Virginia Heather Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 Hey, folks! I'm researching my algebra options for next year (I currently have Jacob's in hand along with a 1990 version of Richard Brown/Dolciani; still waiting on Foerster's), and from what I can gather, with regards to Dolciani-- several of you have posted that you prefer the older texts over the newer ones. As I skim through, I'm wondering-- what, exactly, do you find to be the main difference(s) between the two, and how does one go about locating an older Dolciani textbook (and for that matter, what constitutes "older")? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forty-two Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 (edited) You can find them used on Amazon, Abebooks, and other used books sites, and "older" usually means the 60s editions, sometimes early 70s. The main difference is that the 60s editions reflects the New Math philosophy of the time - they have a strong emphasis on proofs and pure math. And in every subsequent edition, they watered down and outright took out more and more of the New Math emphasis. Whether this is a good thing or a bad thing depends on your opinion of New Math ;) - but the people who are "yea Dolciani!" and other 60s texts generally think that New Math was a good thing (As do I :)). You can search for New Math on the boards to get an better idea of what it was all about, but basically it was the mathematicians' approach to math ed - big on proofs and rigor and telling the truth from the beginning, but often a little too much so :tongue_smilie:, in that most *teachers* didn't even get it :glare:, and so their students had no chance. Many people thought they went totally overboard, and so subsequent editions of texts (those that survived) took out the more "extreme" examples of New Mathiness. But for those of us who *like* New Math and its emphases ;), we think the best stuff comes from that initial burst of enthusiasm and idealism, before reality set in and the good stuff was stripped out. Edited February 15, 2011 by forty-two Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Virginia Heather Posted February 15, 2011 Author Share Posted February 15, 2011 Thank you, thank you, thank you-- that makes perfect sense!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colleen in NS Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 And in case you decide to pursue it, there is an Algebra 1 Teacher Edition, 1965, for sale on amazon right now. These are just about impossible to find. http://www.amazon.com/Algebra-Structure-Teachers-Houghton-Mathematiacs/dp/B002NNL7IQ/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&qid=1297817298&sr=8-16 Also, click on the tag I put at the bottom of the thread. You'll find several more threads that explain the Dolciani craze. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.