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Elizabeth
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If you use courses from The Teaching Company, how do you use them? Do you require narrations of lectures? Do you buy the books to go with them? How do you test? We have several of these but I'm not sure what to require in order to claim them for credit on a transcript.
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Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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MacBeth
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I use plenty of them. I just put them down as lecture series, and the kids narrate, we discuss, and that's it.
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Elizabeth
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which ones have you used/liked?
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Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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MacBeth
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Hmmm.
China (Yao to Mao)
St. Augustine Philosopher and Saint
Joy of Science
Classical Mythology (teens)
Working through topics in Chemistry.
Have, but have not heard, Argumentation
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Mary G
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Elizabeth we have How to Listen to and Understand Classical Music -- when I hs'ed Joe and Cate a few years back, they were listening to the lessons in order and then we'd discuss; we got about halfway through them.
In the Fall, my dh and I started watching them and the kids started to sit down and watch too -- again, we had interesting discussions from these. Greenberg is not a spunky lecturer, but he has great information and a great sense of humor. We got the DVDs with the full script so they can reference the information later.
Hope this helps!
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Diane
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I'm reviving an old thread to discover if anyone has had success with any of the Teaching Co courses since the original post last Jan. So many of them look excellent.
MacBeth, I'm thinking about going through Joy of Science with my 13yo. Neither she nor I are extremely strong in science---do you think it would be over our heads? Would it be helpful to get the transcript or should we just watch and discuss? And how were the sections on Darwin and evolution? Thanks for any insights---I really value your judgment.
I'm also thinking about getting the High School level History set by Linwood Thompson and one on Shakespeare's plays (more for myself). I'm planning to order the DVDs. Are there any advantages to the audio version, besides cost and convenience? I'm a visual learner, but dd is more auditory---maybe I'm buying them to suit my learning style instead of hers. 
Thanks for any advice.
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Elizabeth
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I have all the ones you're considering Diane and I think you need the visuals to really "get the whole experience."
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Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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Diane
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I'm glad to hear that, Elizabeth. That's just what I was thinking.
So, have these been a worthwhile purchase for your family? My ongoing quest to simplify always seems to be thwarted by so much seemingly good stuff out there. Where are the voices of St Francis and Mother Teresa when I need them?  Still, I'm hoping these might provide a nice change for my dd.
Any favorite courses?
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StephanieA
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Our favorite course is the American History set. My oldest 2 listened to most of the course on audio and read a little bit out of a text. They easily CLEPed out of the college course. A side benefit to spending the money on these courses  I enjoyed the topics equally as well.
My oldest son (18) is trying the same this summer with the Economics. He said the guy is pretty good.
I like "How to Understand and Listen to Great Music". We had it on DVD, but switched to audio. The professor can get a bit bawdy at times, and I wasn't comfortable blarring this out for all to listen to. I had planned to watch the DVD and THEN choose ones for the entire family to watch. Good intentions, but not realistic with a lots of kids and limited time alone.
Ancient Greek Civilization was pretty good too. We have it on DVD. The professor has an Australian accent. Fun to listen to.
The Shakespeare guy as I remember (I send the tapes back)went a bit overboard with the se*ual stuff. I just can't remember totally. But it was enough stuff that I wasn't comfortable handing a teen to listen to without discussion.
One recommendation that isn't from the Teaching Company for music is Leonard Berstein's Young People's Concerts. We are renting these from our local state university. They are black and white, but SUPER great! Highly recommended.
BLessings,
Stephanie
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Elizabeth
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StephanieA wrote:
Our favorite course is the American History set. My oldest 2 listened to most of the course on audio and read a little bit out of a text. They easily CLEPed out of the college course. A side benefit to spending the money on these courses I enjoyed the topics equally as well.
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Stephanie,
Which American History set for the CLEP test? The high school one where the guy dresses up or another? What else did he do to prepare for the CLEP?
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Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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StephanieA
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<Which American History set for the CLEP test? >
I bought the History of the United States Edition 2. Even if I hadn't planned for the boys to CLEP, I still would have bought (and kept) this set because it was so interesting. Three different professors do the lectures, so you get a little variety in speakers. We had the Edition 1, but it wasn't nearly as interesting as Edition 2 and they offered a special upgrade price that I couldn't refuse
<What else did he do to prepare for the CLEP?>
I bought a college text - Bailey's "American Pageant" - used on half.com. This can be a slightly older edition. Don't waste your money on a brand new book I can't say my sons read all of it or even most of it, but used it as reference when going through the American History CLEP study guide. You can ILL loan the study guide or buy one. We do a lot of history here, so I had found we had covered so much material in latter grade school that what they needed was the ideas WHY events took place. The Teaching Company tapes did this for them. When they took the 3 practice tests and didn't know an answer, then they read the section in the textbook to reinforce the concept. My oldest son took just the American History 1 CLEP. Son #2 took both American History 1 and 2. Only 3 hours were required by the college my son attends though. Even if my second son doesn't go to a college that accepts CLEPs, I still think CLEPing is a good experience for homeschooling kids who aren't used to taking any standardized tests.(Our state doesn't require them, and I don't find useful enough to take, especially in grade school. In high school, they can concentrate on the SAT or ACT.). At least my guys have benefitted from the experience. I have set it up to be like a "final exam" situation in high school for that one subject. Not too stressing considering most highschoolers take multiple end of the year exams
As an aside, we also have the Joy of Science DVDs. I had very high hopes. On half.com, you can purchase the professors textbook called, "The Sciences: An Intergrated Approach" James Trevil, Robert Hazen and the study guide to go with it. It doesn't follow the order of the DVDs, but much of the material is the same. The problem is that the material doesn't go much into depth. He tries to cover SO much in SO many different areas that after 8 months of trying to really get much out of the course, I think I failed with the kids. That said, I use them BEFORE we study chemistry or biology or anything we happen to be interested in. I just find the lectures that I want to listen to and do it that way. I plan to use them next year with the 14 year old to introduce chemistry and biology as quarter subjects. Then he can read the book and read living books also on the subject. That way, I think it will offer a little variety and at the same time, more will sink in rather than grazing so much material without any depth.
