I've heard really good things about Teaching Textbooks, but I'm wondering if anyone has tried it and not liked it and why? I know if I ask a question I'll get many people saying they like it, but I'm looking for the minuses of using the program. I'm thinking of buying pre-algebra for next year.
My daughter didn't really like it. She prefers not to do too much on the computer. I should have had her do more of it on paper. It also seems to be a bit behind to me. We didn't hate it but we didn't love it either. The great part is that it does the grading for you.
My younger daughter had been doing CLE and a few months ago I started her on TT. I started her on the TT disks without using the textbook and she balked at it. I got out the workbook that came with the disks and now she will do most of it in the book. She is still using CLE, because she doesn't want to switch. She is definitely a workbook kind of kid. My older daughter is the exact opposite and will do anything to not use a workbook. She LOVES TT (and so do I).
I'm sure you will find people. Not in THIS house....but somewhere. LOL! I have friends who can't believe I dislike Math-U-See and tell me how un-American that is! LOL My oldest just finished Pre-Algebra. She struggled thru a lot of topics and we supplemented with Khan Academy videos - which taught a different way. I've heard from those who don't like TT that they think it's "slow" or "behind" and not up to par with what public schools do. I do agree it's DIFFERENT, but don't agree that it's behind. They spend more time on the foundational skills....some people do not like that. Also, they don't use all the "terminology" so far (ie...they don't call positive/negative numbers "integers"). That's what I have heard from naysayers.
As far as "behind" goes, the question is "Behind whom?" I can guarantee you it isn't "behind" our local public schools!!! All I know is that Rachael used TT starting with Geometry, finishing with Pre Cal her Sophomore year. She then found a Calc program, done by the people who does MUS for her Junior year. Her Senior year, she took Calc again at the community college, and did just fine. So if it's "behind", it sure didn't handicap her at all! As Krista said, there is no program that's "perfect" for everybody...one of the reasons to homeschool! If another program is working well for you, there's no reason to switch. If what you're currently using isn't working, TT might be a good fit, if your kid likes working on the computer, or if you're not strong enough in math to help explain things.
I do think if your child is interested in a math field or a field that requires a lot of math (such as a science field)...then TT is not going to get them the math scores they would need for tests and scholarships. I loved TT when we were using it our last year before starting k12. I quickly learned that it was behind once we started k12. It is really a combination of k12 seeming ahead and TT seeming behind. So it made my child going into 4th grade appear 2 grade levels behind on paper and he struggled to stay in his grade level math. A year later he has gained 71 points on his math scantron but still remains at risk in math. Basically, that means he gained a year of math using k12 but b/c he started off a year behind in math (on paper)...he is still behind in math. We are actually thinking of holding him back into 4th grade math and I wish we would have done 3rd grade k12 math this year even though he had just completed TT3. My older girls who used TT a grade ahead used TT6 and TT7 respectively. They both struggled with Fundamentals of Geometry and Pre-Algebra respectively this year and terminology was a big hang-up. We bought an Usborne Math Encyclopedia and it helped but math was a big struggle this year. All this to say, as I was using it...I loved it. Once we chose to go with a different route for school and K12 was provided for us, I did see why others said it was behind and the terminology would hurt in the long run. I wouldn't switch mid-program. I think that hurts worse in math than anything else. All maths are on a different scope and sequence to some point so switching will show the flaws and the gaps. Having switched though and still owning the TT materials, I have looked back and TT6 is comparable to K12's 4th grade math. Table of contents to table of contents...TT is about 2 grade levels behind K12. Also most middle schools (locally public school too) are doing more algebraic math starting in 6th grade so I found the 6th grade TT being equivalent to most 4th grade math scope and sequences that I looked up. So that was a giant leap for all my kiddos. Also, since TT was auto-graded...I was not realizing exactly how it taught and what the lessons entailed to wonder these questions as I was using it. My kids were happy and I was happy b/c math had become so much easier. The computer taught it, graded it, and we just moved steadily. Looking back, I realize that was a recipe for disaster. Since I have one who wishes to be in veterinary sciences, I am glad we made the switch. I have a friend who switched from Abeka to public school this year though and her chidlren had trouble with the algebraic concepts on the tests b/c Abeka is more traditional as well. It is something to really think about if a math switch could be in the future or if you are considering your children going back to school at some point and they will have to test into math and language arts.
