1
$\begingroup$

I've previously learned algebra (wasn't the best, wasn't the worst) and have since forgotten most (basically all) of it. I'm currently homeschooled and I would like to go to college in two years. Due to my homeschooling I have a lot of time to learn. To give an insight about my work ethic/dedication I used to be in advanced math classes all the way until seventh grade (I went to private school which didn't offer advanced classes). I've always been pretty good and hardworking in math and have never received less than an a in any of my classes. That was two years ago, being homeschooled (starting freshman year) changed my work ethic to an extent. Without all the pressure of due dates and now going at my own pace I've become too relaxed. I haven't done math in two years not due to laziness, but due to the fact that my online school offers such basic math. Now seeing how much I have to do has really gotten me out of my too relaxed state and I just want to learn. I'm not going to self teach so I assume that would speed up the process, plus the added pressure of having to learn a certain thing by a certain date will help a bit. Someone suggested going to kumon, does anyone know if this is a good program for this? Kumon seems to be for younger kids who are already going to school full time. I'm really behind my grade level and desperately need to catch up in order to be ready for the sats on time. Does anyone know any good programs to learn from? (preferably something similar to kumon, but anything can help even if it requires self teaching like khan academy). Is it even possible to learn all of this math in this time span? I appreciate any helpful responses :)

update: I am thinking about getting the teaching textbook for algebra by Greg Sabouri and Shawn Sabouri, has anyone tried these books, how was your experience?

$\endgroup$
4
  • $\begingroup$ Which country's syllabus do you want to take? $\endgroup$
    – BAI
    Jul 29, 2017 at 12:09
  • $\begingroup$ It depends on you. from 1 month to 1 year. $\endgroup$
    – hamam_Abdallah
    Jul 29, 2017 at 12:09
  • $\begingroup$ What’s your time span? Two years? You are planning to study linear algebra, geometry and calculus for your SAT … coming when? $\endgroup$
    – k.stm
    Jul 29, 2017 at 12:24
  • $\begingroup$ I'm currently going into eleventh grade so I would like to complete everything including preparing for the sat within two years. I'm looking to take my sats the summer of 2019 (which would be the end of my senior year) or the fall of 2019. I know this is a bit late seeing that most people take it the start of senior year in junior year, but I don't mind starting college during a slightly later semester. $\endgroup$
    – Birdo
    Jul 29, 2017 at 12:46

3 Answers 3

Reset to default
2
$\begingroup$

Khan Academy is a great resource as said above. I can't stress how much I've learned about Calc 3 even though I just finished Calc 1 at my high school. Something that I found when learning on my own was that you will not retain the material unless you do practice problems. You'll think you know them, but I made sure I drilled the material into my mind to make sure I don't forget it. Khan Academy is a good lecture, but with every lecture, you need to practice on your own.

$\endgroup$
0
$\begingroup$

I think you should seriously consider to learn by your own.

If at this moment in your life you are feeling you "need pressure" to go and move, i am telling you that is not the proper way to do things. You are tesponsible of your own motivation, not the circumstances. So, go, pick up your pencil, "shut up, and calculate" (that is a Feynmann quote, no rudeness intended).

By the way, you should be having some objective in why you want to learn maths. What do you want to make with that knowledge?. Learning only because you want, is not enough, and a clearer panorama will give you a better insight on where to go at the short term.

Have fun.

$\endgroup$
3
  • $\begingroup$ I have started to review on my own, but I feel that if I have a chance to be taught it's better to take it. I've always done better in a classroom like setting so whether it be a tutor or kumon I know it'll be better for me. I do have motivation to learn no matter the method, but sometimes it's just too much to teach yourself. Honestly I'm not interested in being a mathematician or anything of that sort. Like most other high school students I just need to learn to get into college. Thank you for your response. $\endgroup$
    – Birdo
    Jul 29, 2017 at 13:10
  • $\begingroup$ Yes, made that review. Dont expect somebody to solve your concerns: i take as truth that you have that concern, and that means you indeed need to solve that now. Maybe taking particular classes with some teacher. As pointed in other answer, preparing for your SAT now would be a very good starting point. And dont let pass it, because if you are going to follow a math based career, you have to clean this ASAP. $\endgroup$
    – Brethlosze
    Jul 29, 2017 at 19:52
  • $\begingroup$ As I said I'm not interested in having a math based career. I'm not expecting anyone to solve my concern, just trying to get a better understanding of on average how long it takes to complete this much math. I'm looking into algebra classes that teach everything within about three months. $\endgroup$
    – Birdo
    Jul 29, 2017 at 20:28
0
$\begingroup$

In the US--at least my state--it takes exactly 2 years for this. We have Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, and then Precalculus (usually in that order), with one semester of class each.

However, I found that these classes were all actually quite slow in progress, and you could easily learn them all on Khanacademy within probably a few months to a year. I would also recommend getting a good SAT math prep book. In my experience the SAT is designed, yes, to test your knowledge of these math courses, but also to challenge your critical thinking skills--problems will often be more abstract than those you find on Khanacademy or general math resources.

I do have to give a HUGE shout out to Khanacademy. Their math lessons are honestly great. I wasn't really a "math person" until Calculus I in college when everything kind of clicked for me, and Khanacademy really helped me learn all of the algebra/geometry/trig/etc. I needed to know to succeed in Calculus in a very short amount of time.

If you're dedicated you can probably make it through the high school math curriculum in about 3-6 months, but it will require a lot of dedication on your part.

If you are willing to pay for it, you can probably find a good private math tutor in your area. A tutor saved my butt for sure in my Algebra II class: we covered most of the curriculum for the whole semester in about two months. For free though I have to say nothing can beat Khanacademy.

$\endgroup$
4
  • $\begingroup$ I've never heard of only two years to complete this. In my state it takes four years starting with algebra in 8th grade up to pre calculus in 11th. I am looking to get a tutor, but it's difficult since my pace also depends on how quick the tutor is willing to go. Someone I know had a tutor that did algebra alone for an entire year, granted the tutor only came twice a week. How often did you see your tutor and roughly how much material did you cover each session. Thank you so much for your response :). $\endgroup$
    – Birdo
    Jul 29, 2017 at 17:27
  • $\begingroup$ My high school allowed students to take Algebra I in either 8th grade or 1st semester 9th grade, then Geometry either semester of 9th grade as long as you had finished algebra I. Then you could take Algebra II in the fall and precalculus in the spring in 10th grade. I only knew a few people who did it and its because they wanted to take all three AP maths we had--Calc AB, BC and Stats. $\endgroup$
    – wzbillings
    Jul 29, 2017 at 19:29
  • $\begingroup$ I saw my tutor once a week for about an hour or two each session and we covered usually about half a chapter or so per session, with some review time each week--I should note it did help that I had already been exposed to the material in class, but I definitely did most actual learning with my tutor. Hope that helps! $\endgroup$
    – wzbillings
    Jul 29, 2017 at 19:31
  • $\begingroup$ It does help thanks! It seems like your tutor came less than my friends, yet she took much longer to complete a 100 page book. She's average at math & has previously completed algebra similar to me she forgot. I'm not quite sure why it took so long. What book did you use or what book would you recommend? $\endgroup$
    – Birdo
    Jul 29, 2017 at 20:19

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .