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| Advanced Mathematics: An Incremental Development (Saxon Advanced Math) | 
 enlarge | Author: John H., Jr. Saxon
Publisher: Saxon Publishers
Category: Book
List Price: $62.50
Buy New: $17.95
You Save: $44.55 (71%)
Buy New/Used from $17.96
Avg. Customer Rating:  (10 reviews)
Sales Rank: 24010
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 2
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 4.1
Dimensions (in): 10.9 x 8.5 x 1.5
ISBN: 1565770390
Dewey Decimal Number: 511
EAN: 9781565770393
ASIN: 1565770390
Publication Date: June 1996
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews: Read 5 more reviews...
 Saxon is the King of Rote. July 2, 2008
There are some things that can only be mastered by rote and there are other things for which rote learning is simply hazardous. In this case, mathematics.
First, students who successfully complete the Saxon math cirriculum don't need to worry about not scoring well on standardized tests. If this is your sole or primary concern, this or any other "cookbook" text will do. If, however, you are interested in REALLY learning mathematics, and MASTERING it, you need to abandon this cirriculum before it is too late.
Saxon does not teach you math. What Saxon does is outline a recipe for any given problem, and then has the student plug-and-chug ad infinitum. This is not math. Math is more than rote computation.
Math is not an instrument, like Saxon contends. Mathematics is really more of an art. Does a successful artist/painter master his delicate and difficult art by drawing the same image over and over again?
Students that successfully complete this program will be left with the false impression that they have mastered mathematics when in fact they have not. They will be in a for a rude awakening when encountering higher mathematics, especially mathematics in which theory, if not necessarily trumpeting application, is equally balanced with application. You can guess as much when Saxon writes in his Algebra 2 text: "It is important to understand why we do things in algebra, but it is also important not to let the emphasis on understanding interfere with our ability to do." NONENSE! If you know why, then you know how. And the why should always come first.
Unfortunately, there aren't any alternative texts, so far as I know, that I can heartily recommend. So all I can suggest is that the serious student of mathematics look around. I did this for Calculus, and came across three excellent texts by three outstanding authors: Michael Spivak, Tom Apostol, and Richard Courant. Their texts put Saxon's and all the other cookbook texts on the market to shame.
 Amazing November 14, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I am currently using Saxons book, and it has greatly increased my understanding about Pre Calculus. I have been using Saxon for three years (since i was in 6th grade) and have failed to find a flaw in their work. The one-star review written doesn't understand their teaching method. By having a wide variety of problems in each problem set, Saxon really gets the lesson in your head. I currently teach myself the material and have a 98 average. If you REALLY want to learn Advanced mathematics, get this book!
Wish I had learned math this way February 16, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Outstanding text for homeschoolers. Even though I had excellent teachers, this approach would have been beneficial for me, and is far superior to the jumbled approach recently taught elsewhere....
Saxon in Public schools September 1, 2006
I loved this book when I took this Adv. Math in High School. Since I have left, they have changed though. When I was away from the classroom, I could actually excel on my own b/c the book teaches as it goes. I had Saxon from 6th-12th. I got used to the book and then, when I took my last math course, last semester of high school, they gave me a different book...I made a B- in that geometry class.
Excellence in Mathematics March 4, 2006
11 out of 11 found this review helpful
I have been using Saxon mathematics for 15 years, first as a 5th-12th grade student and more recently as a tutor. This program is excellent and like one of the other reviewers I can agree that even my "average" Saxon students have significantly better mathematics skills that those students using other programs.
I began using Saxon math in 5th grade. Prior to that I used a typical "learn and drill" method. A new concept was taught and drilled for 20+ problems and then the instruction moved on to another topic. By the time I reached an end of unit exam I had forgotten the early material.
Then in 5th grade we changed curriculums. I didn't become a "math lover" overnight. In fact, although my math skills improved, I adamently hated math all the way through junior high. Then I began algebra. By the end of Saxon's algebra 2 textbook I loved algebra and was making high A's in my homework.
A couple of years after highschool I was invited to begin tutoring math at a private school. At this point I reviewed my Saxon Algebra 1 and Algebra 2 eventually going on to study Advanced Mathematics for the fun of it. I would spend 2-3 hours a day studying math and loving every minute of it.
This independant study was 2 1/2 years ago. I recently decided to attend college as a math major. Last semester I passed Calculus I near or at the top of all the Cal I classes combined. My Saxon skills gave me the tools I needed to study well and grasp rather abstract concepts.
The one area that has concerned me is trigonometry. The Advanced Mathematics covered the topic quite thoroughly, however Calculus requires a lot of trig and it has been so long since I studied Advanced Math I've been afraid my professors will "spring" something on me I don't remember.
Yesterday my fears were alleviated. The math department held an extra credit exam for the Cal 2 students. The exam was a trig placement exam they would like to implement in the future. Because of my other classes I didn't have time to study so I decided to "wing" it and hope my studies 2 1/2 years ago would award me at least partial credit.
I'm quite pleased to say that thanks to Saxon I knew how to work every single problem on the test even though it has been 2 1/2 years since I studied trigonometry and I have not had any trig students since that time. Saxon works... Excellently.
If you are considering the Saxon texts let me encourage you to read the introductions to the texts. They are quite inspiring, imparting the vision Saxon had for math.
In addition students must work every problem. This is the whole reason Saxon works -- lots and lots of review. What most people fail to realize is that mathematics is like music; practice creates excellence.
Finally for those concerned about Saxon's lack of a dedicated geometry text, after having tutored math for 5 years I am convinced that Saxon's integrated approach is far more effective than traditional methods. Saxon teaches geometry concepts throughout the junior high and high school grades allowing for mastery of the ideas long before the formal proofs are introduced in Advanced Mathematics. This is excellent as I believe that older students have a greater capacity to grasp the rather abstract skills required for geometric proofs.
I'm very thankful for the curriculum switch in 5th grade. Because of Saxon I have transformed from a math-hating elementary student to a very succesful math major.
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