WHY Do You Love (or Not) Teaching Textbooks?

[taraxacum5]

For those of you who LOVE Teaching Textbooks- what do you love about it? Is it the ease of use, or are you additionally impressed with the substantive material and it's approach to math?

 

For those of you who think it got your child behind in math- did you take a placement test to see what level was right for your child? If yes, did you find the placement test accurate?

 

My son just finished K12's 5th grade math. He is a year ahead in math, but I don't feel he is ready for K12's 6th grade pre-Algebra. I want him to really master the basics before he goes on to pre-Algebra. I'd like to use Teaching Textbooks, but am concerned that it won't be challenging enough. Any thoughts?

 

Thank you for any additional insight you can provide to help me process this decision!

[Rosy]

This topic has sort of been talked to death...if you don't get many responses here, you might do a search and look at some past threads on TT.

 

I use it with DD10 and DD7. Ease of use is a biggie, also having the lecture on the computer is helpful for both auditory and visual learners, I think. DD10 is finishing up Pre-Algebra. She would do fine with any math curriculum because she's just that kind of kid, but she liked TT when she saw it and had been frustrated with how dry Saxon is. She has done really well with TT and I figure we can review with another program if we need to when she gets to Pre-Calc or Calc. DD7 is the opposite--nothing was working for her until we got TT. She consistently scores over 80%, usually over 90%. She is easily distracted and seems to get confused when there are too many stimuli, so MUS was a disaster for her (trying to use the blocks, watch the DVD and do the worksheet at the same time drove her crazy).

 

My other two both use MUS. DS is math-challenged and I like a mastery-based program for him. I still haven't made up my mind about DD6 long term, but I'm hoping to make MUS work for her.

[taraxacum5]

Thank you! I have been out of the loop for awhile as I used a virtual charter school for 2 years. They finally beat me with all of the admin requirements. I thought I would use Saxon next year, but have heard a lot of good things about TT.

 

I did find a great thread on this, so thank you for your response. Have a great weekend!

[sweetsouthern]

i agree... easy to use, both my dd;s love it and enjoy it. the only thing i "dont" like is that it does seem a smidge behind the other curriculms, but then again, im not sure i really care that much since they are happy doing it! both score over 80% on everything as well. so all in all, 2 thumbs up :)

[kolamum]

I recently wrote about this on a blog..

 

Pros:

 

Allows the child to work independently

They get 2 chances at working out a problem

They can get hints on how to do to problems if they aren't sure

If they get the problem wrong they can get a full explanation on how/why to do it and what they did wrong

Kids seem to love it

Not 180 days worth of math freeing up time and space to work in review, hands on, etc.

I also like that I can go in and edit problems they got wrong if they got it wrong due to typo

 

Cons:

 

I do not like the way they teach math facts. As in they explain to the children what a problem is {ie 2x2=4} then they spit out the entire fact family {2x family} and from there might give hints on how to be sure you got the right answer {always an even number} but do not gradually teach it. It's simply a 2 minute "lecture" and then that's that. You are meant to know and memorize but it's not worked into the lesson. You DO get those problems IN the lesson, but you're meant to KNOW them all ready.

 

Pricey; all though you can find it used and you don't always need the workbooks which can help reduce the cost. All though, as I understand it if you purchase it used and the person before you only had one student in it you have to call TT to get the thing reset {not sure if there's a fee involved or not}

 

I do NOT like their international shipping. They were going to charge me $20 to ship me 4 cds. That's inexcusable. They could have EASILY done it for $12.50. I had it shipped to family for free in the US and asked them to forward it onward.

 

I also don't like that you HAVE to use the cd. I respect it and understand WHY, but HAVING to use the cd means risking scratching it when you have kids messing with it. kwim?

 

 

My cons do not outweigh my pros and we are pleased with the programme. My children are flying through it and knew lots across three different levels of this programme. We've been doing living math for several years so I was impressed to see their knowledge on a placement test. :D They would have placed higher had we covered more multiplication info, but we'd only just begun with that. Still, I'm pleased with it.

 

Now, what I'd REALLY like to hear is people who've used it for Highschool and how your children have done on SATs and the likes. I read a review recently about a women who swears her daughter did awful on the SAT no thanks to TT. I'd like to hear if more people feel this way or not.

[NanceXToo]

We love Teaching Textbooks over here.

 

This review I wrote:

 

http://nancextoo.livejournal.com/124221.html

 

explains why. And if that's not enough, check out this post:

 

http://welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=259625&highlight=teaching+textbooks+standardized

 

Hope this helps. :)

[ByGrace3]

I love the idea, but just heard a story that scares me a little. I also would love to hear more from high schoolers and their SAT scores.

