Just wanted to throw this one out there- please don't jump on me

[SuperDad]

SO... I have a non-mathy kid (not my own) who is successfully using and loving AOPS. He loves math and is very bright overall but not what I would call mathy. AOPS takes him longer then it probably should (more time per day and more days overall), but he really enjoys it and is understanding everything perfectly. I tried AOPS as a last-ditch effort (after trying approx. 8,000 other math currics) and it WORKS! This is making me rethink the way I approach AOPS. I don't think it's a program for mathy kids. I think it's a program for a certain type of thinker who is *usually* mathy but not always.

 

Just wanted to let y'all know that.

[regentrude]

Not jumping at all -just a question: how does this kid deal with the super hard challenge problems that take a mathy kid several hours? Does he have the patience to sit for even more hours, or do you look up the solution, or do you skip the hard problems?

Edited March 31, 2012 by regentrude

[SuperDad]

Not jumping at all -just a question: how does this kid deal with the super hard challenge problems that take a mathy kid several hours? Does he have the patience to sit for even more hours, or do you look up the solution, or do you skip the hard problems?

 

He just takes a long time on them.

[8filltheheart]

You know, looking at your siggie and seeing that you have a 16 yr old that is a college sr.......I doubt that there is anything avg about your family. ;)

 

But, that said, I think that kids that are more inclined to learn via big picture vs. micro-managed steps, I do think AoPS will interest them in a way other programs don't.

[brandigirl]

Oh this is good to hear :001_smile: I am on lesson 52/120 on TT Algebra 2 and decided to take the AoPS solving pre test for pre calc and except for some topics that TT has not covered I was able to pass it. Thing is I have not covered imaginary numbers , functions or graphing but everything that TT has gone over which was like half the test I got a perfect score on. I am thinking of starting AoPS in May when I am nearing the end of TT.

 

ps Tell your daughter (16) that she is making my schedule look so dull right now :lol:

[krisperry]

SO... I have a non-mathy kid (not my own) who is successfully using and loving AOPS. He loves math and is very bright overall but not what I would call mathy. AOPS takes him longer then it probably should (more time per day and more days overall), but he really enjoys it and is understanding everything perfectly. I tried AOPS as a last-ditch effort (after trying approx. 8,000 other math currics) and it WORKS! This is making me rethink the way I approach AOPS. I don't think it's a program for mathy kids. I think it's a program for a certain type of thinker who is *usually* mathy but not always.

 

Just wanted to let y'all know that.

 

Yes! It is for the type of kid that 1) needs to truly understand the why and 2) need to "do" it to get it and I'm not talking drill and kill but rather "prove" the theory and 3) have a lot of patience.

 

I have a daughter who is using the AoPS PreAlgebra in 8th and she is not considered mathy. It is the only curriculum that has "stuck". She is as.slow.as.molasses......

[8filltheheart]

Oh this is good to hear :001_smile: I am on lesson 52/120 on TT Algebra 2 and decided to take the AoPS solving pre test for pre calc and except for some topics that TT has not covered I was able to pass it. Thing is I have not covered imaginary numbers , functions or graphing but everything that TT has gone over which was like half the test I got a perfect score on. I am thinking of starting AoPS in May when I am nearing the end of TT.

 

ps Tell your daughter (16) that she is making my schedule look so dull right now :lol:

 

Our experience is that I would not recommend jumping into AoPS pre-cal. Their pre-tests are often misleading (being on the easy side). You might want to look into their alg 3 book first. Ds said he would have not made it through the first chpt of the pre-cal book w/o the foundation of their alg 3 book.

[SuperDad]

You know, looking at your siggie and seeing that you have a 16 yr old that is a college sr.......I doubt that there is anything avg about your family. ;)

 

But, that said, I think that kids that are more inclined to learn via big picture vs. micro-managed steps, I do think AoPS will interest them in a way other programs don't.

Oh, the student I am talking about is not related to me. But thank you. :001_smile:

[Trilliums]

Yes! It is for the type of kid that 1) needs to truly understand the why and 2) need to "do" it to get it and I'm not talking drill and kill but rather "prove" the theory and 3) have a lot of patience.

 

I have a daughter who is using the AoPS PreAlgebra in 8th and she is not considered mathy. It is the only curriculum that has "stuck". She is as.slow.as.molasses......

 

Sounds like my son who started AoPS geometry this year. In the past he has had problems with math curricula. I'd hesitate to call either of my sons mathy. One uses AoPS and the other one doesn't.

 

The one who uses AoPS does work through it quite slowly. I recently asked him if he though he could skip done of the harder problems but he wants to continue working through them. He is concurrently using the public school Alg 2 text and trying to decide what to use for precalc: AoPS or CC class.

