Art of Problem Solving algebra

[desertflower]

Hello,

What makes AoPS different from other math programs? Why is it considered rigorous? For example, some say that beast academy is for advanced students.

I am looking more specifically into algebra.

Thanks in advance for any input.

[wendyroo]

On 11/17/2019 at 10:15 AM, desertflower said:

Hello,

What makes AoPS different from other math programs? Why is it considered rigorous? For example, some say that beast academy is for advanced students.

I am looking more specifically into algebra.

Thanks in advance for any input.

Today my 10 year old got stuck on a problem in AOPS Algebra concerning income tax.  My aunt, a chemical engineer who worked in banking and finance for 20 years, and myself, an engineer with two degrees from MIT, sat down with DS to work on the problem and it actually stretched all of our brains.  We kept bouncing ideas off of each other - "maybe we need to think of it as two tiers", "that formula would only work at one particular income level", "I think if we keep going the p's will cancel and we will be able to solve for x".  And in the end we solved it, and we all high-fived, and we felt the rush of having triumphed over something that truly challenged us.

My son has a love/hate relationship with the hard problems and discovery method.  Recently he started thinking that the grass was always greener on the other side, and decided to give Foerster's algebra a try.  He only lasted a couple days; his exact words were: "They are just asking you to do the same simple problems that they just taught you how to do!!"  He considered this harsh criticism and quickly chose to switch back to AOPS.

I love this TED talk by Dan Meyer and think that AOPS exemplifies his ideas about nurturing patient problem solvers.  His five pillars of good math instruction are: 1. Use multimedia - AOPS does this to a small extent with videos, alcumus, online classes and their chat boards, but not exactly like Dan Meyer is talking about.  2. Encourage student intuition - Absolutely, along with the standard algebra solution to the income tax problem, it also offered a logical intuition solution that did not use equations at all.  3. Ask the shortest question you can - Yep, one question that my son will tackle in a few days is "Each 25 square inch thermal tile on the space shuttle costs $130.  How much does it cost to cover the entire 2000 square foot bottom surface of the shuttle?"  Short and sweet leaving plenty of room for students to chart their own course.  4. Let students build the problem - formulation of the problems is a huge part of the AOPS curriculum; I love that they often have multiple different solutions in the answer guide in recognition that students could formulate and solve the problem in different ways.  5. Be less helpful - Oh, yeah.  For better or for worse, AOPS does not hold your hand and walk you down a carefully paved path to a solution.  Frustration and wrong answers are meant to be part of the process.

Wendy

[Clemsondana]

When my older needed a break from AoPS, we used the Jousting Armadillos series along with Life of Fred.  With my younger, who is very capable but has a much lower frustration tolerance, I'm planning to use those 2 simultaneously.