ktgrok Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 I decided to go straight to those that deal with the end result of high school math. I haven't been able to decide if I want to put my son in Algebra in 7th or 8th grade, so I emailed professors at UCF, FSU, Rollins College, Princeton, and MIT to get their opinions. I emailed several people at each school, all in the Mathematics departments. Hopefully some will actually get back to me! I'll let you know! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wapiti Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 :lol: Yes, please let us know! And while you're at it, maybe ask the admissions people as well :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joyofsixreboot Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 :bigear: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 What do you expect them to tell you? They will probably all agree that the most common obstacle for student success is a lack of thorough algebra understanding (NOT lack of calculus in high school!) and that for this reason it is essential to study algebra when the student is ready, and tospend enough time on it for thorough mastery. They do not know your child and his math abilities. Some students are ready in 7th grade, some later. Some younger students need two years. I would be very surprised if they could give you a definite answer. Btw, I am a university instructor who sees the shortcomings of math education every semester in her physics class. I decided to go straight to those that deal with the end result of high school math. I haven't been able to decide if I want to put my son in Algebra in 7th or 8th grade, so I emailed professors at UCF, FSU, Rollins College, Princeton, and MIT to get their opinions. I emailed several people at each school, all in the Mathematics departments. Hopefully some will actually get back to me! I'll let you know! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted August 22, 2011 Author Share Posted August 22, 2011 What do you expect them to tell you?They will probably all agree that the most common obstacle for student success is a lack of thorough algebra understanding (NOT lack of calculus in high school!) and that for this reason it is essential to study algebra when the student is ready, and tospend enough time on it for thorough mastery. They do not know your child and his math abilities. Some students are ready in 7th grade, some later. Some younger students need two years. I would be very surprised if they could give you a definite answer. Btw, I am a university instructor who sees the shortcomings of math education every semester in her physics class. I honestly don't know what they are going to tell me. But I really appreciate hearing your perspective! That helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Geek Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 OK, I realize I am old, but I took Algebra 1 in 8th grade then geometry, Algebra 2 and Algebra 3 (precalculus with Trig) and didn't take anything my senior year. I took placement test at college that suggested I retake Algebra 3 or take business calc. I needed 1 more math for my psych major at the time. I took Business Calc and loved it and then ended up taking Calc 1. I then changed to engineering and had to take a ton more math. I don't really see what the big deal is. If the kid is ready for Alg in 7th grade teach it, if not wait until said child has the fundamentals to do well in Algebra. For most majors that aren't engineering or science related Calculus is not a required class in college. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 What do you expect them to tell you?They will probably all agree that the most common obstacle for student success is a lack of thorough algebra understanding (NOT lack of calculus in high school!) and that for this reason it is essential to study algebra when the student is ready, and to spend enough time on it for thorough mastery. They do not know your child and his math abilities. Some students are ready in 7th grade, some later. Some younger students need two years. I would be very surprised if they could give you a definite answer. Btw, I am a university instructor who sees the shortcomings of math education every semester in her physics class. :iagree::iagree::iagree: when a child is ready for a subject, they can fly through it. if they aren't ready, two years still may not be enough time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oops, duplicate account :/ Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 :bigear: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted August 22, 2011 Author Share Posted August 22, 2011 I got my first answer...this one from a friend at UNC. He suggest moving ahead sooner rather than later, but being prepared to spend extra time in Algebra I if needed. He'd rather see people start Algebra earlier, so they have more time to get used to the thinking processes associated with it. Something I hadn't really thought of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 Being ready for it and understanding it means the most. Two of mine did well starting it in 7th. The third needed to wait until 8th, then did well. The brain is maturing during this time, and while some can be taught to memorize the math steps, this isn't what you want. You want understanding of the math. Kids who memorize what steps to do will get confused later when problems are "mixed" and they can't remember which type to do what steps with. Kids who understand the math can take problems they haven't seen and work them out using their knowledge. Far, far, far too many kids memorize math instead of learning it IMO. I'm interested in hearing what college profs say, but realize, they aren't generally the people doing the admissions. Admissions at top schools is VERY competitive and minimum requirements will seldom get you in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 I got my first answer...this one from a friend at UNC. He suggest moving ahead sooner rather than later, but being prepared to spend extra time in Algebra I if needed. He'd rather see people start Algebra earlier, so they have more time to get used to the thinking processes associated with it. Something I hadn't really thought of. Hm. I find that an interesting perspective, as a parent who believes in the whole grammar/logic/rhetoric progression as a developmental line, rather than an age-based line. FWIW, my ds tested into Alg. 1 (by Saxon's placement test) in what would be considered "6th grade". I held him off b/c, even though I knew he could do the thinking, he wasn't able to organize his work well (skipping steps on paper, dropping signs, etc.) Technically, he did start Alg. 1 in "7th". It did take longer than 9 months. And he's essentially skipped a grade now, so it's considered "8th", anyway. :lol: But, yeah, I've definitely viewed it as something more developmental than age/grade based. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 I'm interested in hearing what college profs say, but realize, they aren't generally the people doing the admissions. Admissions at top schools is VERY competitive and minimum requirements will seldom get you in. Agreed. However, what good does it do a student to get in and then fail the introductory science classes because he lacks basic algebra proficiency? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 I got my first answer...this one from a friend at UNC. He suggest moving ahead sooner rather than later, but being prepared to spend extra time in Algebra I if needed. He'd rather see people start Algebra earlier, so they have more time to get used to the thinking processes associated with it. Something I hadn't really thought of. Very interesting response! Maybe a good argument for what some people have mentioned doing - algebra with an easy text followed by algebra with a harder text. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 I got my first answer...this one from a friend at UNC. He suggest moving ahead sooner rather than later, but being prepared to spend extra time in Algebra I if needed. He'd rather see people start Algebra earlier, so they have more time to get used to the thinking processes associated with it. Something I hadn't really thought of. This was our approach. I didn't feel first dd had a substantial grasp of algebra after one year, so I had her do Alg I again with another program. Second dd was fine after one year (7th grade,) so she moved on. I was glad I started early and gave them time to repeat if necessary. First dd didn't need to wait for algebra as much as she needed to spend more time on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blessedmom4god Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 :bigear: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chepyl Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 We are in Singapore 2a and it has some algebraic thinking as well. It asks him so solve for x, without x. He gets the concept. If the program continues to develop the abstract thinking that way, he will be ready for algebra by 7th grade. Using the IP book, I have found a lot more abstract thinking problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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