This month I am reviewing the math curriculums we offer as well as researching some new curriculums we hope to add. If you have any suggestions for a math curriculum you would like to see at Pennywise Learning, please let us know.

When we started PWL, I figured all math curriculums where created equal. Math is math, right? Since that time I have learned that I couldn’t be more wrong. Perhaps math is math but the approaches to teaching it can be very different. Start researching various curriculums and you begin hearing terms like traditional math, new math, mastery based, incremental approach, spiral based, applied math, standards based math, integrated mathematics, etc.

Like everything in Homeschooling, I do not believe that there is a one size fits all solution. It is important for home educators to determine their own educational philosophy, identify their student’s abilities and style of learning, then choose the educational approach that fits best. Most home educators favor a more traditional math approach. Our personal education philosophy favors traditional/mastery based approaches to learning.

Most all of the math curriculums offered at Pennywise Learning are considered traditional approaches. We can break them down a little further as well:

Mastery Based Approach

The first is mastery based. A mastery based approach introduces a new topic and then drills on that topic until it’s mastered. New concepts are not introduced until mastery of that topic is achieved. Of the math curriculums we offer, we would generally categorize the following curriculums to use a mastery based approach:

ACE/School of Tomorrow PACES
AOP LIFEPAC
Liberty Baptist Curriculum
Switched On Schoolhouse

Incremental/Spiral Based Approach

The second is spiral or incremental based. With this method, mastery is not required before the introduction of new topics. Topics are introduced and mastered incrementally over a period of time. The following are curriculums we offer that we would consider use this approach:

Bob Jones Homeschool
Horizons Math
Saxon Math

Knowing the approach used is important when matching a curriculum to your student. Some students do very well using a mastery approach where only one concept is taught at a time. This is especially true for students who struggle in math or in special needs circumstances. For others a mastery based approach can be very boring but they excel when using an approach that is a little faster moving and multiple concepts are being learned and worked on at the same time.

Please feel free to post any questions or comments by clicking on the “comments” link below.