Has anyone used Mr. D. Math? Thoughts?

[teachingtowheads]

Has anyone's child used Mr. D. Math? I'd love to hear your thoughts and pros and cons. Also wondering if it's appropriate/rigorous enough for a kid who excels in math and wants to be an engineer. Thinking about trying it for my son who is getting ready to begin Pre-Algebra but it would be great if it was good enough to follow the sequence all the way through HS. I know I'm going to need help teaching math from here on out. Thank you!

[mom2scouts]

We use Mr D self paced classes. My good math student really likes Mr D and does well with it.  I think it is appropriate for a student who wants to be an engineer. My non-mathy student has a bit more trouble because Mr D sometimes goes through problems quickly. Students watch the video, work the problems on paper, and then check and correct their answers. Quizzes and tests are multiple choice done online and the student does have to work the problem to answer correctly. Mr D offers live help even for self paced students, but we haven't used it yet. The only problem you might have is that he doesn't currently offer anything beyond PreCalculus with Trig.

[cintinative]

I have one friend that liked it and another that tried a video and said he talks too fast. I would see what your child thinks.  Another option would be Derek Owens.  I would think there would be sample videos online.

[ByGrace3]

I was asking these same questions a few years ago. I can't actually answer your question, but I can share our experience. My dd is in her 3rd year with Mr D and my ds in his 2nd. My ds is probably headed into engineering. Neither of my kids liked math very much pre-Mr D. Now, they love it. That matters to me. I don't think Mr. D is at the top of the rigor scale, but I do think it is clear and he is an amazing teacher. I overhear him teach occasionally and am blown away about how obvious something it that I learned to do but never understood why. He is an excellent teacher and the curriculum is laid out incredibly well. I find it easy to help (though I rarely need to). I was skeptical about it at first-- in particular that they have open book/note tests and can retake everything a second time. However, it has proved to be good for my kids. They are definitely learning the material and are happy doing it. It has been a win for us. 

[aaplank]

We've used Mr. D for Pre-Algebra through Pre-Calc using the asynchronous classes. From the other math curriculum we've used, Mr. D is definitely more rigorous than Teaching Textbooks or Math U See, but less rigorous than Derek Owens.  It's kind of middle of the road. 

He always starts off the first few lessons of every year with the basics, but it definitely ramps up. I feel my kids have been prepared for their ACT and were able to place into college level math as sophomores and juniors in highschool. 

 

 

[Miss Tick]

I have one in Mr. D and one with Derek Owens. I agree with the assessment that DO is slightly higher on the rigid scale. I think the more important thing is that your student connect with whichever teacher you use.

One thing I will add is that if you are comfortable with it, you can get a significant discount from DO if you do the grading yourself. I did that for the first couple of years with my ds. It isn't advertised, you have to ask.

[Farrar]

I also have one in DO and one in Mr. D's. Mr. D's is definitely lightish. It's thorough and it's fine, but I wouldn't suggest it to most STEM students. I'm particularly frustrated by the lack of word problems. I see that as the biggest weakness. On the other hand, it's not skimping on the scope or the topics. My kids like Mr. H, who is great. The help session set up is very good. So... overall I give it a thumbs up.