Clear Creek Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 is HARD!!!! Holy COW!!! Is anyone else's child going through the first course (Operational Systems)? My daughter has almost completed the course, she is doing the review at the end, and she is doing stuff that I never did in any of my math classes...things like finding the inverses of numbers in mod7 multiplication. I just looked at the sample for the AOPS Number Theory book, and a lot of the stuff she has learned is in there (it obviously goes deeper than she did, but she could tackle that course with ease now). It is making me think so hard - I sit next to her and we work it out together, there is no re-doing problems so I want to be sure that she is on the right track before she submits answers - that it is wearing me out! They sent out an email letting us know that the second course is now available, and I don't know if I am going to sign my daughter up...if the first course challenges me this much, I don't know that I will be able to help her in future courses. Since there are no videos or any sort of interaction with the lessons (besides an inactive message board), I am the only source of assistance for her. Gah! Somebody else tell me that it is challenging them, as well. I don't want to be the only dunce with an accelerated child here! :D 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 You are not alone. My DD is enjoying it, but I'm a bit intimidated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbmamaz Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 Because they said it was supposed to be independent, i had my son do it alone. He was pretty excited at first, but then I noticed his grades werent great. I started helping a little - and i noticed that sometimes I didnt know (partly, i'm sure, cuz he had already done a few pages on the subject). Finally i learned about the answer key - neither of us knew that! I wouldnt have known modular math at all except I went to a summer math camp for it. I wanted dh (the mathematician) to do some of it with him but he declined. But he was also shocked they were doing the modular arithmetic. I'm not sure my son will want to do the next course. He's not really loving this any more - tho he does seem to do better when i try to help (his reading is a bit behind, so sometimes just reading something out loud to him helps). I'm also considering finishing up LOF decimals - we did a few chapters in the spring and a few in the fall and i'd really like to finish it! and maybe some Challenge Math (we did Primary 2 years ago?) . . and maybe doing the next class of this next year. I am curious how he'll do on the test. i wish we'd known about the answer key before!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 What answer key? The key at the bottom of a problem to show correct answer? We had a frustrating bit today where one of the diagrams wasn't loading correctly despite refreshing the page. Of course after emailing tech support (and having answered wrong), it showed up correctly on my computer. I have the books, so I'm not quite sure whether we'll be doing integers online after finishing this one up or not. The math in the series is seriously good. In chapter 10, we did group theory (definition of group, abelian groups, rings). It's cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbmamaz Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 What answer key? The key at the bottom of a problem to show correct answer? Yes. he was working totally independently and had not noticed that, and when I finally got around to helping, I didnt notice it either. really helps lol We had a frustrating bit today where one of the diagrams wasn't loading correctly despite refreshing the page. Of course after emailing tech support (and having answered wrong), it showed up correctly on my computer. Yeah, there was one with diagrams you had to move around and we couldnt get it to load, finally i refreshed it and that worked I have the books, so I'm not quite sure whether we'll be doing integers online after finishing this one up or not.The math in the series is seriously good. In chapter 10, we did group theory (definition of group, abelian groups, rings). It's cool. i havent seen the books. i find the website really hard to navigate 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2GAboys Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 My 12 year old son is taking this class. I am very hands off because they said it was an independent study and I want to see if he can cut it on his own. I signed on to check how he was doing and made him go back to review everything that he missed (i.e study the answer key, go to the index for further explanation of concepts, etc.). In the past I have come too quicky to his aid, and it is time for him to grow up and that means sitting and thinking about the problem. I have demonstrated how to get to the index to research a concept and how to post a question on the forum and when he finally gets stumped, that will be what he will have to do becasue that course is beyond me. I do not know if we will continue with Integers because he is only on 1/4 of the way through. If he does well and continues to like it, we'll probably do it. I just wish it had an intelligent design and adaptive component like ALEKS. I do not like that he can continue on to another exercise without getting all the questions right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 My 8 year old is doing the course on his own. He does not mind doing the questions but is not interested in some of the topics so he grudgingly go through them to get to the next topic. Most diagrams work well in Safari but some only show up well in Firefox which means we can't do those on the ipad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clear Creek Posted January 25, 2013 Author Share Posted January 25, 2013 My 12 year old son is taking this class. I am very hands off because they said it was an independent study and I want to see if he can cut it on his own. I signed on to check how he was doing and made him go back to review everything that he missed (i.e study the answer key, go to the index for further explanation of concepts, etc.). In the past I have come too quicky to his aid, and it is time for him to grow up and that means sitting and thinking about the problem. I have demonstrated how to get to the index to research a concept and how to post a question on the forum and when he finally gets stumped, that will be what he will have to do becasue that course is beyond me. I do not know if we will continue with Integers because he is only on 1/4 of the way through. If he does well and continues to like it, we'll probably do it. I just wish it had an intelligent design and adaptive component like ALEKS. I do not like that he can continue on to another exercise without getting all the questions right. That is why I have be close by when my daughter does the lessons, because one week her average dropped to something like 38%. She just kept plugging away when she had not understood the primary concepts for a topic and was missing exercise after exercise. I really wish the program would give a new set of practice questions for a concept when the student misses them all the first time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quark Posted January 25, 2013 Share Posted January 25, 2013 Do consider emailing these concerns to Terry Kaufman...it will help other tremendously too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbmamaz Posted January 25, 2013 Share Posted January 25, 2013 well, many of us who are having issues also have kids under the 10 yo age cutoff, so i wonder how helpful it really is? