TT Algebra with AoPS Counting & Probability?

[mycalling]

DS10 just finished Chalkdust PreAlgebra (slowly for 2yrs) and loved the probability chapter. He also did Hands-on Equations' Word Problems this year, but he really loves the way Teaching Textbooks is set up, the teacher's voice, using the computer, so he wants to go back to TT. (He did TT5 before these.)

 

I want to keep him challenged but give him what he wants. So in his case, do you think TT Algebra with AoPS C&P would be a good fit? I know C&P needs basic Algebraic understanding and I'm pretty sure he has enough. Do you agree?

 

My other option was TT Alg with AoPS Alg, going more slowly. I think AoPS Alg would initially be repetitious and too difficult for him to enjoy doing along side TT. I want to ease him into AoPS with something enjoyable.

Edited April 11, 2012 by MyCalling

[wapiti]

You might find food for thought in this thread about AoPS C&P: Not entirely sure if we are ready for AoPS. If it were me, I'd probably choose something similar to the route ultimately chosen by the OP in that thread:

I looked through the Table of Contents, samples, pre/post tests for the other AoPS books and have decided to go back and do their prealgebra and algebra books first before returning to counting and probability. He can pass the pretest for counting and probability, but there's just too much of a learning curve for the problem solving portion and the topics we haven't covered before now.

 

We expect most of prealgebra to be review but there are a few chapters that are either completely new to us or are taught at a greater difficulty level. I suspect we'll be able to fly through it pretty quickly due to all of the review.

 

Based on the discussion in that thread, I'd either start with Intro to Alg, planning to go very slowly, or fly through the chapter reviews in the Prealg book and then do the Intro to Alg book. If you're looking for a way to ease into AoPS, the Prealgebra book is fantastic; if it's too redundant, then I'd try the intro to alg. I'm not sure I understand the purpose of pairing with TT.

[regentrude]

My other option was TT Alg with AoPS Alg, going more slowly. I think AoPS Alg would initially be repetitious and too difficult for him to enjoy doing along side TT. I want to ease him into AoPS with something enjoyable.

 

Why do you want to use TT together with AoPS:confused:? That defeats the purpose. The fun of AoPS is the discovery method - if you just learned the material with TT, there is nothing to discover and yes, it becomes repetetive. AoPS is more than complete, I would not add any extra program (as I have written before, it took DD 220 hours to complete the book)

 

People have used C&P before Algebra, search for posts (I think matryoshka did?). But Intro to Algebra is a lot of fun and very enjoyable, too.

[mycalling]

He prefers TT and hates the discovery method. I think that's just out of laziness so I want to introduce it through a fun subject like c&p instead of Alg.

 

The repetition is why I didn't want to do TT's and AoPS's Algs at the same time. We did the entire 650pg text that went with Chalkdust's Prealgebra over the course of two years. We've beat that horse dead so I wouldn't make him do AoPS's Prealgebra.

 

Any other options with him getting TT in there somewhere? I suppose I could get the AoPS Alg and try it this summer and see how he takes it. I just don't want to drag him kicking and screaming through a whole year. Maybe Kineticbooks Alg would be a good compromise before switching to AoPS only.:confused:

[Alessandra]

I've just seen the TT previews, and they seem to take use very step by step, reinforcing way of teaching. AoPS introduces concepts quickly with a problem or two -- then the next problems in the section are often "trick" questions, problems from math competitions, that require some out of the box thinking.

 

If a child likes being shown algorithms/examples of how to do a problem and then being given similar problems to solve, my guess is that s/he might hate AoPS.

 

Frankly, TT & AoPS does not sound like a good mix.