I liked it; my son did not. It is great for constant review- not so great at cementing the new concepts (IMO). We tried two different levels (I think pre-algebra and algebra). It would have worked well with me in school because usually once I got a new concept, I didn't need 20-30 problems over the same thing. My son really needed a lot of practice with one concept before moving on.
Rachael is studying Electrical Engineering. She's in the Honors program, and has excellent scholarships. Her ACT scores were very high, especially in math. She will be proctoring in a remedial math class this fall.
Yeah, my husband's an electrical engineer, and I have him choose our son's math. He matched up the scope and sequence with the other major math programs and didn't find it lacking. I figure if my engineering husband thinks it's a solid math program, then it is. To the OP, we love TT here, but I can see where some might not like it. I would NOT get it if your child doesn't like to do computer-based work. Yes, TT can come with a workbook, but you're really putting out the money for the computer portion. If that's not going to be used, I personally wouldn't think it's worth it. In addition, TT is a spiral program. If you don't like spiral-based math programs, you're probably not going to like TT. My son's doing the pre-algebra TT this year. If you have questions regarding that specific one, I can help you out.
You CAN do TT without the computer component. The lectures ARE in the workbook. But, it's not the heart of the program.
I think it is great it worked for your child and she had high math scores. At what point did she switch to TT math and what did she use prior? Did she consistently score high in math previously? She also finished it through. That was the other part of my post. If you aren't going to finish it through all the way, then there are going to be gaps when you switch. That is true of any math program. For us, we knew we were switching into a different math for the long haul and at the point that we switched TT was very far behind K12 in scope and sequence and it did show in our math scores.
When I started TT, it began with Algebra 1. My husband was a high school math teacher, so he also was particular about what we used. (But, after teaching all day long, he DID NOT want to come home and teach, so it DID fall all on me!) The beauty of TT is that if your child doesn't understand number 3 of lesson 42, you can pop the CD in and listen to step-by-step explanations. So *I* don't have to understand it. TT was designed originally desigened specifically for hs'ed kids, assuming there was no one around who knew higher math. Rachael had gone through both a Pre-Alg and Alg program, using books long discarded by the school district. But Geometry was the highest math I had taken, and I told my husband that the Alg was pushing me as it was. So we started TT with Geometry. At the time, it was NOT "self-graded". The newer programs for the younger grades are...Phillip has started with them at grade 4 (or 5...?). Faythe did the same pre-alg I used with Rachael, and then we bought Alg. 1 TT for her. She is finishing up Geometry now. I think I mentioned that we did MUS for Calc (because it didn't exist for TT). Rachael says she didn't like it at all. She was totally bored with it. When she took the Calc her first quarter at the community college, she said knew it all. It wasn't until the second quarter that she was being challenged. I would strongly suggest picking a curriculum and staying with it as much as possible, for the reasons you stated.
2 out of 3 kids like it here. This past year we used TT3 and TT7. Next year we will be using TT4 and TT Pre Algebra while the other child uses ACE. The youngest one who uses ACE prefers to use workbooks over the computer. It has gone well but I still have my younger TT user do some problems on the white board while my older user has issues with the programs 'Life' problems. I have posted in the past some of the problems that I couldn't figure out and just recently there were a few that had my dad baffled. Other than that the program has been fine. I do feel bad for my oldest since she has used different programs in the past and I use ACE for the gaps and it's worked out fine. Unforchantly she has performed low on her yearly tests but since I give her the test I know what she has missed and its usually something that she hasn't learned yet or it was a silly simple mistake (which she still does frequently). Tests results don't bother me as much as my husband.
just love, love the program it was wonderful in our family.. you don't need to do it on the computer if you don't want too...
