Self-ed: I want to not be a math ignoramus.

[corduroy]

I'm tired of being ignorant about math. My background is that I received an excellent education with your garden-variety Western math pitfalls, so that I can perform algorithms all day long, but my deep understanding of what I'm actually doing is really, really lacking. (I hope this makes sense. Basically, I can memorize and perform operations, no problem, but because my deep understanding of what I'm doing is so crummy, if I miss a step or flub an element, I end up with numbers that make no logical sense, and I am essentially unable to spot the problem intuitively.)

 

I also have a young child, and when he's ready for formal math, I would like to at least not hamper his progress with my own ignorance! So I'm really motivated to deepen my understanding, and I'd like to start over from the very beginning and build a solid foundation. Any thoughts on where to start? My ideas so far:

 

Read Knowing and Teaching Elementary Mathematics

Read some Miquon materials?

C-rods and Education Unboxed videos?

I've tried Khan Academy, and I enjoy it, but I found myself floundering at the same places I started to flounder in school, and not really making conceptual progress. So I don't believe that "more practice" is a good solution for me; I need to find a way to deepen my true understanding of what I'm actually doing.

 

What else am I missing? Thank you!

[Chrysalis Academy]

Art of Problem Solving and Alcumus. Seriously, whether it works for your kid or not, you will benefit so much from the incredibly deep explanation of math concepts, and the clever and intriguing problems. I have the AoPS PreA textbook and I have Alcumus set to "follow the book." I watch Richard R.s' videos whenever I get hung up (and for fun, I kinda have a crush on him), and even though it's "just" PreAlgebra, I am learning stuff I never knew or learned about math, even in college Calculus!

 

Another book that really helped me when I started teaching math was Math Power: How to help your child love math, even if you don't by Patricia Clarke Kentschaft. It has a really great and approachable description of the stages of math learning, and when and where it can go wrong. This is as useful for a teacher, IMO, as understanding the math yourself (which is really important!!)

 

Alcumus is really different from Khan Academy. Each problem is new and unique; and most of them require a pretty deep grasp of the concepts (well, at least to solve them quickly and efficiently), you can't just figure out a formula and pattern-match your way through to "mastery." You should definitely check this out!!

[Candid]

http://www.singaporemath.com/Elementary_Mathematics_for_Teachers_p/emft.htm This book was written for elementary teachers as a text to a course teaching them math. It uses the Singapore Math series (I believe it uses the US edition). It is a gentle walk through. If you want to go big, you can get it with the texts that you need to go with it: http://www.singaporemath.com/Elementary_Math_for_Teachers_Complete_Package_p/emftcp.htm

 

You might also like to tackle this book which is solid: http://www.amazon.com/History-Mathematics-Vol-Dover-Books/dp/0486204294/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1363949017&sr=8-7&keywords=history+of+mathematics

[Julie of KY]

I was also going to suggest AoPS Prealgebra.

[letsplaymath]

My ideas so far: Read Knowing and Teaching Elementary Mathematics

 

When you read it, stop at the beginning of each of the four question chapters and decide (or even write down) how you would answer that question. That primes your mind, so you will be able to think more deeply about the answers given by the American and Chinese teachers Ma interviewed.

 

http://www.singapore...hers_p/emft.htm This book was written for elementary teachers as a text to a course teaching them math. It uses the Singapore Math series...

 

I have a blog post series that is going (very slowly!) through this textbook and relating it to how we teach homeschool math. You might find it helpful:

• Homeschooling Math with Profound Understanding (PUFM) Series
  

[Candid]

When you read it, stop at the beginning of each of the four question chapters and decide (or even write down) how you would answer that question. That primes your mind, so you will be able to think more deeply about the answers given by the American and Chinese teachers Ma interviewed.

 

 

 

I have a blog post series that is going (very slowly!) through this textbook and relating it to how we teach homeschool math. You might find it helpful:

• Homeschooling Math with Profound Understanding (PUFM) Series

 

 

 

I'm going to go take a look at your blog posts. Oddly, I think I have a very old handout on how to do math word problems from your blog. :D

[corduroy]

Thanks so much - these are all great ideas. I've ordered MATH POWER and taken a look at AOPS. I am embarrassed to say that I think I need to do some fundamental work BEFORE I can tackle that! I took a look at some Alcumus practice problems and experienced intense math fail. Well, something to work toward!

