Question for all you Lial's users....

[distancia]

Actually, two questions, if you don't mind:

 

1) Are any of you using the Lial's book (whichever it may be) exactly as it was meant to be used?

 

Meaning, inside the book there are ""work the problems on the side" arrows, where the reader is supposed to stop what he/she is reading and move over to the side and work the problems. Then the student (reader) is to move on and continue reading, slowing at the CAUTION boxes, the RULES boxes, and possibly slowing to look over the Calculator Tip, if there is one.

 

2) Do you think this method of using the textbook exactly as it was meant to be read is more helpful than just doing some reading and working the problems at the end of each section?

 

Any personal experiences?

 

Looking at this as a very rusty math student I can see what the intention is--to educate and reinforce math skills. I really like the methodology behind it. However, I am wondering if it is any more (or less) effective than the old one-two of explaining a concept and then immediately trying to solve a bunch of problems, without doing the interim work (side margins) in between.

 

Thanks!

[Matryoshka]

My dd briefly used BCM, and is now using Lial's Pre-Algebra. I couldn't tell you if she's slowing at the Caution and Rules boxes (though I would hope she is, but she's 12, who knows...), but I do know she works all the problems at the side, and without me nagging her to do it. I just asked her, and she said she finds it helpful.

[Jann in TX]

I pick and choose the sidebar problems to work as I go through the lesson--if I am teaching it.

 

One of my dds worked through it independently-- she worked out 'some' of the sidebar problems if she was unsure about the lesson examples... I did NOT make her work all of them.

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I tell my students to IGNORE the 'caution' boxes because at their age this 'negative example' usually causes more errors! (but Mrs P I remember seeing it worked THIS way...)ugg....

 

The students need to be walked through COMPLETE examples in order for the lesson to be understood... if working independently they should read all of the examples and work at least 'some' of the practice problems.

 

I also DO NOT assign most of the first 'intro' problems in each problem set-- the multiple choice...or the 'partially worked' problems. College students sure--but not high school students for that problem type... same goes for the problems with the pen symbol "explain why"-- those problems are fine for older students---but high school students often have difficulty articulating their logic-- and working those problems WILL NOT teach them to be better at it.. other than that I teach pretty much by the book.

 

I do use a different method for factoring trinomials--- I DO NOT like the way American texts teach that. PM or e-mail me if you want to see that method.

 

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I like to use a text as a TOOL-- I don't like to be forced to work through it 'legalistically'... the only exception would be with Saxon-- I insisted that ALL practice problems and ALL homework problems were worked out (because the program was SPECIFICALLY designed that way and there were LIMITED problems offered to students)-- Lial has optional problems (the evens)--built in for extra help and review.

[Jean in Wisc]

Child 1: independent. I think she did the side bar problems and all, but I was not involved in it.

 

Child 2: Mom (me) sat with him everyday and did all that was suppose to be done. I even did the problems at the end of the chapter with him so that we could discuss them. This kid who took 3 years to learn his multiplication tables is now aiming for a B in Calc II in college. So far he is still convinced that he would like to be an engineer. :tongue_smilie:

 

Child 3: Lial's brain is obviously set up differently than my son's brain. Cheerfully doing TT.