Applied high school math? (algebra I+)

[Dmmetler]

I am trying to figure out what route to take with BK14. She is extremely resistant to anything that looks too much like “school” right now (I suspect that the fact that homeschooling has become a hot topic in her parents’ divorce has a lot to do with it). We’ve been able to connect and find meaning in other subjects, but math is much harder.  We have been able to do some geometry topics more easily, and some financial math, and I feel like she has a decent command of arithmetic, and some understanding of equations, but I am at a bit of a loss in moving into high school topics until she has enough algebra to be able to do statistics. 
 

Her current plans are to become a veterinary assistant or vet tech, but I think part of that is that she is good with animals, and has a fear of failure, so wants a path that doesn’t require college, or at least nothing beyond the community college. My personal goal is to get her to the point that she can solidly test into college algebra and succeed when she gets there, because leaves multiple doors open to her down the road. 

 

 

[daijobu]

I'm not sure how much a vet tech needs to know, but unit cancellation may be very important in her office.  I know in pediatrics, dosing is often done in mg/kg, that is mg of some drug per kilogram weight of the child.  I imagine with dogs coming in so man different sizes, they also dose this way.  A quick check of a vet dosing guide found this for example:  https://www.merckvetmanual.com/pharmacology/antifungal-agents/imidazoles#v3337140

 

You might ask what the dose would be for a 20 pound dog or a 3 pound chicken.   

Edited June 4, 2020 by daijobu

[Guest]

We did a quilting project that involved a lot of geometry, which she enjoyed, and we’ve done some money math things (if a vet tech  makes $15/hr, and you work for 40 hours/week, where can you get an apartment, how much can you spend on food, etc). In general, she is fairly happy as long as it is applied and relates to her life. It’s just hard to take it beyond the pre-algebra level (it was relatively easy for arithmetic). She considers Life of Fred silly, which is unfortunate, and rejected a basic college math book that was more applied. 

[Guest]

Here’s the Purdue BA in Veterinary Nursing. https://catalog.purdue.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=9&poid=10286&returnto=11210&_ga=2.37087520.1048756210.1591324703-1072135062.1591324703

 

and here’s a community college AAS program in vet tech.

 

https://catalog.cscc.edu/programs/Veterinary Technology AAS

 

Both require placing into college level math classes and a decent amount of chemistry, so I feel like she needs to get through the equivalent of at least Algebra II and Geometry, and Ideally through some Algebra III/college algebra topics or Statistics ones. 

[MamaSprout]

Maybe the DragonBox apps for the summer?

[BusyMom5]

Any chance you can emphasize the stepping stones?  You must complete Algebra 1 yo get to Algebrs 2, to finish Geometry to get the one college Algebra class you need?  My second DD isn't a fan of math, regardless of me trying ways to get her interested.   I've got to the point that now its a box to check.  I am determined to get her through the college Algebra by her Sr year!

There is an interesting math class that I recently found at Oak Meadow that is supposed to be applied math, but after calling and talking to them, she needs Algebra 2 and Geometry to really be ready for it.  

[LLucy]

Preface: all the usual caveats.  Math is not my field, and I'm not clear about what you are asking for, exactly, or what level.  These may be too textbook-y. But I had two thoughts:

1-- a side-step like Math, a Human Endeavor (Jacobs) or Crossing the River with Dogs (Johnson, et al)

2 -- targeted math like Essential Algebra for Chemistry Students (Ball)

--LL

 

[Guest]

She has done dragonbox, hands on equations, prodigy math game and some project based things. She's pretty good with decimals (money) and fractions (cooking). I think she's fairly solid through middle school level math. What I'm trying to do is figure out how to get her through the next steps without butting heads, and to give her a foundation for the future. 

 

Her older sister has severe dyscalculia, and graduated high school with about the same level of math skills that her sister has now. I think that complicates it because she truly doesn't see the point in slogging through algebra. 

[Guest]

That's kind of what I want to do-i'm just a lot more comfortable being out of the box earlier on than high school. 

