the pre-algebra part of the book is very do-able. It truly is "basic math". The last half of the book seemed challenging. I tried a few problems from several sections at the end of my dd's 6th grade year to practice for the SAT, and they were tricky for her. We were learning the oder of operations, and applying it to long, unfamiliar equations.

 

I think Basic Math would challenge any 7th grader as he tries to work problems toward the end of the book. As far as the level of challenge, that would just depend on the students personal abilities.

Edited November 4, 2010 by Sweet Home Alabama

[DaisyMay]

Thank you for sharing your experience. My son is a bare-bones kind of person..he just wants the facts. We actually have the Bob Jones math DVDs, but those are torture for him to watch because of the long explanations.

 

Maybe Math Mammoth would be a better supplement? We have been using LOF for additional work, but he hates it...too long-winded and far fetched for him.

 

Gayle

[Sweet Home Alabama]

Thank you for sharing your experience. My son is a bare-bones kind of person..he just wants the facts. We actually have the Bob Jones math DVDs, but those are torture for him to watch because of the long explanations.

 

Maybe Math Mammoth would be a better supplement? We have been using LOF for additional work, but he hates it...too long-winded and far fetched for him.

 

Gayle

 

Gayle, I've heard a lot of people like Keys To... We've never used this, but I think they have several subjects to choose from. It might make a good review, and I've heard that it is to-the-point. I think CBD sells them. (Keys To Fractions; Keys to Decimals, etc...)

[Zee]

The BM videos may not be a good match for your son, but I think they are good. The reason they are is the long-winded explanation. He goes through each step and explains WHY it works that way. We're 11 lessons into the 30 lesson set. I've been using this to supplement our math studies. We are in our 2nd year of pre-algebra and the lightbulbs are coming on for DS. I don't think this is all due to the videos, but I do think my son is understanding the WHY behind some of the concepts better, because of the videos. Also, seeing alternate ways of working problems has added to ds's toolbox for solving problems.

 

The lessons are 30 min. long and are meant to be for high school and adult students, so that could be too long for a younger student to keep attentive. This is not entertaining math, but I think it's appropriate for the intended audience.

 

Anyway, I agree it doesn't sound right for your child, but I wanted to put this out there for others to see that they can be helpful for the right student, especially an older student needing more review.

[Sparrows-Song]

deleted

[LuckyDuck103]

Just to echo previous remarks. They are good videos but not for everyone. I used them with my DD last year. She was in Gr 9 but that was our first year homeschooling & I wanted to make sure we're good.

 

They videos are thorough but not exciting. Just to show you how thorough they are, my then 8yo who hadn't done subtraction with borrowing watched it once & got it. (It was actually her sister's lesson. That child always learns better/faster when it's not her lesson.) The reason I know she learnt from him for sure is no-one else in my family subtracts her way. Except my mom, who lives in another hemisphere & went to school in the 50's. Now that she's in Gr. 4 we use them to review or introduce new topics. My DD still complains that they are boring but she gets it. I usually give her something to keep her hands (&sometimes feet) busy while she watches.