ShillerMath

by Larry Shiller
(Wilton, CT and worldwide)

ShillerMath Kit I

ShillerMath Kit I

From Larry Shiller: Our mission is to help kids learn and enjoy math and we are blessed with customers who appreciate the value of the Montessori-based curriculum we are so fortunate to publish. We are happy to share some of their comments and stories...

My son's test scores show that ShillerMath has been very successful. Mary M., Oakton, VA

I LOVE the way Shiller explains fractions - better than any other fraction "program" I have seen. Blog on Homeschooler.com

We absolutely LOVE ShillerMath and have recommended it to several friends. What a wonderful way to learn. JS

What great customer support! Thanks for the personal follow-up - just one more reason we love ShillerMath! Vicki Kapryan

I can't believe how much my daughter LOVES math. I think the way you introduce complex concepts in simple, clear, incremental ways is brilliant. Tara Gibbs

I just wanted to let you know that in 11 yrs. of homeschooling I have found few products as satisfactory as this. Thanks, Melanie Jacobs

Comments for ShillerMath

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Rating
starstarstarstar 		Strength in teaching math concepts with hands-on approach
by: Anonymous

I am beginning Shiller Math with my 3rd child. My son, who is a natural with math, has done great with Shiller and is in Book 4. My daughter, who claims to hate math, has done well with a little supplementing. (Now that she completed Book 4 with flying colors, she is very proud and excited to start Fractions.) My youngest will begin Book 1 in the near future. I recommend Shiller for its hands-on approach, simple lessons, ease of use, and strength in teaching math concepts.

Pros:
*Arranged in simple lessons. Can easily do as many as your time and child's attention span allow. Concepts are introduced in bite-sized pieces and built upon.

*Little/no prep time. A few manipulatives may be needed.

*Very "mom-friendly" telling what to say and how to guide your child to the right conclusion. Just open the book to the next lesson and get started.

*Strong in teaching arithmetic, place value, and general math concepts hands-on with manipulatives where kids can SEE the math before putting it on paper.

*Strives to teach using games and investigations.

*Have phone line set up for questions or more explanation. Someone always answers and helps.

*Lessons can be downloaded to be repeated or so the books can be reused with another child.

*Diagnostic tests show where there is a weakness and what lessons correlate to that area of the test.

Cons:
*It would be nice to have "parent notes" when a new concept is being introduced so that we will know what lessons correlate to that concept to better facilitate learning. Occasionally I run into a lesson where I wonder what the goal is. (Maybe I should use the hotline I like so much.)

*Since rote learning is not the goal, memorization of facts is not pushed. Games are played to foster recall, but my daughter didn't apply it. As she progressed to harder arithmetic, her lack of memorized facts slowed her down and caused her to lose track of what she was doing.I actually began drill practice with her along with occasional 1 minute timed tests for practice.
Leading up to multiplication we made up our own songs for skip counting; we also supplemented with Times Tales DVD for memorization once the concept of multiplication was understood (which Shiller does a great job in teaching).

*The tests are LONG and cover a lot of information. We always review a day or two before so they can refresh their memory of earlier lessons; we divide the test in half so they have a break.

*Long division is not taught thoroughly or to my liking. I taught it step by step on my own.

I recommend Shiller for its hands-on approach, simple lessons, ease of use, and strength in teaching math concepts. The pros easily outweigh the cons.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		How ShillerMath works
by: Larry Shiller

RE: Montessori-Based? by: Elliot I'm not real familiar with Montessori. Has something to do with pre-school, right? Exactly how does ShillerMath work? How is it different from other curr.?

Maria Montessori was an educator (b. 1870) who worked with children through the 8th grade and developed a philosophy and methods that have benefited millions of children over the last 100 years. One major Montessori concept is that children are natural learners and will learn at and direct their own pace when provided with a respectful environment. Another is that new topics be exposed concretely using all the senses first, and only then more abstractly.

ShillerMath allows children to work at their own pace but does provide scope and sequence and lesson scripting so that parents/educators do not need Montessori (or math) knowledge or training. It also comes with a large set of manipulatives, an audio CD with 25 songs, answer guides, and free downloads of consumables.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Montessori-Based?
by: Elliot

I'm not real familiar with Montessori. Has something to do with pre-school, right? Exactly how does ShillerMath work? How is it different from other curr.?

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