Math Mondays: The Art of Problem Solving - a Review

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About a year ago I discovered the Art of Problem Solving math textbooks. I currently work with gifted students, and these books were recommended to me particularly for this population, although they are not specifically written for gifted students.  The Art of Problem Solving has books to cover math classes from Pre-Algebra through Calculus.  The company also offers online classes but I have no direct experience with those.


As a teacher, I find these books to be a great set of reference books.  The writing focuses on the theoretical and offers good explanations for topics.  The concepts are explored on a deep level with subsequently more challenging problems and principles.

For students, though these books are good only after concepts have already been introduced.  Although these books are meant for students, the theoretical nature of them can at times be difficult particularly in the lower math levels.  Additionally, the books can be a bit dry.  I realize that textbooks are not written for the purpose of entertaining, but the college level writing of these books can at times make concepts inaccessible to students.  Interestingly, this publishing company does write very entertaining math books in the Beast Academy for elementary level concepts.  

 So, while I now have all of the books as part of my own personal reference set, I would be hesitant to use them as a sole textbook for my students. 

 Math Mondays is a weekly post sharing tips, ideas, resources, and products for teaching math.  If you have questions or think there is something I should share, you can leave me a message on Facebook or at the store in the question and answer section.



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