Algebra I, second edition [video course]

The Teaching Company

Six videos or six DVDs, two outlines, and a workbook comprise a course that should be considered supplemental. The very engaging presenter, Dr. Monica Neagoy, a teacher at Georgetown University, does an excellent job of teaching using a white board, models (geometric models, rods, squares, etc.), and computer graphics to enhance the presentation.

She explains at the beginning of the course that it is designed to reflect the new math standards’ focus on applications, mathematical thinking, and conceptual understanding. She includes extensive use of a graphing calculator (required for the course) and real life applications. Presentations are enlivened with historical anecdotes and other stories about the origins and applications of math.

The course includes a workbook, but it does not have nearly as much practice as is contained in traditional courses. The course includes 30 lessons, each 30 minutes in length, for a total of 15 hours of teaching. It breezes quickly through some foundational concepts for Algebra I, then addresses topics like slope/intercept and linear functions. However, it introduces the language and use of functions early on, which is usually reserved for Algebra 2; the entire course seems to address topics found in both algebra courses. Consequently, it must be used as a supplement for Algebra I, and possibly, also for Algebra 2. [Note: this is quite different in format from Teaching Company’s Algebra II course.]