Self-Guided Courses: Presented by Math as a Second Language Inc.

Statistics have shown that even with increased emphasis on the concept of no-child-left-behind, too many students enter college at the remedial level in mathematics. Essentially such students "waste" part of their first college year studying subjects that should have been mastered previously. If you tend to have difficulty with arithmetic or algebra our courses can be the answer to your entering college without having to do remedial work. If you are in high school and struggling with pre-calculus or higher-level courses, it is likely due to not properly internalizing arithmetic and basic algebra.

Taking advantage of our courses can be the answer for you!

Arithmetic -- Gateways to Mathematics

Our Arithmetic course, developed by Professor Herb Gross and titled 'Gateways To Mathematics' (GTM), has 4 components:

1. Videotaped Lectures

For most people viewing a lecture is easier to internalize than reading a traditional textbook. Our videos are in lock-step with textbook material.

2. Gateways to Mathematics Textbook

Even with new technology, there are people who learn best by reading. If this is the case, you can read the textbook which is available on our site in pdf format. Written material is presented in the form of a series of connected Illustrative Examples. The solution of each example, along with enrichment commentary, accompanies each example.

Gateways to Mathematics Textbook (with illustrations and solutions)

3. GTM Study Guide

The GTM Study Guide gives you a chance to see if you have internalized what you have seen and / or read.

GTM Study Guide

4. PowerPoint Presentations

The final component of our arithmetic course is a series of slide shows developed by Herb Gross and Rick Medeiros that can be used as an alternative or supplement to the text and videos. By adding animation to mathematical concepts, they add a unique dimension to learning.

PowerPoint Presentations

The videotaped lectures were produced in 1985. Since that time, Herb has refined the material in the videos; these changes are reflected in the Powerpoint presentations. Our approach to learning arithmetic, while very logical and user friendly, is not a "quick fix". If you have the patience and commitment to learn arithmetic in a meaningful way that will be easy for you to internalize then this is the course for you! You are now prepared to start the course so... study hard and have fun!

Calculus Revisited (MIT OCW)

Calculus Revisited is a series of videos and related resources that covers the materials normally found in a freshman-level introductory calculus course. The series was first released in 1970 as a way for people to review the essentials of calculus. It is equally valuable for students who are learning calculus for the first time.

MIT OpenCourseWare Class Pages	YouTube Videos^*
Single Variable Calculus Multivariable Calculus Complex Variables, Differential Equations, and Linear Algebra	Single Variable Calculus Multivariable Calculus Complex Variables, Differential Equations, and Linear Algebra

^*For those of you who are using only the video lectures, the links above on the right will take you to the video playlists that MIT has made available on YouTube.

Algebra by Example (Text + Solutions)

The format of the text is very similar to the format of our "Gateways to Mathematics" arithmetic text. Each chapter begins with one or two introductory expository paragraphs followed by an Illustrative Example that applies the exposition to solving a specific problem followed by a solution with commentary. At the end of each section in the chapter there are exercises and at the end of each chapter there is a more extensive set of exercises. The solution manual contains the solution plus additional commentary for many of the exercises.

View the text and Study Guide

The Game of Algebra 40 Lessons

The “Game of Algebra” video course evolved in 1993 when the “Algebra by Example” and the Student Solution text went out of print. We had received reviews that indicated that users liked both the content and the format of the texts; and for that reason we wanted to find a way to preserve this valuable resource. Through the North Carolina Department of Community Colleges and Cape Fear Community College in Wilmington NC, we received a Perkins Grant to develop a series of 40 video lectures in basic algebra. Once the videos were recorded, we developed the accompanying written material.

Part 1 of the course is divided into 24 lessons and each lesson is accompanied by four Powerpoint presentations.

Part 2 of the course is divided into lessons 25 - 40; the accompanying Powerpoints are not yet available. The material covered in Part 2 is usually found in the second course in Algebra.

Because different students will likely use different textbooks, the algebra videos are not linked to any one textbook but do match the slide show presentations. There is a suggested mapping from video to text sections in the text section.