bfw0729 Posted February 1, 2020 Share Posted February 1, 2020 (edited) I'm hoping for some help here. Would love to hear your experiences and opinions!! I have a 13 year old daughter who completed two units of Videotext algebra. Her twin brother still uses it, but she didn't like how the information was taught. She learns from reading and not necessarily from people talking to her. About 3 weeks ago she and I decided to stop videotext, which made her incredibly happy, and moved on to the art of problem solving pre-algebra book. She works about an hour and a half to two hours a day and is learning a lot. In these 3 weeks, she has completed two chapters of the book. I have tried to encourage her to use the videos on the website, but it's a challenge to get her on the computer. She just wants to read the book and figure it out or ask me. I'm concerned about moving on to the algebra book. She may not be as independent as she is now. She really likes math, but I wouldn't consider her gifted or too accelerated in math. I'm worried she would get stumped and would need more help from me. I'm hoping to do less math with the twins so that I could focus more on the little ones. I still work on science, history, and language arts (MCT) with them and need to have something for them to be more independent. We did Singapore math through 6B and then some Dolciani (pre algebra), and then Videotext. I don't want to jump around again with her and would love to stick with the art of problem solving curriculum. So I guess my question is...can the algebra book be done independently, even for a child who is somewhat advanced in math and a strong reader? Edited February 1, 2020 by bfw0729 Add more info Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpacawalker Posted February 1, 2020 Share Posted February 1, 2020 As a refresher, I went through tne AOPS pre algebra and am currently working through the algebra book without the videos. The video weren't needed for me but it was all a review from 30+ years ago. The text is very clear and provides a great explanation of each topic. The solution manual solidifies everything with detailed answers on how they solved it which was at times different then how I did. However, my dd feels that the videos really add to her learning. They basically state what is in the book, but in an engaging way. If you want her to watch the videos, I recommend that she does it after reading the text since the book walks you through steps whereas the videos puts it all together. The online book also has the videos embedded into each section at the appropriate spot. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annegables Posted February 1, 2020 Share Posted February 1, 2020 What do you mean by "independently"? My son did AoPS algebra not online and it went fine. He watched the videos online, read the section, and did the problems. I would help him a bit, but not a ton. If he got stumped on a problem, the solutions manual was great! I had him read me the problem, discuss what he did, and then I (looking at the solutions manual) could help him unstick himself. I know algebra quite well, but I did not have time to work out all the problems myself or to in-depth teach him the material. My kid is a math kid, however. But I think my approach would work for others just fine. The videos are not totally necessary. Also, if it is a challenge (and this advice goes a bit against the AoPS discovery method) to get her on the computer, what about having her watch all the videos for the chapter in one fell swoop for her math that day? That way, she can see where she is headed and it gets all the videos over with. This is what we are doing for Counting and Probability and it works well. I watch their videos that way so that I can help my kid. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bfw0729 Posted February 2, 2020 Author Share Posted February 2, 2020 3 hours ago, annegables said: What do you mean by "independently"? My son did AoPS algebra not online and it went fine. He watched the videos online, read the section, and did the problems. I would help him a bit, but not a ton. If he got stumped on a problem, the solutions manual was great! I had him read me the problem, discuss what he did, and then I (looking at the solutions manual) could help him unstick himself. I know algebra quite well, but I did not have time to work out all the problems myself or to in-depth teach him the material. My kid is a math kid, however. But I think my approach would work for others just fine. The videos are not totally necessary. Also, if it is a challenge (and this advice goes a bit against the AoPS discovery method) to get her on the computer, what about having her watch all the videos for the chapter in one fell swoop for her math that day? That way, she can see where she is headed and it gets all the videos over with. This is what we are doing for Counting and Probability and it works well. I watch their videos that way so that I can help my kid. Thank you for sharing your experience. I like the idea of watching the videos for the entire chapter - I think that could definitely work. My daughter is pretty independent with the current pre-algebra book. She reads the lesson, works on the practice problems, and completes the exercise problems on her own. She does ask me for help on an exercise problem or two, which happens almost daily. This is not a problem because it takes about 15 minutes of my time and I enjoy working on the problems using their style of methodology. For the algebra book, I would want her to maintain this level of independency. I worry that it will be more difficult for her and I could potentially lose the opportunity to sign her up for an online class. I do like the idea of watching the videos myself so that I could become better-versed in the information and know how to approach the problems, thus be better prepared to help her on the spot. I could do that, especially if all of this helps to avoid an expensive online class, in addition to her profound dislike of having to learn via online. She likes math, but is not deeply interested in it. She did well using Singapore. I worry that we could hit a road block with AoPs algebra and would cause me to switch programs again. I could see her resisting the online option. Ugh. One last question, do many people use the Alcumus option on the website? Should that be a part of her daily math? How long would you allot to that in a given day or week? Thanks again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annegables Posted February 2, 2020 Share Posted February 2, 2020 My son never did Alcumus. He got more than enough practice from the book that I never saw a need. YMMV. My son also did Khan Academy algebra, so he actually finished 2 algebra programs, but he was quite young and we were not in a rush. