can someone compare dolciani Art of problem solving pre alg.

[pjssully]

Hi,

I am trying to decide between these books for my 7th grade boy for pre-algebra.  I know NOTHING about either one of them since I used something different for my older two.  Could someone tell me about them-pros and cons and just basic information about either one of them.

Really appreciate it!!!

pam

[sagira]

I have Dolciani (slated for 7th grade also, we are not there yet). I own the 1985 Accelerated Course version, and I'm going to be using it after MM 6.

 

From paging through it, I can see that it connects math to the real world, and it's straightforward in its explanations and has uncomplicated pages. It gets high praises here for its presentation and explanations, and Maria Miller from Math Mammoth also has positive things to say about it. Check out her homeschoolmath reviews on different pre-algebra programs.

 

BTW, Dolciani only has answers for the odd problems, which is what we'll be working on in conjunction with MM 7 worksheets.

 

If it helps, I'm planning on moving to Foerster's Algebra after we're done with Dolciani.

[Targhee]

We have AoPS PreA. It is constructivist in approach, but still has ample instruction in case they don't get the "aha!" when trying the initial problems. It also has a large library of videos which correspond to the text. There is not a lot if drill. Instead there are ateadily harder problems to work on, some of them quite difficult (esp in number theory). Pros - a student who can work independently can do this on their own, and it is thorough, offers free videos and a for fee online course. Cons - it's depth and rigor can be frustrating to some, if your student does not work independently it will take a lot of your time.

[EndOfOrdinary]

Dolciani leads the kids through a process more than AoPS.  AoPS drops you into hard problems without providing the steps to solve the problem.  The student is encouraged to find their own way to the solution.  The whole goal with AoPS is for the student to understand the concepts, not memorize a process of how to compute answers.  This is the largest difference in the two books. 

 

Dolciani is really good.  The focus is on understanding how to compute the problem in real world examples.  There isn't the wonder of "Why am I learning this?" 

 

The big choice is if you want a more traditional approach (Dolciani) or if you want a more conceptual approach (AoPS).  Hopefully that makes some sense....

[freesia]

Dolciani leads the kids through a process more than AoPS.  AoPS drops you into hard problems without providing the steps to solve the problem.  The student is encouraged to find their own way to the solution.  The whole goal with AoPS is for the student to understand the concepts, not memorize a process of how to compute answers.  This is the largest difference in the two books. 

 

Dolciani is really good.  The focus is on understanding how to compute the problem in real world examples.  There isn't the wonder of "Why am I learning this?" 

 

The big choice is if you want a more traditional approach (Dolciani) or if you want a more conceptual approach (AoPS).  Hopefully that makes some sense....

or what your child needs. We started in AoPS, but ds needed me to be a much bigger part of the process. AoPS is more competition math, with problems that are easier if you see the "tricks". It is a lot of fun for children who love puzzles and a challenge in math. My ds was much more: tell me why, show me how and let me go.

[Woodland Mist Academy]

or what your child needs. We started in AoPS, but ds needed me to be a much bigger part of the process. AoPS is more competition math, with problems that are easier if you see the "tricks". It is a lot of fun for children who love puzzles and a challenge in math. My ds was much more: tell me why, show me how and let me go.

 

The "tricks" are actually a deeper understanding of the why. I just wanted to clarify because in the past there have been misunderstandings in which people believed the "tricks" could only applied to certain types of problems.

[boscopup]

I've used both with my oldest son. We started AoPS, needed to shore up a few things with Dolciani, then went back to straight AoPS.

 

Dolciani is a strong, traditional Prealgebra text. There are lots of problems (I signed only the odds), and it is drill and kill - which is apparently what Dolciani intended, from what I've read. The explanations are good, the math is solid, and there is enough practice to really understand the concepts. There are C questions that go further than the main problem set questions, so it's not ridiculously easy.

 

AoPS, otoh, has smaller and more varied problem sets - no drill and kill at all. The explanations are excellent. Everything is explained incredibly thoroughly, to the point that many people complain of its wordiness. :) Technically, AoPS can be used without the straight discovery approach. The problem set teaches the material, but it's the explanations of the problem set that teach. Everything is taught, and the child has to put together the concepts taught when doing the exercises. They don't tell you how to do a particular type of problem. They show you concepts, then you figure out how to use the concepts learned to solve a problem you're that you haven't seen yet in that chapter.

 

Both programs are excellent Prealgebra programs. AoPS goes much deeper than Dolciani, but not every student needs that depth. My 4th grader could have zoomed through Dolciani and fully understood Prealgebra and been ready for Algebra, but I chose to use AoPS for him to spend more time and go deeper. It will take about a year and a half. When he did Dolciani for extra practice, he found it ridiculously easy compared to AoPS, but that's because AoPS has much more depth. My son loves AoPS, so it's a good fit for him. It's not a good fit for many students.