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After someone posted the great links to online help for Holt texts, I'm looking at the geometry. We are using Foerster's Algebra I this year, along with Math without Borders videos. I am thinking that the Holt geometry looks very well supported - video lectures, online book even, and for a great price. Has anyone used this?

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I have never actually seen it, but two of the authors are Dale Seymour (author of the loathsome TERC curriculum) and Steven Leinwand. Based on that alone, I would run far away.

 

From wiki:

In a February 9, 1994 article in Education Week on the Web, Steven Leinwand wrote: "It's time to recognize that, for many students, real mathematical power, on the one hand, and facility with multidigit, pencil-and-paper computational algorithms, on the other, are mutually exclusive. In fact, it's time to acknowledge that continuing to teach these skills to our students is not only unnecessary, but counterproductive and downright dangerous."
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I really like the free Holt online videos which are the same as the Thinkwell videos, but their website hints that things are going to be changed late fall. Maybe I'll need to purchase the online textbook to have access to the videos?

 

I think Burger is one of the authors of the 2007 edition, but I don't own it so I'm not sure. Julie at http://www.livingmath.net talks about using the online Holt algebra book with her son with the videos. She has a yahoo group where where she has mentioned this and she is great resource for reviews. You might want to join and look there.

 

Dr. Burger from Thinkwell does the online lectures, and I was thinking it would be great to have such a good teacher. Does anyone know if the 1992 text would work with the videos online, or were there too many changes? Are they easy to find?
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I've taught from the 1992 edition many times. I think it is a solid course. The first part of the text is proof-heavy with some application and the last half is application-heavy with some proofs. The lessons in the student text are adequate for teaching. I do suggest purchasing the ATE (Teacher's Edition) because the proofs are in 'proper form' making grading much easier. ATE also gives assignments from basic to honor's level. Cost for both books is around $25 total.

 

NOTE: Dr Burger DOES NOT do the Holt Geometry videos for the current text--some lady does--and she is BORING compared to him!

 

For the month that my dd(15) was in PS this year she used the new Holt Algebra 2 text. While I really liked Dr. Burger's videos I really DID NOT like the text. It forced functions (nearly overkill) starting in the first chapters of the text--and it was VERY intimidating to the students. It contained a lot of standard 'Pre-Calc' material--but the students in DD's class had a TERRIBLE Algebra 1 experience and this book spent very little time on traditional Algebra 2 concepts--main focus being functions and graphing calculators usage--HEAVY on the graphing calculator.

 

I imaging the Geometry would be similar...

 

I doubt that the new videos would be compatible with the 1992 text--the scope and sequence is very different. The proofs assigned are DEPENDENT on the order of the previous lessons--if a rule (postulate/theorem/definition) has not been covered yet you can't use it. Different books, different order, different results in proofs! The videos may help with the application problems though...

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