sandellie4 Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 I have a student attending community college who is taking college algebra next semester. She's very intimidated by math, though she did do very well with Teaching Textbooks, making it through Algebra 2 and actually remembering the material when tested for community college. The college algebra book is dense and doesn't present concepts step by step, so I'm looking for a supplement she could use, something where she could look up a concept that was intimidating and get a step-by-step explanation. I was thinking maybe Teaching Textbooks Precalculus, but it sounds like many people who liked TT all the way through high school really didn't find the precalculus program to be consistently step by step. Can anyone let me know how the precalculus program worked for them? Or has anyone used another program that worked better for non-math majors who need step-by-step explanations? Maybe MUS? (I did post this on the high school/college board, but I rarely post there so I'm worried no one will answer....) Sandy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OLG Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 Khan Academy - excellent resource. Concise, good teacher. Thinkwell - costs $$ but good program and Dr. Burger is a hoot! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomsintheGarden Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 I agree that Khan Academy would be your best bet to try first, because it's free. Chalkdust has a College Algebra course: http://www.chalkdust.com/colalgrev.html This link talks about the relationship between the Larson's College Algebra and Algebra 2 books. There have been threads about how to get the Chalkdust DVDs more cheaply. Do a search for "cheap Chalkdust" on these boards. I hope your student ends up enjoying and succeeding in her class. GardenMom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 Depending on the textbook uses and the college, there may be online support for her text. If so, use it. Our cc uses MyMathLabs which uses this software. The full version of it tracks grades and has videos, but the "help me solve this" feature is really good for going through a problem step by step. She can also back up to an earlier book for more review. Just look for the topic. Purplemath has good explanations too. It's okay to be nervous about math. You can't let it slide though and the only way to learn it is to practice it. Understanding in class means nothing without extra practice. Most colleges have a tutoring center with free tutoring. She should also take advantage of that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravelingChris Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 My daughter is now taking Trig in College. Her college uses a MathLAb computer program. That has been helping her a lot. When she has more problems, she also uses Khan academy or calls us. Furthermore, her teachers are doing a very good job of explaining and answering questions so maybe your dd's teacher will too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lolly Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 I highly suggest having her find and use the math lab that they have at the CC. It is probably the best resource she will be able to find. Totally one on one tutoring; nothing else like it out there! (And it is free. Well, you only have to pay tuition:tongue_smilie:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandellie4 Posted January 23, 2012 Author Share Posted January 23, 2012 Thank you! I never heard of MyMathLab or Khan -- she's so afraid of math and she's made it so much farther than I thought she would. She's doing well, though, and she does have a good instructor. :) Sandy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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