[brandigirl]

Our experience is that I would not recommend jumping into AoPS pre-cal. Their pre-tests are often misleading (being on the easy side). You might want to look into their alg 3 book first. Ds said he would have not made it through the first chpt of the pre-cal book w/o the foundation of their alg 3 book.

 

 

Dont worry I took the Calc pre test and passed that one so I think I might be ok.:001_smile: I am just worried about the learning style.

[wapiti]

SO... I have a non-mathy kid (not my own) who is successfully using and loving AOPS. He loves math and is very bright overall but not what I would call mathy. AOPS takes him longer then it probably should (more time per day and more days overall), but he really enjoys it and is understanding everything perfectly. I tried AOPS as a last-ditch effort (after trying approx. 8,000 other math currics) and it WORKS! This is making me rethink the way I approach AOPS. I don't think it's a program for mathy kids. I think it's a program for a certain type of thinker who is *usually* mathy but not always.

 

Just wanted to let y'all know that.

 

FWIW, I have had some of the same general thoughts. I have wondered whether there is a very particular sort of student, with an "alternative" learning style, for whom the AoPS approach is superior to any other approach (just from the perspective of learning the basic ideas, aside from the challenge level).

 

Perhaps the kid in question will turn out to be more "mathy" than he seems - maybe he just needed the right approach.

[Alison in KY]

Excuse me while I interrupt, but what is AOPS?

[wapiti]

Excuse me while I interrupt, but what is AOPS?

 

The Art of Problem Solving

[Sebastian (a lady)]

I'm curious what you consider "mathy". I have tried to avoid using labels that shut doors based on ability to master material with minimal effort.

 

A bright kid, with an interest in math, who is prospering with a challenging math curriculum wouldn't be labeled as not mathy at my house.

[JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst]

I'm curious what you consider "mathy". I have tried to avoid using labels that shut doors based on ability to master material with minimal effort.

 

A bright kid, with an interest in math, who is prospering with a challenging math curriculum wouldn't be labeled as not mathy at my house.

 

I agree with you about the labels.

 

I have always interpreted "mathy" as being the kids who can't put math related items down-in the same way creative writers need to write or artists need to draw. Math as a passion.

 

I'm not sure that AoPS requires the student have a passion for math. Perhaps either an aptitude for math or a proclivity for the method/learning style used in AoPS would be a better description.

 

Perhaps it comes from a need to label curricula as meeting the needs of particular types of students rather than just worrying about find a match for each kid.

[HodgesSchool]

I too use "mathy" to mean passionate about math more than other subjects.

 

I think AoPS appeals to students who are strong "N" thinkers (on the Myers-Briggs personality). Interestingly, a lot of kids who are good at math computation are strong S thinkers.

 

AoPS is very different from the typical math approach. AoPS is aimed at the big-picture visionairies (N) rather than the rigorous linear thinkers (S). (I am vastly simplifying what Myers-Briggs means by N and S...)

 

In general, I think a child who has been convinced she is "NOT mathy" (because computation bored her) just might decide she "IS mathy" when she starts working with AoPS.

[SuperDad]

I'm curious what you consider "mathy". I have tried to avoid using labels that shut doors based on ability to master material with minimal effort.

 

A bright kid, with an interest in math, who is prospering with a challenging math curriculum wouldn't be labeled as not mathy at my house.

He's bright and enjoys math but isn't passionate about it. He still needs a lot of support using AOPS. I guess you would just have to meet him IRL. He's just not math-oriented.

 

I too use "mathy" to mean passionate about math more than other subjects.

 

I think AoPS appeals to students who are strong "N" thinkers (on the Myers-Briggs personality). Interestingly, a lot of kids who are good at math computation are strong S thinkers.

 

AoPS is very different from the typical math approach. AoPS is aimed at the big-picture visionairies (N) rather than the rigorous linear thinkers (S). (I am vastly simplifying what Myers-Briggs means by N and S...)

 

In general, I think a child who has been convinced she is "NOT mathy" (because computation bored her) just might decide she "IS mathy" when she starts working with AoPS.

This is really interesting. I definitely agree.

 

That is also how I mean the word "mathy".

[romeacademy]

I too use "mathy" to mean passionate about math more than other subjects.

 

I think AoPS appeals to students who are strong "N" thinkers (on the Myers-Briggs personality). Interestingly, a lot of kids who are good at math computation are strong S thinkers.

 

AoPS is very different from the typical math approach. AoPS is aimed at the big-picture visionairies (N) rather than the rigorous linear thinkers (S). (I am vastly simplifying what Myers-Briggs means by N and S...)

 

In general, I think a child who has been convinced she is "NOT mathy" (because computation bored her) just might decide she "IS mathy" when she starts working with AoPS.