Blessings,
Stephanie
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Elizabeth
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StephanieA wrote:
| <I bought a college text - Bailey's "American Pageant" - used on half.com. This can be a slightly older edition. |
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I have the old edition. I used it in high school...hmmmm...
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Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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Cay Gibson
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How is the Catholic Church treated in the Ancient and Medieval History? Anyone know?
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lapazfarm
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I am wondering if the Joy of Science would be too difficult for a bright 11 yo? Dh and I both have science backgrounds and could help him, but I don't want to overwhelm him, either. Any opinions?
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StephanieA
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<I have the old edition. I used it in high school...hmmmm... >
You could get the study guide and see if it "works". I had a very old edition too , but for $8, I bought one written in the 21st century I found different subjects emphasized....especially early America. But that is not to say an older edition may not do the trick.
The object of the CLEP isn't necessarily to score the highest score possible. It is to pass. That said Stephen and Adam passed with very high scores in American History. Their biology and other CLEPS weren't ever that high. The American History is always the first one we tackle, and Adam especially does not test well. Another reason I thought these standardized tests would help him out. So both studied hard for their first CLEP.
However, a neighbor of ours (a bright young lady) studied 3 weeks and did just as well. My kids couldn't have done that, but that's OK.
Blessings,
Stephanie
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StephanieA
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<
lapazfarm wrote:
| I am wondering if the Joy of Science would be too difficult for a bright 11 yo? Dh and I both have science backgrounds and could help him, but I don't want to overwhelm him, either. Any opinions? |
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>
Just an opinion, because I don't have a science background (far from it) and my kids aren't bright for their ages.....
but the guy is not too bad to watch. When we have video night, the kids want to know whether this means I am going in to get a video (YEAH!) or it is Joy of Science, a Shakespeare flick that we might own, or a rerun documentary (BOO HISS)? That said, all age groups watch Joy of Science, each getting out what they can from it. The guy has lots of props that he uses, so it is somewhat entertaining. Again how much my kids REALLY get out of it, well, I can't say that it is FULL of memorable information. I think to supplement the sections with living books, experiments, etc. would be most helpful to get your bang for your buck. I personally found the book I mentioned very helpful for supplementation and further explanation FOR ME. Again I don't have a science background. All said, if I had to do it all over again, I would buy the videos. They have sparked interest in different areas for different kids. Sometimes, just that is worth the money. Just my thoughts.
Blessings,
Stephanie
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lapazfarm
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Thanks, Stephanie, that helps alot.
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Anne Marie M
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. . . just a few notes:
The Teaching Company is offering free shipping until July 27th for orders over $150 (double-check details on their website).
Also, I'm glad to hear that the History of the United States Edition 2 is good. Patrick Allitt, one of the profs, was one of the speakers at a conference my oldest dd attended last summer. She said he's awesome - so I've been thinking about that series as a result.
Anne Marie in NM
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Diane
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Stephanie, thank you so much for your thoughtful comments. They were really helpful to me. I especially appreciate the heads-up on the Shakespeare course.
Joy of Science sounds like just what I was looking for---a general overview to introduce different topics. I'll add lots of living books and experiments to flesh it out. At least that's the plan.
I'm tempted to get the History of the US that you recommend---it sounds excellent. But since my kids are still pretty young, I may just stick with the high school level one by Thompson for now and hopefully work through the 2nd Edition one in a couple of years when they're in high school. I've heard good things about the Thompson courses---if anyone thinks otherwise, please let me know!
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Diane
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StephanieA
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Dear Diane,
If the Thompson course in history is the one with the person dressing up in different costumes....I have not seen it. But my mother ordered it years ago for my high school siblings. They thought it was pretty chezzy,
so much so that she donated it to her library.
That said, The Teaching Company allows you to return any purchase if you don't care for it. The tapes might actually appeal to kids younger than high school and this would fit the bill for you perfectly.
When my oldest was struggling to understand Algebra 1, I ordered it from the Teaching Company. For him, it was a flop. One really has to DO math, not listen to it to solidly understand what to do. I do have 1/2 of the geometry, but I only use it "for fun". We didn't really care for the A+ Student set either.
Blessings,
Stephanie
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4Real Forums : High School Years and Beyond
Topic: The Teaching Company
