A number of years ago we did the unthinkable and took a poke at a sacred cow when we said that we didn't like the conventional big-name home school math programs such as Saxon Math. Though some families were steadfast in their defense, there has since been an increasing number of families who have come to realize that math programs originally designed to be used in government schools are wholly inadequate to meet the needs of home educators.
What is wrong with adapting a school-based text for home use? There are a couple of significant issues with doing that. First, because a typical school text assumes a knowledgeable math teacher, the explanations are often meager and brief. If you double as a math teacher, this will present no problem to you. However, many parents either did not take upper level math as a teen, or if they did, the process is just a distant, unpleasant memory. So sparse explanations in typical texts can be frustrating to both child and parent. Second, government schools' math texts often contain excessive use of terminology, making simple ideas seem complex.
However, the Teaching Textbooks series is written with home educators in mind so it tackles those issues head-on in a rather innovative way, by combining a teacher and a textbook into one. Firstly, their textbooks, since they were designed specifically for independent learners, contain far more explanation than any others on the market, and the tone is friendly and conversational. Because the Teaching Textbooks series was designed for homeschoolers studying independently, it uses far less irrelevant jargon than other textbooks, while still retaining all the terms that students need to know for those important standardized tests. The textbook also comes with an answer key and a test bank.
Secondly, and ultimately what sold me on this program, are their computer CDs with down-to-earth, step-by-step multimedia solutions for every problem in the book, plus an additional CD-ROM with complete step-by-step solutions for every test problem. The lectures - one for each lesson in the textbook - provide hours of instruction. They cover the same material as the written lessons in the textbook, but many students prefer to listen to (and watch) an explanation for each lesson rather than read it out of a book. (Note that you'll still need the textbook, because it has all the homework assignments and the answer key). This is a brilliant idea, long overdue and skillfully done, with many hours of instruction.
The Teaching Textbooks series has been field-tested with outstanding results. Like other quality math programs, Teaching Textbooks uses the review method because it is a proven method for insuring children are able to master difficult subjects such as algebra and geometry. Students using Teaching Textbooks are fully prepared for College Board examinations and college courses. Enjoyable, efficient, and effective, what more could you want from a math program?
Purchase any Teaching Textbooks Complete Set and receive free shipping on your entire order.
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