How do you teach physics or math to your child?

[Haken]

I'm wondering how other parents teach physics or math to their children. Consider for example a Physics or AOPS book. Do you just go through each problem with your child (unless of course the child can already do the problem independently), then try to see if child can do the problem independently the next day? Thank you.

[stlily]

Since this was posted on the High School  board I'm assuming you're asking about teaching these subjects to high school level students. We outsourced the high school-level science courses my daughter took. Since she was planning to be an English major in college, she didn't take physics. There is an academy in our city, specifically for homeschooled students, that offers high school level science and math classes. For math, we use Saxon which is written to the student and meant to be done independently. I purchased the supplemental Saxon Teacher CD-Roms that she could used when she needed additional help. 

[regentrude]

2 hours ago, Haken said:

I'm wondering how other parents teach physics or math to their children. Consider for example a Physics or AOPS book. Do you just go through each problem with your child (unless of course the child can already do the problem independently), then try to see if child can do the problem independently the next day? 

That would defeat the point of AOPS. The student is supposed to use the discovery method and wrestle with hard problems, not memorize the problem mom explained a day earlier.

AoPS is written to the student. I let them work through the book while I was close by and could help on problems with Socratic questioning. The super hard star problems we worked together and discussed; one or two took 2 hours 🙂

For physics, I explain basic concepts and theory, then I model example problems,  then the kids have homework problems that use the concepts, build on each other, and are more complex than the examples. That's how I taught my own kids, and that's how I teach the college students as a professor. 

Edited November 18, 2022 by regentrude

[maize]

As a counterpoint to regentrude's experience, I do walk through most AOPS problems with my kids. Not so much "watch me solve this, now you try" but more both of us sitting down together and solving the same problem side by side, discussing possible routes forward if we get stuck. Most of my kids are on the ADHD side of things and are not able to sit and focus on a page of problems on their own. 

I do something similar with the ACT math prep class I am currently teaching at a local co-op. Put a problem up on the board and have everyone either try to solve it individually and then discuss answers and approaches, or have the kids tell me what to do to solve it or come to the board themselves to try. It's my favorite out of the classes I teach, every class feels very collaborative.

[daijobu]

I worked through the introductory problems for my students, with me writing out the solutions on paper and describing what was happening as we went along. 

Then immediately following this introduction, my students complete the Exercises at the end of each section independently.  Students check their answers in the Solutions Manual, and if they can't figure out what they did wrong they ask me. 

We set aside 1-3 days EACH on Review Problems and Chapter Problems at the end of each chapter;  students also do these independently of me.  

The Review and Challenge Problems do a good job of checking for mastery.  Also I like to see their AMC scores improve every year.  

[Not_a_Number]

I don't have a high schooler, but DD10 definitely does high school math (and has worked through lots of the problems in the introductory AoPS books.) 

I tend to leave her be unless she's hopelessly stuck or if I can tell (after talking it through with her) that she's missing a concept. I tend to favor a fairly "Socratic method" style of teaching and don't tend to provide solutions as much as avenues to pursue. 

[Momto6inIN]

We use Dr Wile's books which are written directly to the student so I don't have to teach them physics, Dr Wile does 🙂 If they get stuck my DH or I help them, but most of it is very well explained and we don't have to help often.

[kiwik]

I use Derek Owen's with the parent grading option.

[silver]

With AoPS books, I have my student work through the introductory problems themselves (to make full benefit of the discovery method). I'm sitting right there, to clarify, answer questions, check answers, etc. That usually takes a day. The next day, the student does the exercises. Again, I'm sitting there to offer guidance and immediately check the work after every problem, to make sure things are going well. We spend 2-3 days on the review section and 3-4 days on the challenge problems at the end of the chapter.

With other math textbooks, I go through the examples in the chapter, demonstrating the solution (writing it out), so that the student can see the process. Then they work (selected) exercises. Again, I sit next to them to guide and check work. 

For science, I go through the concepts of the chapter, doing example problems and elaborating and giving more explanation where needed. I either read the text to the student or have the student read the text. Then the student independently works exercises. Later, we sit down together and go over all the exercises to check for any misunderstandings or incorrect math.

[Not_a_Number]

I would think that helping too much with AoPS problems would kind of defeat the point? I don't necessarily think that discovery-based learning works for most kids unless it's more scaffolded than AoPS, but I would assume that too much help with AoPS problems would just result in the kids copying methods for previous problems as opposed to retaining concepts. 

[EKS]

Very generally...

I introduce the material, do some example problems with the student where I have them provide as much input as they can, and then have them do other problems independently.  Many times I will actually start with the example problems in an effort to help the student "discover" the concept for themselves. 

Note that I have never used AoPS.

[Roadrunner]

My kids self studied with AoPS books. Ideally I would have had a tutor in place once a week to help, but I never did find anybody at that time that I could have afforded and was willing to work on AoPS level. They did just fine on their own, but I am sure they could have done better with help. For a short while my older boy worked with @lewelma‘s boy and he tells me he wished he had had somebody like that through all the years. But to find exceptional teachers like that isn’t easy. 
Physics I outsourced. We have a great mechanics teacher at a local CC. Although it’s a brutally hard class with tough grading, live teaching with a real human in front I realize for my kids is essential to their success. Older did all Calc based physics available through CC and then took corresponding AP exams. He is my future physics major. My younger one will only tackle mechanics and take AP exam (he is my social sciences/humanities kid). 

