As a Principal of a private Christian school, I see test scores for a lot of students whether they are enrolled in my school or not because we provide testing for all kinds of students not just our own. What I see most often is low math scores all the way from Kindergarten through the 12th grade and even on the SAT/ACT college entrance tests. It isn’t saddening to me because math is so important for our children. Why are the scores so low? It isn’t from lack of doing. I know that. Many of these students do lots of math every day. It isn’t lack of ability because many of these students have exceptionally high intelligence. It isn’t because the teacher whether parent or school teacher has difficulty in math themselves. It seems to come down to a lack of problem-solving strategies and true understanding of the processes of math. A little help seems to be on the way from AIMS Education Foundation’s Solve It! Series.

Many curriculums cover the basic facts and concepts in regards to rules and definitions, but the lack in transferring the understanding of why something is done. The “whys” are really more important than the “hows”. If students do not understand why they perform certain operations they can’t learn to think mathematically. If students can’t learn to think mathematically, they won’t be able to apply their skills to more advanced concepts and problems. AIMS (Activities Integrating Math and Science) Education Foundation has created a series called Solve It! That does a really nice job presenting the problem-solving strategies and thinking skills to students. It is a workbook which some think is overdone and certainly can be, but this series will make a good complement to any textbook curriculum to help smooth out the presentation of these skills, give plenty of practice, and let students learn to love math. Learning to think mathematically actually can and does bring an element of fun and discovery to math. The activities are varied and diverse. They are well-designed and use manipulatives, art and craft creativity, charts, etc. All to keep the students actively focused as they explore the concepts and practice the skills. The teacher will find a chart detailing which problem-solving skill each activity develops. I only used the 3rd grade edition, but if the others are as well-done, I think the series deserves a close look.

There are other activity books and products in other subject areas available on the web site, too, including downloadable e-books. The prices range from $9.95 to $24.95 depending on the size of the activity book. To find out more, go to aimsedu.org.

To read other reviews about this product and others from The Old SchoolHouse Crew, go to the TOS Crew blog

Though I was provided a product to review for this blog, I have not been compensated in any other way, and the opinion expressed here is entirely my own.