How do you know when to switch?

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  • November 9, 2018 at 11:50 am
    ErinD
    Participant

    How do you know when it’s time to switch curriculum for upper level math?

    My 14yo is using TT Algebra 1 and it started out pretty well. He’s finishing up Chapter 4 now and it’s become more of a struggle. Today’s lesson took him 2 hours, which in my opinion is too long, and he usually has 3-5 questions wrong, sometimes up to 7. It just seems like more of a struggle than it should be, and if that is the case, then is he really understanding it well? I’m not sure.

    Does this sound reasonable for algebra? Or would you consider finding something else?

    Or what criteria would you use to decide whether to stick with it or not? His grade? His opinion of it? How long it takes? I’m never quite sure how to judge these things.

    November 9, 2018 at 3:15 pm
    Melanie32
    Participant

    I don’t know if there is a hard and fast rule-I think it depends and is different with each person.

    We ended up switching to TT from MUS because of the level of frustration surrounding math in our house.

    In your case, I think I would try to set a timer for math instead of requiring my child to complete a lesson each day. In fact this is what we have always done in our homeschool. My daughter chose to begin doing a complete lesson a day with TT but I would have only required 45 minutes a day.

    I’ve found it’s important to slow down and keep the focus on progression rather than completing a program in a certain amount of time. Granted, that’s hard to do when you’re paying for TT by time, instead of buying the program out right. However in the end, I think it’s worth it to go at the student’s pace. One good thing is that TT spends a lot of time on review so a student who doesn’t completely finish Algebra should be able to start Algebra 2 just fine.

    Or what criteria would you use to decide whether to stick with it or not? His grade? His opinion of it? How long it takes? I’m never quite sure how to judge these things.

    All of the above! lol That’s helpful, isn’t it? I guess it’s the overall big picture. However, I do give my kids a lot of say so when it comes to choosing curricula in the high school years so that would definitely carry a lot of weight in my decision.

    What other math programs are you considering?

    November 9, 2018 at 5:06 pm
    ErinD
    Participant

    Well, so far my son isn’t complaining, so there’s that. I also have MUS Algebra 1 on hand. I know I said in the other thread that I preferred TT for algebra, but that was for my oldest. This next kid sometimes says that TT doesn’t have enough practice of new concepts, and I know that MUS definitely would. Maybe it would be a better fit for him. But…. I think I need to give this all more time before I do anything.

    I’m just wondering how other people make these decisions. But as you said, it’s probably different for every person, family and situation!

    November 10, 2018 at 11:10 am
    Monica
    Participant

    We have always had to set a time for upper-level TT lessons because of the sheer length.  Or, if you can preview the lesson, only assign certain problems to cut down on the time.

    November 10, 2018 at 4:56 pm
    ErinD
    Participant

    Yes, a timer is a good idea. I will keep that in mind. I want to see next week how long he is spending each day on math. Maybe not every lesson will be as long, but it would be nice to know an average time. Also, the courses aren’t exactly 36 weeks long, so there is some wiggle room there.

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