[Aliqout]

AOPS is written to the student, so should be fine on its own. The student should be doing the problems, but that doesn't mean that you can't talk them through together if the student is leading the conversation. 

One of the points of AOPS is to teach "constructive struggling". If you don't allow the student to struggle, they aren't getting the benefit of the curriculum. 

[regentrude]

11 hours ago, Aliqout said:

One of the points of AOPS is to teach "constructive struggling". If you don't allow the student to struggle, they aren't getting the benefit of the curriculum. 

This bears repeating. Both my adult kids have told me that it is precisely this where they have an advantage over their fellow college students: AoPS taught them to wrestle with hard problems, to try out things, and to work towards a solution when you don't initially see how the problem is going to work. Their classmates don't now how to do that.

I also observe this with the college students I teach. Most of them have no idea how you begin to work through a problem where you do not see a clear pre-cut path to the solution. How you try out things, without giving up, without being daunted by not knowing in advance how to solve this.

More than the level of the content, this is the real strength of AoPS that sets it apart from other curricula.

[EKS]

18 minutes ago, regentrude said:

This bears repeating. Both my adult kids have told me that it is precisely this where they have an advantage over their fellow college students: AoPS taught them to wrestle with hard problems, to try out things, and to work towards a solution when you don't initially see how the problem is going to work. Their classmates don't now how to do that.

I also observe this with the college students I teach. Most of them have no idea how you begin to work through a problem where you do not see a clear pre-cut path to the solution. How you try out things, without giving up, without being daunted by not knowing in advance how to solve this.

More than the level of the content, this is the real strength of AoPS that sets it apart from other curricula.

I see this with the high school students I tutor as well. 

And forget about struggling, or developing actual problem solving skills, I can't even get them to do basic things, things like writing down what you do know about the problem, even if it's just the given information.  Many times simply extracting the key bits of a problem and seeing them on their own is enough to help them understand what to do.  But no, they won't even do that.

I think the key isn't using AoPS, though obviously AoPS deliberately fosters this skill.  The key is to be in over your head and very motivated to do the problems anyway.  Most students are only in one or the other of these categories.  The strong ones, who may be motivated to do the problems anyway, are never allowed to get in over their heads, and the weaker ones aren't motivated to do any problems, much less problems that seem difficult.

[bluemongoose]

On 11/17/2022 at 3:48 PM, regentrude said:

That would defeat the point of AOPS. The student is supposed to use the discovery method and wrestle with hard problems, not memorize the problem mom explained a day earlier.

AoPS is written to the student. I let them work through the book while I was close by and could help on problems with Socratic questioning. The super hard star problems we worked together and discussed; one or two took 2 hours 🙂

For physics, I explain basic concepts and theory, then I model example problems,  then the kids have homework problems that use the concepts, build on each other, and are more complex than the examples. That's how I taught my own kids, and that's how I teach the college students as a professor. 

We use AOPS similarly to regentrude except I am not the math person, so I cannot help. If DD gets completely stuck after wrestling with it for a while, she moves to another subject and waits until DH is off work to get assistance. 

As for physics, DD studies independently from a textbook and works through her labs/lab book. As with math, if she gets stuck, she asks DH later. She has done this with all her AP science textbooks with excellent results. 

[Clemsondana]

One of my kids does great with self-directed learning.  Kid has done AoPS for years, currently on calculus.  We've typically added supplemental material, which kid finds helpful for clarifying some concepts.  Usually, kid works, and I check it orally - kid calls out answers.  If something is missed, I ask questions to help it get sorted out.  We've also done AP Chem.  It was mostly self-study, but I found a syllabus to help follow, we did labs together and I coached lab reports, and I checked work using the same method as for math.  

My younger child would not be successful with this method.  Kid is currently taking outsourced Algebra and Physical Science, even though both of those are well within my capabilities and I already had books to use.  But, there is conflict when I teach this kid directly, and kid doesn't have the patience and frustration tolerance to self-teach.  So, we do what works academically while trying to work on 'ability to work with a parent productively' and 'increase frustration tolerance' using something other than school.  

[freesia]

Not AOPS, but I’ve done On my third time through Calc. Two used teaching video and text. What works best, though, always for math in my house is my taking the book and going through the lesson with the child each day. I don’t do problems with them but do use a solutions manual and we study the solution if dc gets something wrong. With physics, my first had it online, my second self-taught from Apologia, and this year my ds has access to online videos and problems. We watch the video together and he works the problems. We google and use a physics book if we get stuck. Last year, for physics 1, he had an online class where the teacher dropped the ball, so he and I reviewed, watched videos and worked problems. 

[lewelma]

On 11/20/2022 at 5:33 AM, Roadrunner said:

 For a short while my older boy worked with @lewelma‘s boy and he tells me he wished he had had somebody like that through all the years. But to find exceptional teachers like that isn’t easy. 

I was talking to my older boy last night about tutoring, and he so enjoys it and enjoyed working with your boy.  He has been so busy this past year in the transition to his PhD that helping others has fallen off the list, but he told me last night that he now has time again. So if anyone needs some help with AoPS or physics, let me know. 

[maize]

5 minutes ago, lewelma said:

I was talking to my older boy last night about tutoring, and he so enjoys it and enjoyed working with your boy.  He has been so busy this past year in the transition to his PhD that helping others has fallen off the list, but he told me last night that he now has time again. So if anyone needs some help with AoPS or physics, let me know. 

I'm sending you a PM.