Recently a local high school student of a classical school using TT (considered a great math student, got A's) took the math entrance exam and failed. That school is now switching to Saxon.

I know that has scared several around here using TT. Would love to hear how other high schoolers did...

[Beth in SW WA]

We use TT 'ahead' along w/ other conceptual math methods (Singapore, MM). It's open & go, easy-on-mom, lots of spiral review, audio/visual & relatively fun.

 

Dds are finishing up TT3 & 5 soon. We'll skip TT6 (since I don't own it) and start TT7 this summer. You can't beat TT for ease of use -- and in our case, great skill building & retention.

 

I would not use it alone. TT takes about 20 min/lesson so we have plenty of time in our day to add other resources.

 

HTH. :)

[JenC3]

I'm with Beth. I would not use it alone. Dd7 is working through TT4 while she finishes MM 2b. We also do a math lab of my creation, conceptual/game stuff.

Also I do believe it is behind when DD can still be challenged by MM, but scores above 90% with TT.

[jtap04]

This is our first year homeschooling. We tried a lot of programs and this seemed to work great for my DD9, but that was when she was doing review. Now she should be able to multiply 2 and 3 digit numbers by 2 and 3 digit numbers, but she gets frustrated with it.

 

It is easy to use and does the grading, my dd gets consistent 80s and 90s...but I don't know if she is always getting the same type of problem incorrect :(

 

I am thinking of switching her to Math U See...and the level she would be at would mean we basically wasted a year.

[Homeschooling6]

This is our first year homeschooling. We tried a lot of programs and this seemed to work great for my DD9, but that was when she was doing review. Now she should be able to multiply 2 and 3 digit numbers by 2 and 3 digit numbers, but she gets frustrated with it.

 

It is easy to use and does the grading, my dd gets consistent 80s and 90s...but I don't know if she is always getting the same type of problem incorrect :(

 

I am thinking of switching her to Math U See...and the level she would be at would mean we basically wasted a year.

 

I check problems that my children get wrong by looking in the workbook. It's much easier for me than going back to the lesson.

 

I am currently using TT3, TT5 and TT6 (workbooks only for grade 6).

 

I like that I don't have to grade the work. My children understand math. T T3 & TT4 have the bonus rounds to help with fact memorization. I like that there are fewer lessons. This gives us wiggle room to supplement or if we want to spend more time on a concept without feeling 'behind'.

 

I do pay attention to what my children are learning and currently I am adding one worksheet of Math Mammoth a day. I already own it along with Singapore IP and CWP (not sure if or when I'll add those in).

[asmall]

My girls are using teaching textbooks and finally loving math! They have placement test on their website. If you still don't know what level to go with, the demos are great! You can try a bunch of lessons for each grade level. My kids love this program, they ask to do math! It may be a little behind with the grade level, but if you do the placement tests and try the demo you should beable to find the right spot. You can also bump up a level if your worried about being "behind".

Al

[asmall]

Reason why we love Teaching Textbooks:

1.No more tears over math!

2.Teaching Textbooks is really the math teacher

3.Check out how to do any problem - shows step by step how to get the answer

4.Grades the lessons

5.Kids can do it by themselves

6.Math buddies are great motivators (my kids work hard at getting the right answer, so their buddy can get the carrots, ect..)

7.My kids can explain how to do math (My youngest daughter was explaining how to multiply to the Librarian, who got quite a kick out of it!)

8.Good resale value

9.Hints when the kids get stuck

10.My kids love math!!! (They even tell people that.)

:D

[Suzannah]

We have used TT7 and TT4. TT7 was a last resort after DS finally melted down with Saxon 87 mid-year. We did TT7 and Life of Fred. He seemed to like it, but I opted to not continue with Pre-Algebra since I thought the main reason he liked it was the cute little character which I understand is not in the higher levels.

 

DD is low vision and while she did very well with Saxon 1-3, I was concerned that the switch to the textbook in Saxon 54 would be difficult due to the smaller print size. It is extremely expensive to get large print textbooks and I thought having it on the larger computer monitor with the audio component of TT would be a good thing for her. As it is, she began Saxon 1 half-way through kindergarten so she's always been a 1/2 year ahead in math so I haven't really been too worried about whether or not the TT program is behind.

 

We use Life of Fred and ALEKs with DS (pre-algebra/algebra) so down the road that's probably what DD will do as well.

[AmyinMD]

We dropped TT here because it just didn't work for my 11 year old. She hated the voice on the program and was constantly fast forwarding it and not listening to explanations. If I did not sit with her she would skip over the explanations on any problems she got wrong. I also did not like how they explained some of the concepts. My dd could not grasp the way they explained fractions. I did not like how long division is introduced late in TT4 and then did not give my dd enough practice to reinforce it.

