Hwin Posted March 11, 2013 Share Posted March 11, 2013 Posting this here because it sounded like high school course material to me. My sister-in-law is enrolled in a program to become a teaching assistant in preschool and/or Kindergarten classrooms. She will be great in her chosen field and I hate seeing her struggle with subjects that don't have any obvious bearing on her future employment :( As of last week, she dropped math for the second time. She didn't have a great high school education and had to take two semesters of remedial work to even get to the credit-bearing courses. I was hoping the Hive could recommend some resources that might help her get this class out of the way. This is the description: MAT 108 > Mathematical Functions II An interactive and collaborative problem-solving approach which develops and extends mathematical power using algebraic, numeric, and graphical techniques. Topics include a study of function, functional families (polynomial, exponential, logarithmic, etc.), data analysis, geometry, and right triangle trigonometry. Any suggestions? :bigear: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candid Posted March 11, 2013 Share Posted March 11, 2013 I think it might be good to ask her where she is having problems. The topics included in the course might not be where she needs help. A lot of folks wipe out on algebra because they can't handle fractions for instance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomatHWTK Posted March 11, 2013 Share Posted March 11, 2013 I am reviewing math with the Fundamentals of Math DVD from The Teaching Company. She might also take a look at the Khan Academy tutorials. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie in MN Posted March 11, 2013 Share Posted March 11, 2013 If it's Algebra she needs to understand, I am a big fan of Math Relief (for struggling or advanced students, it doesn't matter). You can view a sample video here: http://www.mathrelief.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted March 11, 2013 Share Posted March 11, 2013 When I was in college, we had a course similar to that which was between College Algebra and Calculus. Is that where she is? What remedial courses has she already taken? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hwin Posted March 11, 2013 Author Share Posted March 11, 2013 When I was in college, we had a course similar to that which was between College Algebra and Calculus. Is that where she is? What remedial courses has she already taken? She has taken one course already, but it wasn't considered college level. I think this is mostly algebra with a bit of trigonometry at the end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2bee Posted March 11, 2013 Share Posted March 11, 2013 I am watching and enjoying the Calculus Tutor DVD's, maybe she could try the Algebra versions of these DVD's along with some workbook stuff. The Humongous Book of Algebra Problems translated for people who don't speak math. Look them up on Amazon also... Tell her to check and see if her school doesn't offer free tutoring also. All of the universities and colleges in my area do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paige Posted March 11, 2013 Share Posted March 11, 2013 If she's failed that many times and had to take remedial classes when she began college, she may have some sort of learning disability or maybe is missing some crucial foundational, basic math knowledge which is holding her back. College algebra is not that hard. I'm not intending to be mean. It would be mean to let her continue to fail and feel badly about herself. I would recommend that she meet with a private tutor who could evaluate where she is having difficulties. Hopefully the tutor could identify the problem, get her up to speed so she's ready for the class she needs, and then continue on as needed helping her when she has problems throughout the course. Similarly, has she ever actually gone to her professors' office hours in the past? If she thinks she has the basics and doesn't need catch up work, she'd probably be able to pass the class without paying for an extra tutor if she just went to see the professor during his office hours for extra help. That's what they have office hours. When I was a TA, nobody ever came to my office hours and a lot of them needed to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted March 11, 2013 Share Posted March 11, 2013 I agree with Paige. Something is amiss and needs remediation. If she doesn't have a learning disability, it could be something such as being unable to convert between fractions and decimals, never understanding the language of story problems and how to determine the clues that tell you what operations will be used, or even not comprehending positive and negative integers. She may have a very big gap that occured prior to algebra 1. She needs to consult with the professor and she needs to seek out whatever tutoring services are available on campus. Many colleges offer quite a bit, but students can be slow to take advantage of the opportunities. Faith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hwin Posted March 11, 2013 Author Share Posted March 11, 2013 Thanks for your assessment. It would be hard for her not to have gaps in her education. She bounced around a lot as a teen. These comments have helped me decide that I would be more helpful to her as a cheerleader and for advice, like "go talk to your professor and take advantage of any tutoring services " :) Unfortunately, any solutions that involve out of pocket expense are unlikely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted March 11, 2013 Share Posted March 11, 2013 A book like Lial's Basic College Math can be bought used for almost nothing. She could use the chapter tests to find areas she is weak and then go through those chapters completely. If she can make it thought BCM, she is ready for Introduction to Algebra. These books contain all the instruction for each concept. She might be able to find her own sticking place, then use a tutor (provided free by many CCs) to get past the bumps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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