|
GEOMETRY
Review by Heather
Jackowitz,
Product Reviewer, The Old
SchoolhouseŽ Magazine
VideoText Interactive has begun release of their much-anticipated
Geometry: A Complete Course. Modules A, B, and C are available
now, and Modules D, E, and F are scheduled to be released in 2007.
Upper level
mathematics, indeed all mathematics, are of great interest to me. While
I do not have a degree in mathematics, I feel strongly that one must
understand the concept in order to teach it well, and have endeavored to
do this in my own home. The focus of this review will be what the
program is and how it is used. My opinion is based on ease of use and
clarity of instruction; specifically in our homeschool, and my previous
study of various mathematics courses. If you need more information, you
will have to view the sample materials or talk directly with the author.
Algebra (complete) is a prerequisite for Geometry: A
Complete Course. This program covers the structure of geometry
(fundamental terms and theorems), its essential elements, simple closed
plane curves (triangles, other polygons, and circles), loci and
constructions, and trigonometric relations. It comprises 176 lessons in
eight units. I reviewed Modules A and B, which include the following:
Module A: Unit I—The Structure of Geometry
Part A—What is Geometry?
Part B—The Scope of Our Geometry
Part C—Measurement
Part D—Inductive Reasoning
Part E—Deductive Reasoning
Part F—Logic
Module B: Unit II—Fundamental Terms
Part A—Undefined Terms
Part B—Defined Terms
Part C—Postulates (or Axioms)
Unit I is a preparatory unit. After exploring various
geometries and settling on Euclidean, or Plane, geometry for the study,
students review the five mathematical parts of speech and their relationship
to geometry. Next a thorough re-teaching of the building and measuring of
shapes is undertaken. Excellent graphics
show how various formulas are derived for measuring perimeter, area, and
volume of rectangles, parallelograms, triangles, trapezoids, regular
polygons, circles, prisms, pyramids, and spheres. My husband and I watched
most of these lessons together and found the presentation exceptionally
clear. If you’ve never seen the development of the formula for the area of
a circle, you’ve been missing out! These graphics will leave you wondering
where VideoText was when you studied geometry in high school. Some of the
lessons, such as finding the area of a triangle, would be appropriate for
younger siblings studying these topics in whatever arithmetic program you
are using. Finally, parts D through F develop the principles of inductive
and deductive reasoning as preparation for formal proofs.
Unit II moves into the “rules of the game.” First, it
deals with undefined terms, or those terms that are accepted without
definition, such as point, line, and plane. Then, formally defined terms
are developed using those undefined terms and inductive reasoning. Finally,
attention is given to postulates or axioms, statements that are accepted as
valid without proof. Mr. Clark teaches these lessons clearly and in what
appears a very logical sequence. The incremental lessons are extremely
precise, and I can just hear my daughter saying, “Why do I have to learn
this? I already know what a line is!” Anticipating these comments, Mr.
Clark offers frequent words of encouragement such as, “So, how are you
doing? Sometimes it does seem to get rather technical, doesn’t it? That’s
all right! Just stay with me and concentrate on the real meaning of these
definitions.” An understanding of these fundamental terms will be necessary
in Module C, where students will meet formal deductive proofs.
My husband and I both feel that Tom Clark is a true
teacher, not just a knowledgeable mathematician. I had a brilliant geometry
teacher in high school who had absolutely no talent in passing on his
knowledge to his students. In contrast, I just finished reading aloud
Carry On, Mr. Bowditch, in which brilliant young Nathaniel Bowditch
teaches his fellow sailors the science of navigation, explaining a concept
repeatedly until the simplest sailor finally understands it. Similarly, in
Modules A and B, Tom Clark teaches like one who has had many years of
experience making mathematics understandable.