 

We switched to Saxon and it's going much better except it's hard for me because it requires much more time on my part. I really miss that aspect of TT. My oldest dd did fine with TT though and it worked fine for her so I think it depends on the child. She'll be doing Saxon Algebra 1/2 at home next year but that's mainly because she is doing it with CC Challenge B otherwise I'd have likely gotten TT for her.

 

I purchased the DIVE CD to go with Saxon and my dd has begged not to use it. I think she just doesn't do well with computer based math programs. That is why I'm glad there are so many options out there for math.

[Samiam]

Does Teaching Textbooks show concrete visuals as they explain, not just numbers?

 

For example, say we are learning multiplying, 2 x3 :

 

I am thinking: Does it show 2 groups of blocks, each with 3 blocks, and show how they combine, as it is explains it? Or does it just use numbers as it explains?

 

I am specifically talking lower levels, ie TT3? I looked at the sample on the site, but they start at Lesson 53, and it was not a lesson of new information, but a lesson on something that was taught prior. That particular lesson did not show visuals, just words and numbers, it was about expanded forms. I didn't watch additional sample lessons.

[deeinfl]

I loved it for all the reasons everyone here has already posted, but I always felt that it was lacking in review. Now this wouldn't have been a problem because as many have posted, it's an easy remedy to fix and from what I have noticed here on this forum, most people supplement or use two programs anyway...:lol:

 

I realized it wasn't working for my son (after trying twice) because he was/is just not an auditory learner. It was very difficult for him to focus on the lecture.

 

But when TT works, it works! And there are many people using it, loving it, and having great test scores and successes with it!

 

Dee

[KellyT01]

We love it because my dd11 has finally stopped crying every time I open a math book. Her brain is more verbal and creative and melts down at the very idea of math. We've used MUS, CLE and Math Mammoth which are all wonderful programs. The way it's presented in TT is first visually appealing to her and I think it allows her to go at her own pace.

[susabelle]

We have used TT 5, 7, Pre-Algebra, Algebra 1, and Geometry. My kids love it - I on the other hand have a few reservations. It is truly wonderful if you have a child who struggles in math, and math is not something they will pursue, you just need to get them their credits. My children are very math oriented, and I have not found the program to be enough on its own. Not so much in the lower levels as in the upper. My oldest ds entered private school last fall. He enjoys math and took Adv. Algebra 2 as a sophomore. He ended up with an A in the class, but not after some "catch up" work, specifically in the area of word problems. Maybe because it was an advanced class, but looking back at the text for TT Algebra 1, there are not a lot of word problems compared to the Saxon Algebra 1 text that dd opted (her choice) to do this year for Algebra 1 at home (how many of these programs am I going to have to buy :tongue_smilie:).Looking back, ds says he enjoyed doing both Saxon and Teaching Textbooks (not during the same year!), but he feels like he learned more the years he did Saxon.

 

That's just been our experience. And although we have learned there are some gaps in the TT program, it will not keep me from using it. I just fill in where I need to. Hope that helps!

 

Susan

[Homeschooling6]

I loved it for all the reasons everyone here has already posted, but I always felt that it was lacking in review. Now this wouldn't have been a problem because as many have posted, it's an easy remedy to fix and from what I have noticed here on this forum, most people supplement or use two programs anyway...:lol:

 

I realized it wasn't working for my son (after trying twice) because he was/is just not an auditory learner. It was very difficult for him to focus on the lecture.

 

But when TT works, it works! And there are many people using it, loving it, and having great test scores and successes with it!

 

Dee

:iagree:

[mamakim]

I'm not going to divulge SAT scores, but I will say that our eldest, who used Saxon in high school, and our next two, who used TT through high school, all placed into precalculus when they did the placement test into community college, and all three got good grades in precalc. The two who used TT actually scored higher in the placement tests, but I'd have to dig out eldest's SAT scores to compare his with #2 . . . #3 hasn't taken it yet. Eldest did end up entering into an Industrial Engineering program, but switched to Computer Science . . . kind of peripherally mathy.

 

For me - college math was far too long ago for me, and although I really respect Saxon in the high school years, it does (IMO) need a teacher fluent in the subject. We ended up hiring a tutor for 2 years for the son who did Saxon. That's the primary reason I love TT for high school - does the job on it's own without a teacher on hand. That said, dd #4 is ahead of her siblings' curve in math and we're switching to Lial for pre-calc and "regular" Calculus at cc.

[kolamum]

Does Teaching Textbooks show concrete visuals as they explain, not just numbers?

