Why are Russian Math resources so elusive?

[mathnerd]

I use SM as the main spine for my child. But, I have read in several places over the years about how the philosophy of SM is from Singapore and China's adoption of Russian Math methods from several decades ago. I would love to get hold of some Russian Math books at the elementary level for the purpose of reading and educating myself so that I can understand the thinking, the approach and reasoning behind it. I am hoping that it would make me a better educator to my child. But, I am unable to go to any website, click on a "buy" button and get a book delivered to me! They are so elusive. One would think that with so many people looking for choices, there is bound to be at least one publisher in the Western hemisphere who has a reasonably good series in English which people are willing to buy and learn from. If there is something out there that teaches Russian Math to elementary kids, I would love to know about it.

BTW/ I visited a Russian Math tutoring center in my neighborhood and they claim that the "Russian" component to their math is the "mastery" approach rather than from any particular textbook/curriculum and that they use a combination of 6 different curriculum (all of them range from SM to Saxon to Right start to Everyday math - all published in America by non-Russians) and tutor their students to achieve "mastery" in topics before moving on to the next - well, they were from Belarus, so they really are from the Russian education system. Which still leaves me looking for an authentic Russian Math curriculum in English.

[stripe]

There is the set that's been translated by the Univ of Chicago.

http://ucsmp.uchicago.edu/resources/translations/

 

There are also a couple of books about Russian math in the MSRI math circles library series.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Msri+math+circles+library

 

I own this one

http://www.amazon.com/Mathematical-Circles-Russian-Experience-World/dp/0821804308/

And am reading this one about the experience a man had running a math circle with little kids in Math from Three to Seven

http://www.amazon.com/Math-Three-Seven-Mathematical-Preschoolers/dp/082186873X/'>http://www.amazon.com/Math-Three-Seven-Mathematical-Preschoolers/dp/082186873X/

in which he says he thinks part of the success of Russian math is what occurs outside the classroom in math circles, or in spite of school.

 

Kordemsky's Moscow Puzzles are another source of these types of problems. Currently $3.99 on amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Math-Three-Seven-Mathematical-Preschoolers/dp/082186873X/

 

Aside from the Math from Three to Seven, and the University of Chicago translations, none of them are aimed at small children.

 

I contacted a local Russian program about their math class for kids, but was told my kids would need to learn Russian first. Sigh.

[Arcadia]

There is also Russian Math 6 eventhough you are looking for younger ages. http://www.perpendic....com/math6.html

[mathnerd]

Looks like I have quite a few links to research because of you guys sharing these here! Thanks a lot!

[mom2bee]

I actually came to ask questions about the Russian Mathematics 1-3 books from UCSMP, this is kismet!

I'm thinking of ordering books 1-3 for my own personal collection and would like to know if anyone here used them and if so, how'd they like them and if there is a review online?

 

Are there samples available online anywhere?

[wapiti]

I actually came to ask questions about the Russian Mathematics 1-3 books from UCSMP, this is kismet!

I'm thinking of ordering books 1-3 for my own personal collection and would like to know if anyone here used them and if so, how'd they like them and if there is a review online?

 

Are there samples available online anywhere?

 

 

I thought there was a thread discussing sample questions from this set though I can't find it just yet. I could swear there was a thread...

 

Anyway, apparently I posted a thread about this a long, long time ago (though I don't remember doing so :huh:) here:

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/178161-so-russian-math-grade-1-3-texts/page__hl__+ucsmp?do=findComment&comment=1714875

 

I owned these books once upon a time but gave them to my Russian friends after I didn't see a way that I wanted to use them (I afterschool my kids more for the upper grades than the lower grades, plus it's not as though I don't have a ton of math resources already).

 

One more thread: http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/454317-sample-of-russian-math-3/page__hl__+russian?do=findComment&comment=4692790

 

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/297421-need-math-advise-for-my-friends-ps-kids/

[LMD]

oooh, thanks for the links everyone! I think I tried contacting the UoC a while ago and got no reply - that link looks more professional, they actually talk about foreign shipping destinations, so I may try again... not like I need to buy another math book though.

[Pod's mum]

Chiming in late: We now use MEP, Mathematics Enrichment Programme, which is via Plymouth University UK, but formed from Hungarian Maths. I believe the reasoning behind it was that Hungary consistantly out shone other countries with their maths understanding and performance.

(I have read that Hungarians are actually aliens, not homo-sapians which is why they punch so far above their weight with Nobel awards etc.)

So not Russian, but in English, free, downloadable, has a back up forum if you like and has been around long enough to be 'tested'.

http://www.cimt.plymouth.ac.uk/projects/mep/

[stripe]

There are also a few related threads linked at the way bottom of the page. I remember The MEP vs Russian math thread.

 

For what it's worth, I am including Russian Math from U of Chicago in my daughter's math activities because she wants to move beyond numbers under 20 in MEP. She is in book 1, and I haven't used them consistently, or really gotten to the good stuff.

 

*But* I did see something referenced in there that was referred to in the Math from Three to Seven, about, say, if you want to add 3 to a number, add 2 and then 1, kind of a thing. Anyway the author of that book was complaining about his child's math teacher and how math was taught.