Math Tutor DVD Series
Nicki Black September 8 2010 07:03:34 PM
Vendor:© 2010 Math Tutor DVD
PO Box 1165
Seabrook, TX, 77586
1-877-MATH-DVD
Founder and Instructor: Jason Gibson
Item: The Pre-Algebra Tutor, Volume 1 (A 5-Hour Video Tutorial)
Cost: $26.99 USD
Item: The Texas Instruments TI-83 / TI-84 Calculator Tutor (A 8-Hour Tutorial)
Cost: $26.99 USD
Age Range of DVDs - Aimed at skill level
Where To Buy Math Tutor DVDs:
www.MathTutorDVD.com
Want to see what my fellow TOS Crew members thought about Math Tutor DVDs?
http://homeschoolblogger.com/homeschoolcrew/782960/
*hands up*
Uncle.
I give.
*grimmace*
Ok, I'll come clean. I can't teach all my daughter's subjects even though I wish I was Super Teacher Mom. I enjoy delving into all of them except math, which I dislike immensely. I'm sad to say that the bitter taste remained in my mouth from having to endure elementary, middle, and even high school teachers that made learning math really hard, inflexible, very tightly inside the box, and unapproachable. The older I became in the school ranks, the more I felt like a failure in this subject. I didn't have the luxury of tutors or after school help. Finally somewhere in my sophomore year I remember giving up pretty much entirely, and resigned myself to "just getting by" versus really understanding what I was doing to make the concepts take root. So here in our own homeschool environment I've leveraged my husband's willingness and outsourced all of our math instruction past about the 4th grade to him. I'd been practically math-free since. Yahoo!
And then suddenly ... *cue Jaws Theme* music* ... these 2 DVD's came in the mail all bright and shiny and ready to make my acquaintance. I was seriously dubious I would (1) be able to convince my daughter that this would be a good *feeble smile* time, and (2), be able to sit through them without beads of sweat lurching from my own brow. But holy cow, could it be? I was IMPRESSED! Within the first 5 minutes of watching The Pre-Algebra Tutor DVD, I actually learned a common math concept I had not truly learned back when I was kid. I totally got it. It clicked! And it was easy, straightforward, and without tears. Without tears from my daughter, either, heh heh. ;-0
Math Tutor founder and instructor Jason Gibson really gets my kudos for making his DVDs very easy to follow and actually great to watch. They are extremely relatable and professional, and his teaching style is more like he were tutoring you over a cup of coffee and a white board versus a cold and formal environment. He is not intimidating as a teacher despite his advanced qualifications, nor does he make math intimidating as a subject. He speaks in normal everyday language, and most important of all, he made my daughter (who also hates math) and me relax especially when he made this statement within his Pre-Algebra DVD: "It's a very simple concept, if explained in the right way". Seriously - I had never heard a teacher make that statement before and I left like a load was lifted off of my back that it wasn't me who was incapable of learning math all those years, but that I never heard most math concepts explained to me in a way that I understood. I had a revelation that I could quite possibly learn math now like I was supposed to learn math back then. I think I was more excited for me at that moment, than for my daughter! LOL! And, might I add, Math Tutor DVDs are MUCH cheaper than hiring a tutor in person.
The DVDs are extremely easy to use, and if you have a child who likes to self-direct like we do, then it's just a matter of popping the DVD into the computer and letting it play from there. We had our daughter jot notes and examples down as she went along with it. Later my husband quizzed her about what she had learned. And I kid you not, her scores improved an entire letter grade just in these few short weeks. I can attribute this to the Math Tutor DVDs, and the fantastic job Jason Gibson does in making math accessible to all skill and motivation levels.
The Pre-Algebra Tutor DVD, Volume I, contained the following:
Disk 1
Sect 1 - Real Numbers
Sect 2 - The Number Line
Sect 3 - Greater Than, Less Than, Equal To
Sect 4 - Absolute Value and Adding Integers
Sect 5 - Subtracting Integers
Disk 2
Sect 6 - Multiplying Integers
Sect 7 - Dividing Integers
Sect 8 - Powers and Exponents
Sect 9 - Order of Operations
The Texas Instruments TI-83 / TI-84 Calculator Tutor DVD contained the following:
Disk 1
Section 1: Overview of the Calculator
Section 2: The Mode Menu
Section 3: Basic Arithmetic and Exponents
Section 4: Logarithms and Square Roots
Section 5: Sin, Cos, Tan
Section 6: Scientific Notation and Storing Variables
Section 7: The Math Menu and Catalog Menu
Section 8: Convert between Fractions and Decimals
Section 9: Finding the Min and Max of a Function
Section 10: Calculating Derivatives and Integrals
Section 11: Absolute Value, Rounding, and Integers
Section 12: Converting between Degrees and Radians
Section 13: Working with Complex Numbers
Disk 2
Section 14: Using the Equation Solver
Section 15: Graphing and Tracing Functions
Section 16: Using Tables and Split Screen Modes
Section 17: Find the Exact Value of a Function Using Graphing
Section 18: Finding the Zeros of a Function using Graphing
Section 19: Finding the Max and Min of a Function using Graphing
Section 20: Finding Intersections of Functions using Graphing
Section 21: Finding the Derivative of a Function by Graphing
Section 22: Calculating the Definite Integral by Graphing
Section 23: Drawing on a Graph
Section 24: Graphing and Tracing Sequences
Disk 3
Section 25: Graphing and Tracing Parametric Equations
Section 26: Converting between Rectangular and Polar Coordinates
Section 27: Graphing and Tracing Polar Equations
Section 28: Permutations, Combinations, and Factorial
Section 29: Working with Histograms and Box Plots
Section 30: Graphing Statistical Scatter Plots
Section 31: Calculating Mean, Median, Standard Deviation, and more
Section 32: Performing Statistical Regression
Section 33: Calculating with Matrices
Section 34: Solving Systems of Equations with Matrices
Section 35: Calculating Interest Rates
Section 36: Calculating Mortgages and Loans
Section 37: Calculating Savings and Investments
The DVDs do not have to be done all in one sitting, as they can be broken down into smaller bites and applied as an added resource on top of the textbook curriculum you may already be using. The collection of titles at Math Tutor run the gamut from early algebra up through the more complex, and include subjects such as mental math, calculus, differential equations, physics, probability/statistics, geometry, and more. Also found at the Math Tutor website are numerous FREE tutorials, references, math-related articles, a host of online calculators, and even a discussion forum. Even if you opt not to purchase any of the DVDs (but I seriously recommend that you do), you will find the resources equally valuable in your classroom.
Jason Gibson makes this bold promise, "Our DVDs will immediately improve your understanding of Math or we refund your money. That is our Guarantee to you!" I do believe that I can honestly say that our understanding of math was in fact, immediately improved after watching. We will definitely be returning to Math Tutor to enhance our existing curriculum now, and as our curriculum grows with our children.
Happy Homeschooling!
Nicki
Disclosure/disclaimer statement, as required by the FCC:
I have been given this free product in order to write this review. I used this product in my home, and the comments and thoughts shared herein are solely my own, based on my personal experience. Any products reviewed by me as a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew have been given to me free of charge in order for me to provide you with an honest and genuine review of those products, and how we used the products within our family. I receive no other form of compensation for the reviews posted on this blog.
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