 

For example, say we are learning multiplying, 2 x3 :

 

I am thinking: Does it show 2 groups of blocks, each with 3 blocks, and show how they combine, as it is explains it? Or does it just use numbers as it explains?

 

I am specifically talking lower levels, ie TT3? I looked at the sample on the site, but they start at Lesson 53, and it was not a lesson of new information, but a lesson on something that was taught prior. That particular lesson did not show visuals, just words and numbers, it was about expanded forms. I didn't watch additional sample lessons.

 

No, which I didn't like. But they do NOT teach that 2x3=6 because you have 2 groups of 3. Instead, they teach that 2x3=6 because 2x3=6. That said you will get visual math problems.. say 5 pans of cookies with 6 cookies on them. There are only x amount of word problems per lesson though. If my children weren't all ready strong in word problems I'd probably add to it. However, I also have math jars where I fill them with word problems and kids pull one out per day to solve. :D

 

I'm not going to divulge SAT scores, but I will say that our eldest, who used Saxon in high school, and our next two, who used TT through high school, all placed into precalculus when they did the placement test into community college, and all three got good grades in precalc. The two who used TT actually scored higher in the placement tests, but I'd have to dig out eldest's SAT scores to compare his with #2 . . . #3 hasn't taken it yet. Eldest did end up entering into an Industrial Engineering program, but switched to Computer Science . . . kind of peripherally mathy.

 

 

For me - college math was far too long ago for me, and although I really respect Saxon in the high school years, it does (IMO) need a teacher fluent in the subject. We ended up hiring a tutor for 2 years for the son who did Saxon. That's the primary reason I love TT for high school - does the job on it's own without a teacher on hand. That said, dd #4 is ahead of her siblings' curve in math and we're switching to Lial for pre-calc and "regular" Calculus at cc.

 

Thank you for sharing that. I really mean it! Since hearing that "icky" review I've been concerned about it. Yet, I know someone who did Saxon math many moons ago and took an SAT and ended up in remedial so I wasn't wanting to "write off" a programme without proof that it was the student and not the programme. Kwim? Anyway, thanks for sharing that. :D

[lmrich]

We use TT for summer school math. It is perfect for our family to fill that role. During the school year I like to be more involved in the day to day teaching. Two of my kids are mathematical inclined; the other has other gifts - she loves TT! The others don't mind it.

[DarlaS]

I'm not going to divulge SAT scores, but I will say that our eldest, who used Saxon in high school, and our next two, who used TT through high school, all placed into precalculus when they did the placement test into community college, and all three got good grades in precalc.

 

My ds also placed into precalc on the cc placement test (He was about 15 at the time). I am certain he did not even finish Geometry or Algebra 2 (just a few lessons were left at the end of each).

 

He has thus far taken both trig and calc 1 at the CC and is doing okay. He will likely be pursuing an AS in mathematics and is likely going on to some computer related field.

[cat]

My son, 5th grade.... so I bought TT 6 as I heard it was behind.... well he made it thru about 7 lessons and was complaining it was to hard..... so TT was put on the back burner until fall.....

[mnllj7]

We love TT, we are now in TT6, we never use the textbook just the cd's. I think it covers everything very understandably and my daughter loves it and she gets it which is the most important aspect of the math. I really dont see how they are behind, because, each year you do your math in the same sequence as lets say saxon or what ever. you do math till you get to pre-algebra, then algebra and so on. TT is no different. If they dont teach the basics, Then the students would not get the higher math. If you do feel that your child can do more, put them up a grade. I know our classical school in our city starts saxon 1 in kindergarten instead of the K saxon. and in their 6th grade they are in 8/7 math. So, as with any curriculum, you the parent are in control, not the curriculum. Have fun and enjoy your children learning and enjoying at the same time. hth, nancyt.

[Mommy22alyns]

I'm with Beth. I would not use it alone. Dd7 is working through TT4 while she finishes MM 2b. We also do a math lab of my creation, conceptual/game stuff.

Also I do believe it is behind when DD can still be challenged by MM, but scores above 90% with TT.

 

 

:iagree: Rebecca is not a math whiz, but I was giving her the quizzes for TT3 to place her within the level and she is starting about 3/4 of the way through. We'll use it with CLE.

[Lovemyblessings]

I do think they tend to be behind. My son just finished public school (3rd grade) and I purchased TT5 for him. He's on lesson 15 and it still seems to be nothing but review for him. Maybe this has to do with the differing school districts.

[ChiMomNP]

I went from k12 Pre-algebra A to TT Pre-algebra with my son last year. I really liked TT, he did not. We switched to Saxon and he loves it. Weird. I find Saxon and TT to be very similar. We will see how it goes. I'd be open to using TT again for high school but so far he seems to be doing really well with Saxon. Good luck.