If
you are new to the VideoText Interactive method, you should request the free
training DVD. This information is described in the books, but it is helpful
to hear it explained and see it demonstrated. To sum it up, Geometry: A
Complete Course is based on a simple five-step method:
1. Watch the DVD lesson.
2. Look over the course notes.
3. Read the worktext and work the problems, showing all work.
4. Check your answers and solutions with the solution manual.
5. Take quizzes (at least one day after the lesson) to check mastery.
Now for further information about each step: Step
One is watching the DVD lesson. Your student should not take
notes at this time. This is where the interactive part comes in. Your
student should pause the video whenever a question is asked. My experience
leads me to recommend that you model this method by sitting with your
student through at least Module A to make sure he develops this important
habit. The answers quickly follow the questions, so your student needs to
be attentive and have the remote control ready to pause.
Step Two is looking over the
course notes. These have all the main information from the lesson neatly
organized for quick reference. These are the “notes” your student did
not take while watching the lesson carefully.
Step Three is studying the
worktext and doing the problems. The worktext defines all terms, gives
additional examples, and provides student exercises. You may choose to work
through the worktext examples with your student or let him study alone.
These problems provide a good bridge from watching someone doing a procedure
to doing it alone in the exercise set. Unlike their algebra course, your
student should complete all the exercises in a lesson.
Step Four is checking answers
and solutions. Students should correct their own work, with supervision.
They should find and correct any errors and be able to explain where they
went wrong and why.
Step Five is taking frequent
quizzes. Sometimes a single lesson has a quiz, and other times a quiz
covers several lessons. Allow at least one day between a lesson and a quiz
so that your student does not simply employ his short-term memory. Two
forms are provided for each quiz; you may choose to use Quiz A as practice
and Quiz B for a grade, or you may give Quiz A to evaluate mastery and
administer Quiz B only when needed after review. There are also two test
forms for each module. The VideoText Interactive website provides printable
progress checklists for easy record keeping.
It is important to understand the difference between
the mastery approach and the spiral approach. If you are used to Saxon
math, with its concepts spread throughout the book and constant repetition,
you will need to alter your way of thinking. According to my old Saxon
books, you should not worry if your child does not a get a concept
initially, but rather move on and rest assured that your child will meet the
concept over and over again. Not so with VideoText Interactive. You should
use the quizzes to evaluate your student’s readiness to move on. If a
concept has not been mastered, you should review the video lesson, and then
if your student still does not understand, call the helpline. VideoText
Interactive offers unlimited, toll-free telephone support for original
purchasers of the program. If you buy your program secondhand, you must pay
a $99 fee for this service, which covers your entire family.
There are several reasons I would recommend VideoText
Geometry to homeschoolers. First and most important, Tom Clark
teaches for conceptual understanding and not just short-term memory. He
means it when he says, “...each
incremental concept is explored in detail, using no shortcuts, tricks,
rules, or formulas, and no step in the process is ignored.”
Secondly,
the DVD format allows for repeated lessons from an infinitely patient
teacher. Thirdly, the solutions manual (not simply an answer key) is
an essential tool that is not available for every geometry program.
Fourthly, a free helpline is an invaluable resource. Finally, the program
is 100% reusable for all your children. If cost is a deterrent, you may
feel better if you compare the cost to hourly tutoring or private school
tuition. With five children to homeschool, I consider the cost of this
program to be quite reasonable for all it offers.
As for the potential negatives of this program, I think
the greatest danger is a parent thinking this is a completely self-teaching
program. It would take a highly motivated student for it to work
that way. I know many smart, mature young adults, but I would not
necessarily leave their math education in their own hands. According to
VideoText Interactive, “...it is not the intent of the program to let the
VideoText lesson completely take the place of personal instruction or
interaction.” Another danger is thinking 176 lessons translate into 176
days. Keep in mind that quizzes, tests, and review will take additional
time. A final potential downside is that there are several components to
juggle, and it is sometimes cumbersome setting up the DVD and finding the
necessary course notes, worktext pages, and solutions key for each lesson.
However, this does seem to develop into a routine over time. The company
does provide convenient storage containers for both CD’s and books.
I asked the author, Tom Clark, at what mathematical
level a student would be upon completion of Geometry: A Complete Course.
