Even if you were good at math as a young student, years away from mathematics can make going back to school as an adult a pretty scary thought. We found three resources that will help you get back in the swing of math.
One is the nationally acclaimed Math Teaching Series from Nicholas Aggor. He describes and explains every step in detail. The second is Cool Math, a wildly colorful approach to math, which might be better suited to children than adults, but you decide. The third is from About.com's Guide to Mathematics, Deb Russell. Her math help is what I would call academic. If that sounds like you, she's your teacher.
Math Teaching Series
Nicholas Aggor got so frustrated when his sons had trouble with math in school that he quit his job as an engineer to write math books. Today his sons both excel at math and have even won awards. Teachers in Duval County Schools in Jacksonville, Florida tested Aggor's Grade 8 series for a full year and had this to say:
"The Math Teaching Series book was filled with explanations, examples and problems to be solved. The step by step breakdown of the explanations would be beneficial to teachers and students."
"The book covers every Florida state standard with examples that can be solved and checked by the student. This would be a great textbook as well as prep book for the FCAT because of the many exercises with challenging questions."
and
"The book does a great job of discussing common misconceptions. These misconceptions can lead to a huge misunderstanding throughout their math journey; however, some of these misconceptions start by a simple mistake or wrong usage of vocabulary."
I blogged about Aggor's series on October 14, 2009 because I was interested in an adult series he had proposed. He has found since then, according to Jim Pfeiffer, an associate of Aggor's, that the series already in place, which covers grades 5, 6, 7, 8, and Algebra 1, helps students of all ages, including teachers and parents.
If you're an adult student needing help with math, don't let the grade levels scare you away. Pfeiffer says fractions are a good place to start when adults are looking for a math refresher. In my mind, if you start at the beginning, everything else will make so much more sense. Do yourself a favor and don't worry about grade levels. Worry about learning, and start at the beginning.
You can find more information about the Math Teaching Series on the the website: www.mathteachingseries.com. The cost of each book is $75, but you could easily spend that for one hour with a tutor.
Aggor is in the process of creating a professional development series for teachers.
Cool Math
People learn in different ways. If you prefer wild colors and games, you might find help at CoolMath.com, where the webmasters declare the site is for ages 13-100. The sense of humor is nice.
Here you'll find lessons in Pre-Algebra, Algebra, Pre-Calculus, Calculus, and a Geometry/Trigonometry section. There are games and puzzles, and you'll even find a section on finances, which includes information on banking, investing, owing money, credit ratings, and the math of money. Oh, and there's a Cool Math Store.
About Mathematics
Deb Russel is the Guide to Mathematics at About.com. She has help for you with math of all kinds, including algebra, business math, calculus, discrete math, geometry, measurement, number theory, probability, statistics, and trigonometry.
Deb has worksheets for all subjects, formulas and references, a glossary, calculator reviews, book and DVD reviews, and even recreational math!, including games, cartoons, jokes, and sudoku puzzles. She also has a free weekly newsletter and a forum.
If your schoolwork includes learning about mathematicians, Deb can help you there, too. She has bios on many of them.
