Math Tutor DVD’s

     Math trouble seems to be one those polarizing episodes in a homeschooling mother’s year.  When your child begins to have trouble understanding some aspect of their math it can be frustrating not only for the child, but also the mother.  Where to turn? Math Tutor DVD’s may be your answer.

     Math is one aspect of homeschooling I feel shaky about.  I do not have good memories of math class. In fact, what I remember most is feeling like I was just never going to “get it”.  So when my kids don’t understand a concept, I don’t always know how to help them. I am not good at explaining things in a different manner.  Math Tutor DVD’s can help this problem.

 

The Pre-Algebra Tutor Volume 1

$26.99

     My daughter was just starting Algebra I, when I received the Pre-Algebra Tutor Volume 1 DVD ($26.99) to review.  I had her watch one lesson per day as a review of the Pre-Algebra concepts she had gone through last year.  Watching the videos with her, I really liked the way Jason presented the material.  He was very personable and made the concepts easy to understand. 

     The Pre-Algebra Tutor DVD has 9 sections on two discs.  Each section thoroughly covers one topic.  For example, section 1 covers real numbers, section 2 covers the number line.  Jason Gibson introduces the topic, explains it and then proceeds to doing practice problems.  He explains that it is best to watch first, and then go back and work the practice problems yourself.  With this technique he is able to cover various learning styles.  Visually you see the problems and how they are worked.  For auditory learners he explains each step as he is working the problem and for kinesthetic learners,there is the act of actually writing the problem and each step out.

     My daughter enjoyed the videos.  She said that she liked that Jason did a lot of practice problems.  She liked the way he started out with simple problems and then proceeded to longer and harder ones.  I had her sit with a white board and markers and she wrote the problems that Jason was working on the screen and worked them for herself. 

 

The Texas Instruments
TI-83/TI-84 Calculator Tutor

$26.99

     Where to start for the TI-83/T-I84 Calculator Tutor ($26.99)?  Truth be told, these calculators scare me.  They are very intimidating to look at, with all the buttons plus the words over the buttons for even more functions.  Jason really accomplishes his goal. He demystifies the calculator functions.  This DVD is very thorough.  It is 3 disks and has 37 sections.  He starts at the beginning with a basic overview of the calculator.  Then he proceeds to cover every button and function over the next 36 sections.  I was very impressed, that even I, who am intimidated by math, could see that knowing how to properly use your calculator would take away some of the fear and increase learning.

     One of the main reasons this DVD works so well is the way the screen is set up.  When you are watching it, the calculator is divided into two parts.  On the left are all the buttons, exactly as they appear on the calculator and on the right is the display screen.  Breaking the calculator up allows you to clearly see all the buttons that are being pressed and clearly see what is displayed on the screen.  As he is speaking, Jason uses a cursor to press every button, just as you would with a real calculator.

 

     These are just two DVD’s in the Math Tutor line.  At the company’s website MathTutorDVD.com, you can find over 22 math DVD’s.Topics range from learning to count (for young children), basic and advanced math courses, to upper levels such as Physics and even Chemistry.  There are two ways you can access the information on the DVD’s.  First you can buy the DVD’s themselves.  The second way is to buy a monthly subscription to their site. It is $19.95 per month and you then have online access to every DVD that MathTutor DVD produces.  I mention this option because it is very intriguing for our family.  With an age range of 7-17 being able to access all levels would be very helpful. 

     We have thoroughly enjoyed reviewing the Math Tutor DVD’s.  They were easy to understand, well-produced, and most important, learning was increased by using them.  If you have kids who are having math trouble, I encourage you to check out MathTutor DVD's.  To read more reviews on this product visit the TOS Homeschool Crew Blog.

 

As an Independent contractor for The Old Schoolhouse and member of TOS Homeschool Crew I received two Math Tutor DVD’s for free in exchange for my honest review of the product.