[Gil]

Have you used any of those Math for Nurses books? You maybe able to start there, and keep a strand going to make sure she stays strong in that level of math, even as we branched off.

Maybe you could get an algebra textbook and scan through the word problems. How many can you reword to be med-themed? I would assign word problems from each section of an algebra text and if she misses them, I'd go over that chapter with her. Give her the ol' "As a Vet-Tech, you'll need to know how to understand such-and-such, so this is the math for that."
Push the math only if/after she failed the "application" type problems.

The value of Algebra for a medical-care professional isn't always in just applying it, but in the abstract reasoning skills, visualization, etc.  I would try and help her understand that, and while this article on The Importance of Math for Vet-Techs make it seem that you need only a solid grasp of arithmetic skills I agree with your thinking to prepare her for more.

Do you have a college algebra textbook on hand that you can look over to help direct your plans?
 

[Guest]

I have a college algebra textbook, and also the code for the Online version because DD got a free copy at the TSTA/TMTA conference last year when the Pearson rep dumped his exam copies on the giveaway table. It's pretty dry. 

[katilac]

ALEKS has a pre-statistics course that specifically covers the algebra needed for stats, plus probability and descriptive statistics. I would feel comfortable calling it a regular level high school stats course, certainly if you add in a bit of reading and/or projects. I can't recall if BK does okay with computer-based or not. You could correlate it with some irl projects. If nothing else, maybe look at the details of the topics and subtopics - just keep clicking to drill down; you don't have to sign up to do that. I like ALEKS for struggling students because they often feel less embarrassed to move slowly or not 'get' something when they're working with a computer instead of a person. It also gives them a good amount of choice on what to study that day, but only from topics they are ready to learn. 

What about a finite math course? It's often placed in a business context, and you could definitely make a lot of it vet tech related. You can linger on interesting topics and probability & statistics and intersperse some algebra. It can be a very wide-open class.

[Gil]

On 6/6/2020 at 11:00 AM, dmmetler said:

I have a college algebra textbook, and also the code for the Online version because DD got a free copy at the TSTA/TMTA conference last year when the Pearson rep dumped his exam copies on the giveaway table. It's pretty dry. 

Of course it is. That's in compliance with Federal Statute 4.39.2.1 para 7: Math Textbooks Published By Any Big Name Publisher Must be Drier Than a Fossil.

Sorry, this may not be helpful to you. Since you've got a copy of a College Algebra text, then you can plan her courses accordingly. For my extremely non-traditional students, I take extremely non-traditional approaches and scope and sequences. It can't be helped that she's in high-school at this point in time. Take a good hard look at the Algebra 1 and Algebra 2 TOC in your area and create cycles. Off the top of my head, she's going to need to know how to work with

• Integers
• Fractions (numerically and algebraically)
• Powers, Roots and Logarithms
• Simplify Expressions (with Powers, Roots and/or Logarithms)
• Solve Equations (with Powers, Roots and/or Logarithms)
• Graph and manipulate the graphs for those basic functions.
• Solve word-problems.

You can teach her graphing and transformations of "math curves" fairly quickly if you're willing to introduce the idea only visually now and leave off the tiny calculations in the first pass.
Numberless word problems do wonders to help kids focus on the relationships between the facts given in a word problem and you can easily branch to writing and solving algebraic expressions for them.
You can teach simplifying numerical and/or algebraic expressions and have her do some every day or so--that'll keep all her  from getting rusty with everything she's doing so far.
As she masters the manipulation and simplification of algebraic expressions, it'll be easy to turn them into equations for her to solve.
Reevaluate every month or so.

Depending on the situation, there are times that I would be perfectly comfortable using a College Algebra text and cherry picking the most accessible to my 14yo student examples and exercises to cover with her, and compiling quizzes and tests that mirrored only those "cherry-picked" lessons to make sure that first and foremost, she experiences success at the topic.

It can be easier to challenge a student that feels confident in math in general. If she expects that she'll be able to do it, she may be more willing to try.