Aops geometry-- how much of a step-up in difficulty?

[madteaparty]

Take all that's written on these boards about "Aops kids", imagine the opposite, and that's my kid. We don't like discovery, not math gifted, dislike the class format, etc. And yet. We struggled through prealgebra but algebra has so far been smooth sailing. We took a break as DS is abroad but are going back to it now. We plan to stick with Aops as long as we can which is until DS starts high school. Except for geometry--

I wanted to do Wilson academy geometry which is a live year long class. Now I'm wondering, if he continues to eke by in Aops classes, should we stick to it for geometry? I can be absolutely no help though and we'd need the traditional teacher support. Thoughts?

[Arcadia]

The AoPS forums are a great help if your son is ever stuck. I have to encourage my boys to ask for help at first but now they know that it is ok to ask for help after best effort.

[EndOfOrdinary]

I do not think it is an up tick in difficulty. I think it is a matter of how your brain works. In all my math teaching years, there seemed to be a distinct divide: algebra or geometry. I am algebra all the way. Geometry was very difficult for me. If the content was translated into algebra, I was golden and could really get it. My son is geometry all the way. We actually did the books out of order for this very reason. He just gets spacial stuff. For him, if a subject can be translated into geometry, the algebra makes sense.

 

This is not to say that a student cannot be great at both or utilize both effectively. Mainly, it appears that one just seems to flow much more naturally than the other. I would let your Ds try the AoPS geometry if he wants to and just seem. Who knows, the lightbulb might come on.

[Julie of KY]

I only teach at home and don't use  the classes, however my oldest thought the geometry was easier than the algebra.

I didn't think my second son would end up doing the geometry since it was hard, but he's been plugging along and doing very well with it.

 

[bugfree]

I think it depends.  Some weeks are easier than Algebra and some topics are just harder.  My son has mastered every week except angle bisectors.  He thought angle bisectors and medians were extremely difficult....it was sooo hard for him. 

I almost wish the class was offered as 2 12 week classes.  24 weeks is a really really long AoPS class.   This class also doesn't have the videos like many of the other AoPS classes, so that made the tough weeks a little tougher. 

[kohlby]

I had read how much harder AoPS Geometry was - that the type of thinking was harder for students.  As a former math teacher, I get that some kids are more Algebra kids and some are more Geometry.  However, when it comes to something like proofs, math maturity plays and enormous part.  I saw honors math 9th graders struggle a lot more with proofs than college prep level 10th graders.  It came down to not having that math maturity needed for proofs.  Knowing this, I was very hesitant to have my eldest do AoPS for Geometry since my child was much younger than 9th grade when the time came for Geometry.  He did half of Intro to Alg.  Then Intro to Number Theory.  Then the rest of Intro to Alg.  I was ready to have him do Jacobs Geometry - but he wanted AoPS.  He really, really wanted it.  So, I let him.  And he didn't find it any harder than Intro to Alg!  

[Dmmetler]

So far, my DD has found it about the same. That is, it's mostly smooth sailing, but then she gets stuck and frustrated, then unstuck and moves on. I do think that having done Intro Algebra (and pre-algebra) with AOPS has helped-she's used enough to having to explain and write out what she's doing in words and steps that proofs aren't a new skill, just more of the same. We also started keeping a "froggy book of formulas" when she started PA, so she was used to recording things like that separately and referring to them as needed, which is serving her well in geometry.