8FillTheHeart
03-08-2008, 09:41 AM
My 6th grade son is very bright in math (totally average in every other subject, and a very slow reader) He is currently doing Foerster alg 1 and has a solid A.
He is doing alg with his 8th grade sister (and doing better than her, btw). Next yr I am planning on my doing her classes online and the geometry class they offer is not my traditional route (Jacobs or Chalkdust) They are using Euclidean Geometry: A First Course, Edition: 4TH 06 • SOLOMONOVICH.
The course description states:
In 1980's the National Association of Math Teachers decided to deemphasize formal axiomatic proof in high school geometry standards. Thus nearly all, if not all Geometry books currently in print, (even popular home-school titles) are woefully if not totally deficient in teaching the classic two column axiomatic proof. Some texts based on incremental-review pedagogy merely prepare students for passage of SAT/ACT geometry problems and completely ignore the geometry's traditional role in introducing students to deductive logic. However, the geometric proofs and their accompanying axioms and the skill for writing and understanding formal proof transcends all mathematics courses. Logical arguments/proofs are at the heart of classical philosophy, rhetoric and debate. At the center of the scientific method is the ver idea of proof. The value of teaching students the fundamentals of mathematical proof cannot be denied. This is especially true for students who will study proofs in advanced algebra and calculus, physics and chemistry. Anything less is mere imitation or memorization of problem solving. This course will aim to resurrect classical training while simultaneously developing skills in applied geometrical problem solving as found on SAT/ACT tests.
After reading the above, I think it will be a struggle for my dd, but hopefully she will be able to manage it. My real concern is with my ds. Those of you who know the text, how would an average 12 yo boy who is barely out of the concrete thinking mode do with this approach? Quite honestly, I am not sure how to deal with him. He just seems to absorb math logic and explains concepts to his sister totally differently than they were explained to him. But......I am totally unsure about this text. If I had him join in this class, would I be setting him up for frustration and failure? Should he do a more traditional route for 7th grade and then perhaps take this course in 8th?
Any insight would be appreciated. Thanks!
He is doing alg with his 8th grade sister (and doing better than her, btw). Next yr I am planning on my doing her classes online and the geometry class they offer is not my traditional route (Jacobs or Chalkdust) They are using Euclidean Geometry: A First Course, Edition: 4TH 06 • SOLOMONOVICH.
The course description states:
In 1980's the National Association of Math Teachers decided to deemphasize formal axiomatic proof in high school geometry standards. Thus nearly all, if not all Geometry books currently in print, (even popular home-school titles) are woefully if not totally deficient in teaching the classic two column axiomatic proof. Some texts based on incremental-review pedagogy merely prepare students for passage of SAT/ACT geometry problems and completely ignore the geometry's traditional role in introducing students to deductive logic. However, the geometric proofs and their accompanying axioms and the skill for writing and understanding formal proof transcends all mathematics courses. Logical arguments/proofs are at the heart of classical philosophy, rhetoric and debate. At the center of the scientific method is the ver idea of proof. The value of teaching students the fundamentals of mathematical proof cannot be denied. This is especially true for students who will study proofs in advanced algebra and calculus, physics and chemistry. Anything less is mere imitation or memorization of problem solving. This course will aim to resurrect classical training while simultaneously developing skills in applied geometrical problem solving as found on SAT/ACT tests.
After reading the above, I think it will be a struggle for my dd, but hopefully she will be able to manage it. My real concern is with my ds. Those of you who know the text, how would an average 12 yo boy who is barely out of the concrete thinking mode do with this approach? Quite honestly, I am not sure how to deal with him. He just seems to absorb math logic and explains concepts to his sister totally differently than they were explained to him. But......I am totally unsure about this text. If I had him join in this class, would I be setting him up for frustration and failure? Should he do a more traditional route for 7th grade and then perhaps take this course in 8th?
Any insight would be appreciated. Thanks!