Apparently, what is commonly called “pre-calculus” in high school is just
all the leftover algebra and geometry that was not covered in those
classes. What VideoText Interactive has developed are two complete
algebra and geometry programs, with all the typical “pre-calculus” material
in its proper place. Therefore, in order to give your student credit for
geometry (including trigonometry) and pre-calculus, you need to
complete both Algebra: A Complete Course and Geometry: A
Complete Course. Upon successful completion of both programs, your
student should be ready for college-level calculus.
Click here to request a free DVD
sampler of VideoText Interactive Algebra and Geometry.
Please refer back to this review for additions as further modules become
available.
TOP |
 |
Rosine
Hermodson-Olsen |
|
GEOMETRY Review by Rosine Hermodson-Olsen
Customer Care Representative for
Activities for Learning
As a former secondary math educator, I have always wanted my children to
experience a good quality math education that prepares them for today and
the future, as they continue on in their education and life. As I started to
work with Joan A. Cotter, Ph.D., developer of the RightStart Math Program, I
was introduced to VideoText Algebra. Because I hoped to teach my children
math, and because I appreciate the RightStart philosophy of teaching math
for understanding, I was concerned about what curriculum to use for high
school math.
I wanted a math curriculum with the philosophy of teaching math for
understanding, and one that used a visual approach that taught global
concepts which can be applied to the specifics of math. I wanted a
curriculum that was easy to understand and one that was meaty, not fluffy. I
wanted a curriculum that teaches solid concepts with room for investigation.
I did not want a rote memorization curriculum. I wanted a curriculum that
taught concepts in a way that, through reasoning, a child can figure out and
solve problems without necessarily having to memorize the formulas. I feel
that with understanding the "hows" and "whys," there is no need to remember
“what to plug in where.”
We got what we were looking for from VideoText Algebra. Then, because of
our complete satisfaction with their Algebra program, we knew we had to wait
for their Geometry to be completed, and we knew the wait would be worth it.
We even punted a year as we waited for that first module to come hot off
the press.
Yes, the wait was worth it.
Once again, a complete course, (which was easy to understand,
analytical, challenging, visual and meaningful), is being presented in a
calm, direct easy-going manner. The graphics are amazing. The visual 3-D
images that make Geometry come alive are outstanding, and they make the
presentation and understanding of concepts take on new meaning. I taught
high school geometry and remember well trying to create ways of giving
students visuals so they could "see" what they were proving.
As with the Algebra program, the Geometry program is presented in
easy-to-understand short lessons that connect concepts previously learned,
while leading a student into what will be learned next. I appreciate the
questions that are asked within a lesson, allowing me to pause and double
check for understanding with my children who are working through the course.
With one of my children, I sat next to him and worked alongside of him
as he went through the lessons. This gave me a chance to see firsthand the
formatting and the easy administration of this curriculum. For my daughter
who prefers working independently, she has been able to take this curriculum
on her own, and move at her own pace, needing me only for an occasional
question.
This curriculum is perfect for gifted children because they can move
through it at a challenging pace without being held back. I agree with the
recommendation that a child who understands the concepts does not need to do
every problem in the workbook. This curriculum is good for students of
differing math abilities because of its straightforward explanations. Some
children will need to work more problems to gain understanding. The answer
key helps immensely and is encouraged to be part of the texts, especially
when working in Module C where students are working diligently through
proofs. We look forward to seeing what awaits us as we move into the next
modules. I am very confident that after going through VideoText, my children
will be ready to take on the challenges of Calculus.
As a former secondary math educator, I can say with certainty
that I wish I had had access to both Videotext Algebra and Geometry when I
was teaching these courses in a classroom setting. I feel fortunate to have
this program available for my own children as I homeschool them in math.
Rosine Hermodson-Olsen is a Customer Care
Representative for Activities for Learning, Inc., the proud provider of
RightStart Mathematics. RightStart Mathematics uses the AL Abacus to provide
a visual and multi-sensory experience allowing children to develop visual
strategies. The elementary and intermediate program lessons guide the
teacher day by day and year by year, helping children understand, apply, and
enjoy mathematics. For more information, go to
www.ALabacus.com.
TOP |
