Customer Reviews

Interactive Math Program: Year 4

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(2)

 

 

First of all, let me state that I am a math teacher. I have taught using a variety of math texts and, in my professional opinion, IMP is the best by far. Compared to traditional curricula that teach procedures and algorithms, IMP teaches students how to understand math--not just how to *do* math. The program is problem-based, which allows students to interact with math in a much more authentic context than traditional texts that just require students to manipulate algebraic symbols without really understanding what any of it means. Students who use IMP enjoy taking math, understand how it is relevant to their lives, are more likely to take future math classes, are better able to communicate their ideas, and still score as well or better than peers taking traditional math. In fact, IMP has been identified by the U.S. Department of Education's Mathematics and Science Expert Panel (1999) as an exemplary mathematics program (See The Mathematics Teacher. Oct 2001 Vol.94, Iss. 7; pg. 540 for a detailed review).

For some reason, there are a lot of opponents of IMP and other reform curricula. I believe they feel threatened by a new way of learning math that is different than the way the learned it growing up. When I was in school, I learned traditional math and did well grade-wise. I got excellent grades and eventually majored in mathematics, but I did not really understand a lot of what I learned. I knew how to *do* it extremely well, but I didn't understand how to use it in the real-world. I have learned as much math *teaching* with IMP as I ever did as a math major.

There is a great deal of research on the subject, and I encourage anyone interested to look more into it instead of listening solely to myself or those with opposing opinions.

I loved this program. I can say that I was far better prepared for college than any of my peers. These problems forced me to understand math in my own way, not to simply learn a formula, memorize it and learn where to use it. I learned how to form my own formulas, why they work, where they're useful and so much more. Some of it made me want to pull my hair out (I always had problems with the In/Out tables!), but I was forced to think. I could actually feel the strain of trying to comprehend, and it was wonderful. It gave me a thirst for knowledge, and I can honestly say that it heightened the rate in which I come to understand things today. Even now, when I am between semesters and I feel my mind start to dull, I just pull out one of my IMP books and resolve a problem. This is an excellent program, a valuable resource that I plan to use when my children are ready to learn it.

When taught from books like these. This type of instruction presumes that kids learn only in the class room. If you are an engaged parent wishing to help coach your child at home, this book is maddeningly frustrating because all the context is with the class room teacher and you are given a book that is lacking context and is full of meaningless tripe. If your child had any interest in math, this book would make sure they'd start hating it. That's the compromise I suppose for sparking a tiny amount of interest in math in kids who hated math to begin with.
America should give this type of instruction the boot if we ever hope to get our children interested in math and engineering.

I have a CA high school math teaching credential. I've been teaching 20 years, and I believe I'd put this book at or near the bottom of all the high school math texts I've ever seen.

I've gone through the IMP year 4 book. There are virtually no equations given. No sample problems solved. The series relies totally on the teacher to give this information in the classroom, or for the students to "discover it" which makes no sense. A text book is meant to be used as a resource in conjunction with classroom lessons. This book is just a long, ongoing word problem with no practice problems or any other such support for the topic.

Yes, this book is way outside the box. If you want to do well on the SATs and/or ACTs, or expect your students to do anything in college that is science or math oriented (Biology, medicine, engineering, chemistry) do not use this book. It could be used as a supplement to a regular math text book, but that's a lot of $$ for some word problems.

Not good.