 

I've been considering switching math curriculums for my older son, who has hit a wall with Algebra this year (Jacobs). He's always been very intuitive with math, but he always hated long problem sets (he says they're boring). But he'll spend hours trouble-shooting programs with his NXT robot. Lately he insists he hates math and he's no good at it, and I'm at my wits' end.

 

So that leaves me trying to decide if we gut it out and finish Jacobs (we're in Ch 10 - Factoring), or restart Algebra with a different program (AoPS or something else). For those of you who've used AoPS, does it sound like a good fit for this boy? Is it something we could pick up in the middle of Algebra I, or would we have to start over? Thanks for your input.

[Trilliums]

I've been considering switching math curriculums for my older son, who has hit a wall with Algebra this year (Jacobs). He's always been very intuitive with math, but he always hated long problem sets (he says they're boring). But he'll spend hours trouble-shooting programs with his NXT robot. Lately he insists he hates math and he's no good at it, and I'm at my wits' end.

 

So that leaves me trying to decide if we gut it out and finish Jacobs (we're in Ch 10 - Factoring), or restart Algebra with a different program (AoPS or something else). For those of you who've used AoPS, does it sound like a good fit for this boy? Is it something we could pick up in the middle of Algebra I, or would we have to start over? Thanks for your input.

 

 

I have been thinking about this thread lately. My younger son started AoPS algebra in Ch. 4 about two weeks ago. He had tried AoPS algebra a couple of months ago but it did not go very well. I wasn't sure if it was the approach or if he wasn't prepared well enough. Saxon and Lials were also problematic. He ended up doing a lot of review through Khan academy. He started at the VERY beginning of the knowledge web problem sets and worked through the beginning parts of algebra. At that point, we were trying to decide between staying with Khan or going back to a textbook. After comparing the textbooks I had, I decided to give AoPS a dedicated trial. I love Khan academy, but I wanted him to have a more systematic approach and I wanted him to have to do some writing as he solved problems. The past two weeks have gone very well! He is about midway through Ch. 5 now. I need to be much more interactive with him than I was for my older son.

 

My DS enjoys programming NXT robot as well. He also likes spending time creating intricate designs in Minecraft (energy farms and self activating mazes), making stop action videos, building catapults and electrical devices, and pondering the surface area of doughnuts. :)

 

Not too long ago, Jann from Texas kindly posted showing how she teaches factoring. You might take a look at the thread and see if some extra clarification is all he needs. As for DS, I am glad he seems to have made a good transition to AoPS. It is a very different experience for him--but, he lets out little cheers of joy when he figures out a tough problem. I love seeing the development of concepts click in him.

[romeacademy]

My DS enjoys programming NXT robot as well. He also likes spending time creating intricate designs in Minecraft (energy farms and self activating mazes), making stop action videos, building catapults and electrical devices, and pondering the surface area of doughnuts. :)

 

Not too long ago, Jann from Texas kindly posted showing how she teaches factoring. You might take a look at the thread and see if some extra clarification is all he needs.

 

Wow! This sounds just like my son. Thanks, I'll look for the other thread. It was algebraic long division that just blew up his world. I had him watch some of the Khan Academy lectures too, thinking he just needed a differenct approach, but it really didn't seem to help. He just couldn't seem to get hold of the basic concept of why he was doing what he was doing and it bothered him.

[Sweetpeach]

Argh, just had a nice post prepared and lost it . . . so the condensed comment is this:

 

I agree with the OP. Nobody is excluded from the AofPS family and your student doesn't have to be able to hit the math ball out of the park in order to glean gems from the AofPS curriculum.

 

AofPS is smart math, no question, and it takes concise, concentrated effort. After two courses this year, my oldest is finally realizing that math takes work. What a joy to see him finally owning the process and digging into it. AofPS has taught him good math, but even more importantly, it's taught him that he's not a genius and he has to do. the. work. in order to stay on top of this math.

 

Good math learning and even better life learning.

 

Warmly, Tricia

[Sebastian (a lady)]

 

Not too long ago, Jann from Texas kindly posted showing how she teaches factoring. You might take a look at the thread and see if some extra clarification is all he needs. As for DS, I am glad he seems to have made a good transition to AoPS. It is a very different experience for him--but, he lets out little cheers of joy when he figures out a tough problem. I love seeing the development of concepts click in him.

 

Posting the bolded above without a link is a bit like going on about a new dish without posting the recipe. :D

 

ETA: For the other curious, I'm guessing this is the post.

Edited April 17, 2012 by Sebastian (a lady)

[Trilliums]

Posting the bolded above without a link is a bit like going on about a new dish without posting the recipe. :D

 

ETA: For the other curious, I'm guessing this is the post.

 

 

:lol:

 

I told myself I was going to edit RIGHT away and put in link, but then something happened and I got distracted. I think I had to go plant something or another.

 

Thanks for finding it.