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daijobu Posted February 3, 2020 Share Posted February 3, 2020 On 2/1/2020 at 10:43 AM, bfw0729 said: About 3 weeks ago she and I decided to stop videotext, which made her incredibly happy, and moved on to the art of problem solving pre-algebra book. She works about an hour and a half to two hours a day and is learning a lot. In these 3 weeks, she has completed two chapters of the book. I have tried to encourage her to use the videos on the website, but it's a challenge to get her on the computer. She just wants to read the book and figure it out or ask me. I'm concerned about moving on to the algebra book. She may not be as independent as she is now. She really likes math, but I wouldn't consider her gifted or too accelerated in math. ... I don't want to jump around again with her and would love to stick with the art of problem solving curriculum. So I guess my question is...can the algebra book be done independently, even for a child who is somewhat advanced in math and a strong reader? I don't know. A kid who can study from AoPS textbooks independently sounds fairly gifted in math to me! Or maybe just globally gifted and able to self study with independent reading. (This is a great skill!) I would have her continue with AoPS since it's such a great curriculum and she seems to be enjoying it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mathnerd Posted February 3, 2020 Share Posted February 3, 2020 My son did the Algebra book independently. Just be aware that this book takes a long time to finish if she solves all the problems in the book and alcumus as well. I suggest that she continue with the AOPS Prealgebra and finish it before starting the Algebra book as my son learned how to write a logical explanation for how he derived an answer by working on it. All their solution manuals are excellent and they are a great resource for learning how a mathematician approaches the same problem as the student did and how to write a convincing proof. So, we go through the solutions manual for the exercises even if my son got the answer right and it helps in proof-writing later on in the math sequence. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SanDiegoMom Posted February 4, 2020 Share Posted February 4, 2020 Intro to Alg is more straightforward than Pre-A, imo. So if she is doing well with PreA, then Intro shouldn't pose a problem, I would think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted February 4, 2020 Share Posted February 4, 2020 I think if you feel confident in your ability to support her when she runs into a snag, I'd let her continue at home. She's doing fine right now. If you're concerned that you won't be able to support her, then I'd do the online class so she can get that support. It's not about learning when someone's talking to you vs. learning from reading. It's about the fact that all texts, whether old fashioned books or new videos, have a limited set of information. When a student gets stuck and that information isn't clarifying for them, do they have the ability to ask a question and get feedback. That's the piece that she needs in some form. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bfw0729 Posted February 7, 2020 Author Share Posted February 7, 2020 On 2/4/2020 at 9:28 AM, Farrar said: I think if you feel confident in your ability to support her when she runs into a snag, I'd let her continue at home. She's doing fine right now. If you're concerned that you won't be able to support her, then I'd do the online class so she can get that support. It's not about learning when someone's talking to you vs. learning from reading. It's about the fact that all texts, whether old fashioned books or new videos, have a limited set of information. When a student gets stuck and that information isn't clarifying for them, do they have the ability to ask a question and get feedback. That's the piece that she needs in some form. Thank you for this insight. I agree, those are some of my concerns. I do worry about my daughter getting stumped too often and I'm not able to give her the appropriate amount of time and attention to help her. I'm generally comfortable with the program and think it's fun, but I just don't have the time to dedicate 30 min to an hr a day with her. Her twin is in videotext and he requires a moderate amount of daily support. I separately work on language arts (MCT), writing (WWS), history, and science with the three oldest, which includes her and her twin. I also work about 1.5-2 hours a day with my 7 year old. I feel terrible about not dedicating more time with the 13 year old on aops, but I just can't. Also, she does get some wrong on the exercises. She gets about 3-4 wrong and when she reviews the mistakes in the solutions manual, she understands her mistakes. Is this normal? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bfw0729 Posted February 7, 2020 Author Share Posted February 7, 2020 On 2/4/2020 at 8:56 AM, SanDiegoMom in VA said: Intro to Alg is more straightforward than Pre-A, imo. So if she is doing well with PreA, then Intro shouldn't pose a problem, I would think. That would be great! I have the algebra book coming soon and will compare the two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bfw0729 Posted February 7, 2020 Author Share Posted February 7, 2020 On 2/2/2020 at 11:30 PM, daijobu said: I don't know. A kid who can study from AoPS textbooks independently sounds fairly gifted in math to me! Or maybe just globally gifted and able to self study with independent reading. (This is a great skill!) I would have her continue with AoPS since it's such a great curriculum and she seems to be enjoying it. Thank you, I appreciate your thoughts! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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