Math U See Algebra question

IT IS NOT RIDICULOUS FOR HIGH SCHOOLERS TO USE BLOCKS.  Algebra is NOT at all “all theoretical” but is very, very real.  Many concepts can be learned MUCH BETTER WITH BLOCKS.  For one example from my own life, when I was in algebra I had a very difficult time factoring polynomials.  I just had no idea what I was doing.  I really began to struggle in math from that point on.  In fact, since it was such a fundamental thing, and I needed that skill all the way through into calculus, I really suffered.  When I saw the MUS demo showing how to factor polynomials using blocks, and I understood what I had missed all this time, I was so worked up I wanted to sue my school district.  REALLY.  Do not cheat your kids here.  Some may easily get one or two concepts just fine without the manipulatives, but you never know what they might miss.  Even with your finding square roots–this is not an essential “skill” as skills go.  No biggie.  ALL our kids are going, in their adult lives, to use a calculator to find square roots.  BUT your child is learning a conceptual context by playing with doing it in a small way with blocks, and they stand a better chance of really understanding what is going on underneath.  Guys, I’ve been through upper level math all the way into graduate calculus and statistics, and am currently taking my 3rd son through algebra.  My older 2 blew the math SAT out of the water.  I”m just saying this to contradict the idea that smart high school kids never need visual aids to understand math concepts.  NOT TRUE.  If I could have had MUS methods in graduate calculus I’d have been sooooooooooo much happier!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  OK, enough emphasis there???? Mr. Demme has taught even many, many more students than I have. He has a lot of experience, and he knows this helps kids!!!!!!!!!!!!!Your kids could very well not completely understand a concept and it could come back to haunt them later.  It takes MINUTES to demonstrate and work with the manipulatives.  It is simple and easy to do.  And it has great benefits.  Guys, I”m afraid you are missing the whole point of MUS here.  I have to confess, I think if Charlotte would have had a way to visually demonstrate and understand more complex concepts she’d have jumped on it!  If you all can’t imagine anyone using them to teach important concepts like factoring polynomials, then you all are not catching the vision here of MUS.  I know I’m not the only person who has had the above experience in factoring binomials–I find such people ALL THE TIME.  ALL THE TIME. I’ve actually shown an adult friend of mine how to do it with blocks and he managed his college algebra class better.  Don’t reject this important tool out of hand just because your kids are high schoolers.  This is silly.  If you dont’ want deeper understanding of concepts, use Saxon.  🙂  If you have given your kids the great gift of MUS, don’t leave the batteries in the box.  🙂  USE THEM.

I wish if they were so helpful in MUS that Steve Demme would take time in his videos to show how to use them most effectively. I am not a math wizard and so their useful applications did not really come to mind as we weathered the course last year. I only vaguely remember him using them in one of the first lessons now that I think of it – and it wasn’t something we thought we needed to replicate as it was a simple concept as I recall… this is almost a year ago, but it is what I recall.