 

Letsplaymath, your blog is amazing! Thanks so much for the link. I'm going to obsess over your posts now. :)

[kiana]

Thanks so much - these are all great ideas. I've ordered MATH POWER and taken a look at AOPS. I am embarrassed to say that I think I need to do some fundamental work BEFORE I can tackle that! I took a look at some Alcumus practice problems and experienced intense math fail. Well, something to work toward!

 

Letsplaymath, your blog is amazing! Thanks so much for the link. I'm going to obsess over your posts now. :)

 

Corduroy, it sounds so simple, but the key is NOT GIVING UP when you struggle with something. Learning something new is hard! Make sure you start with the practice problems in the pre-algebra area. If Alcumus is too challenging (it may well be, to someone who has had an algorithmic education), try the Singapore book recommended and come back to it. Also, don't forget to give yourself time to think very hard about the problems. These are not the sort of problems you can glance at and immediately know how to do!

 

Good luck!

[letsplaymath]

Corduroy, it sounds so simple, but the key is NOT GIVING UP when you struggle with something. Learning something new is hard! ...

 

Oh, that reminds me of another good resource for moms who are trying to relearn math: the Danica McKellar books. Here's a quote from Math Doesn't Suck:

Working on math sharpens your brain, actually

making you smarter

in all areas. Intelligence is real, it’s lasting, and no one can take it away from you. Ever. And take it from me, nothing can take the place of the confidence that comes from developing your intelligence — not beauty, or fame, or anything else “superficial.â€

 

Math isn’t

easy

for anyone. It takes time and persistence to understand this stuff, so don’t give up on yourself just because you might feel frustrated. Everyone feels like that sometimes — everyone. It’s what you

do

about those feelings that makes you who you are.

 

It’s in those moments when you want to give up but you

keep going anyway

that you separate yourself from the crowd and build the skills of patience and fortitude that will allow you to excel throughout your entire life — no matter what you choose as a career.

 

And here is something from Kiss My Math:

Whenever you don’t understand how to do a math problem, this is actually a good thing, because now you have an opportunity to exercise the part of your brain that makes you stronger, more capable, and successful in life: the part that

does not give up

.

 

When you’re struggling with something but you believe in yourself and you keep trying until you succeed, you not only become stronger, but also much more powerful. Doing math has a funny way of expanding our brains, making us better problem solvers, and strengthening our mental fortitude and stamina. As hard as math can seem sometimes, you’re actually benefiting from it in ways you might not realize.

 

Seek out the things you don’t understand, and seize opportunities to learn how to

think

in entirely new ways. Believe me, math will keep giving you these opportunities, so take them!

[Chrysalis Academy]

Thanks so much - these are all great ideas. I've ordered MATH POWER and taken a look at AOPS. I am embarrassed to say that I think I need to do some fundamental work BEFORE I can tackle that! I took a look at some Alcumus practice problems and experienced intense math fail. Well, something to work toward!

 

Letsplaymath, your blog is amazing! Thanks so much for the link. I'm going to obsess over your posts now. :)

 

 

I wouldn't give up on Alcumus, but you might try two things: first, set it to "follow the book" for PreAlgebra. That way, you will start with the most basic post-arithmetic math, and it will get harder sequentially (or at least advance in topics sequentially). Also, if you get stuck on a problem, watch the video. That has helped me figure out how to solve a problem many a time! The video lessons are awesome.

 

Seriously, work your way slowly through the prelgebra videos and the alcumus prealgebra problems, and your confidence will really soar! Don't get intimidated by all the really hard problems, just start at the beginning.

 

And good luck! You are doing a great thing for yourself and for your kids.

[Ravin]

Life of Fred. I plan on getting it once I'm done with law school so I can finally grok calculus (I hit a wall in Calc II in college and that's why I'm in law school now, more or less) and statistics (I somehow got an A in statistics as an undergrad, yet managed to come away not really understanding much of it).

[Chrysalis Academy]

Life of Fred. I plan on getting it once I'm done with law school so I can finally grok calculus (I hit a wall in Calc II in college and that's why I'm in law school now, more or less) and statistics (I somehow got an A in statistics as an undergrad, yet managed to come away not really understanding much of it).

 

 

 

 

I agree, I've also been working my way through LOF. I question whether it has enough practice for someone learning this for the very first time (all students are different, I know) but I do find it has just the right amount for me, for review - and the explanations really, really work for me, in a way that the explanations offered by the heavily accented foreign grad students who taught my math classes in college did . . . not.

[kateingr]

Corduroy, what are you using with your little one for math? It sounds like you'd really benefit from a curriculum that might teach you as you teach your child, like Singapore or RightStart