Algebra DVDs
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Geometry DVDs
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Algebra II with Trigonometry DVDs
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Calculus DVDs
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Teleseminar on preparing for college
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Dear Dale,
Since
the last newsletter we have gotten a lot of comments, concerns, and
questions from parents working to prepare their children for college
and life. Preparation for college - getting in, finding the right path
for the student, and doing well - seems to be the overwhelming issue to
many parents. We have been asked for some time to provide help in this
area.
We will be providing a teleconference in the near future
to provide some assistance on this subject. Details will be
coming to the website in the next few weeks.
Please continue
to express your concerns to us. What are your issues for planning for
the future? Are you more concerned about scholarships, college
acceptance, helping your students find the right career path, or
preparing good college study habits? To have your questions included in
the conference, please email them to newsletter@askdrcallahan.com with the words "CONFERENCE QUESTION" in the subject line.
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What course next?
A
common question we get is "what course do we do next?". This question
usually comes from a parent who has used a variety of middle or high
school math course vendors - but now they wonder if they have really
prepared their child for college level math. The confusion results from
a variety of math titles and treatments. If you feel you may not be ready - I hate to tell you - you may be right.
In
fact, we have had some families buy our Algebra II with Trig course as
a review for their son or daughter who had already taken Algebra II
from another vendor. To their shock,
they realized their son or daughter was not ready to start our algebra
II w/ trig course even though they had already taken algebra II from
another vendor.
So here are some guidelines we hope will help.
Our general rule is to follow this path:
- Algebra
- Geometry
- Algebra II with Trig (often called precalculus)
- Calculus
A
student who has had an algebra course (even if not the best) should be
ready for geometry. The geometry course should incorporate a review of
algebra to keep it fresh. (Jacob's geometry does this well.) Except for
those using Saxon (which does not have a separate geometry course) most
vendors cover algebra then geometry as the first topics.To get a feel
for what to expect if you are evaluating an algebra or geometry
curriculum - see our site about how to review materials.
While
we do prefer to use college level textbooks, fact is there are not many
college level algebra or geometry books. The idea is that if you are in
college you should have already had these courses. So, even if you have
not used the best material for algebra or geometry - you still may be
OK. You need the basics to get you ready for the ACT and/or the SAT and
college level math.
The big issue comes after that - with
algebra 2 with trigonometry (sometimes called precalculus). Again, we
have many students who have taken some form of algebra II or advanced
algebra. Parents ask us often about what a particular book or
curriculum covers and how it fits into ours. Most important - they want
to know what to do next. It is at this point many start to see the
failure of some of the common homeschooling curriculum to prepare their
students for college level work.
Here is our approach. First, we direct them to our website for online quizzes
of the textbook we use for Algebra II with Trig. We have links to
quizzes for chapters 1 to 8. If you have your student take these
short quizzes you get a feel for what they are ready to take next. If
they do well (75% or above) on chapters 1-5, they have covered algebra
II well enough and can move on. If they also do well on chapters 6-8,
then they are ready for calculus.
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Are we a secular company?
From
time to time we get a parent who is looking for subjects which do not
preach to their students. They will ask "Are you secular or a Christian
company?"
The owners of AskDrCallahan are Christian, and
therefore we believe God created and controls all things and that Jesus
Christ, being the son of God and without sin, died to pay for the sins
of all - but only those who have accepted Christ as savoir and Lord
will be saved. Therefore, the entire purpose of life is to glorify God.
So yes, we are a Christian company and everything we do is based upon
this faith.
However, we do not "preach" to your students. Our
products are focused on educating you and your students and preparing
them for college and life. While we do believe faith is a major issue -
we do not force the issues of faith and gospel into a math curriculum.
We do discuss truth and logic and we strongly believe these are
directly related to faith AND math. However, we do not attempt to
explain to you or your student how you should believe. As a university
professor, I work around people of a variety of faiths from all over
the world on a daily basis. I respect their faith - even though I may
disagree with them.
We have explained our position to parents
both looking for secular and Christian curriculum. So far most seem to
be comfortable with our position.
As we have explained -
we do not go off on a tangent (no pun intended) during a math course
and explain the gospel. But, we do from time to time include materials
in our packages explaining why we believe what we believe. However,
even at this - we are NOT trying to convert anyone. In fact, our
understanding of the gospel is clear - there is nothing we can do or
say that would convert you - that is up to God.
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Algebra coming!
Many
are asking where we are in the algebra release. The production team is
90% complete and we are on schedule to release June 1st. We expect the
price for the DVD set to be $105. (This does not include the Jacob's
textbook materials.) See the website for algebra for details!
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We're here to help you!
Sincerely,
Dale Callahan
AskDrCallahan
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