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clear Creek Posted January 25, 2013 Author Share Posted January 25, 2013 My kid is exactly 10, so I will send an email at the end of the course. I am working with her on the age-related issues (her pre-test said that she would succeed in the course with the help of a parent), but the need for a student to be able to evaluate whether they have grasped a concept after failing it the first attempt and the wonky scoring system (the system will occasionally give her a weird score, like 1/4 even though she missed none and should have received a 4/4) are both things that I am sure they would appreciate feedback about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyforlatin Posted January 26, 2013 Share Posted January 26, 2013 Am I correct that the first course is $60 for 3 months? I'm reluctant to spend that much if Dd will end up being frustrated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbmamaz Posted January 26, 2013 Share Posted January 26, 2013 a lot of us got in on the free trial for the first course. There is nothing like it, that i know of. My husband was sitting with my son while he did 2 problems last night. My husband has several degrees in math. He did help ds a little, with the reflection part, but due to his poor vision, did not recognize there were two different symbols, one for dissection, so first he helped and then ds had to correct him! dh said he works with a lot of people, in IT, who could not do these problems. I think I can argue w dh that its worth the admittedly steep investment by our standards, because my goal for this child is to get him in to the very competitive math and science specialty center for high school. I think this could really help with that goal. However, i will probably wait at least 6 mo before we do part 2, if not a year. I want him to be mature enough to put a little more effort in to it. Also it still remains to be seen how he does on the test at the end! Crazy, how old is your daughter? it is supposed to be for kids with advanced math and language skills who are 10 or over. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiana Posted January 26, 2013 Share Posted January 26, 2013 Remember that the program was aimed to challenge gifted middle school students, so if your kid isn't yet to that level it will probably be more than challenging. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clear Creek Posted January 26, 2013 Author Share Posted January 26, 2013 Am I correct that the first course is $60 for 3 months? I'm reluctant to spend that much if Dd will end up being frustrated. Yes, that is the correct price for the first course (and the second course, which was just released). I think the aptitude test is a valid measure of how well the child will do in the course because it measures the ability to think out-of-the-box, visualize problems, and put different concepts together to tackle new problems, all of which are necessary to do the course. It is less of a math teaching course (although things like LCM, GCF, associative property, commutative property, and working in different number base systems are taught) and more of a course that teaches different ways of using mathematical concepts, even on non-numerical items. It rarely presents a concept and then has the student practice that exact concept (especially after the first 1/4 of the course); many times it will present a concept and then ask questions that appear to be completely unrelated to the concept and the student has to figure out how to apply the concept in a completely different context. This is where the student needs to be able to handle a fair amount of frustration. I don't think there is any harm in letting your daughter take the aptitude test, it is not like they will ban you from ever enrolling in any courses if she doesn't do well at this time (they still want to earn money, lol). It is simply a guage to let you know if she can handle it so you don't end up losing money by enrolling a child who is not ready for it yet - kind of like a small customer service measure that ensures happier customers...the kind who will spend <gulp> $60 every three months on a math course. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyforlatin Posted January 26, 2013 Share Posted January 26, 2013 a lot of us got in on the free trial for the first course. There is nothing like it, that i know of. My husband was sitting with my son while he did 2 problems last night. My husband has several degrees in math. He did help ds a little, with the reflection part, but due to his poor vision, did not recognize there were two different symbols, one for dissection, so first he helped and then ds had to correct him! dh said he works with a lot of people, in IT, who could not do these problems. I think I can argue w dh that its worth the admittedly steep investment by our standards, because my goal for this child is to get him in to the very competitive math and science specialty center for high school. I think this could really help with that goal. However, i will probably wait at least 6 mo before we do part 2, if not a year. I want him to be mature enough to put a little more effort in to it. Also it still remains to be seen how he does on the test at the end! Crazy, how old is your daughter? it is supposed to be for kids with advanced math and language skills who are 10 or over. Dd is 7, but she's working on AOPS Pre-A/MM6. I thought I read somewhere on the website that it's best for kids who have finished elementary math but have not yet reached algebra/geometry. I'll have her take the aptitude test first. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sergio_sy Posted June 20, 2016 Share Posted June 20, 2016 (edited) ? Edited June 22, 2016 by Sergio_sy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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