Algebra II [video course]

The Teaching Company

Like most of The Teaching Company’s high school courses, this one consists of either six videos or six DVDs, two outlines, and a workbook. High school math teacher Dr. Murray H. Siegel presents a very traditional Algebra II course which is quite a contrast to The Teaching Company’s unconventional Algebra I course.

Dr. Siegel uses a white board, flip chart, and computer graphics to enhance lessons. The course follows a progression similar to that of a number of standard textbooks, covering such topics as factoring, linear equations, graphing linear equations and inequalities, solving systems of equations, quadratic functions, imaginary numbers, square roots, cube roots, exponential functions, logarithmic functions, matrices and determinants, and sequences and series. The final presentation is an introduction to trigonometry.

Although Dr. Siegel uses real-life applications and explanations for “why we need to know some of this stuff,” he concentrates on the tools and skills of algebra rather than taking the new math approach. He does not teach with calculators (although students SHOULD be using calculators for some work at this level) or focus on concepts and theory, typical new math approaches.

The video course itself is only fifteen hours, and the workbook lacks the amount of practice we find in texts, so Dr. Siegel directs students to consult a text for additional problems for each section of the tape. The course is not designed to stand alone, but it is to be used as an adjunct to a standard course. Consequently, it will work best for students who use it in conjunction with a text to cover concepts more fully and to get adequate practice with problem solving. In spite of the limited length, this is a solid course, and I expect it will work well for students who just need a teacher to present the lessons.