Math Refresher for Adults

As members of the Homeschool Review Crew, we get many reviews a year. Most of the material is for the kids, naturally, but every now and then I receive something just for me. It is even more rare to get actual curriculum designed for adults. This review from Math Essentials is one such time though.

I loved my math classes in school. I enjoyed solving algebraic equations, finding common denominators, plotting coordinates, and determining area and volume. The problem though is that many times when you don't use something you lose it. I no longer remember all those formulas that once came so easily. Words like sine, tangent, asymptote, extremum, and binomial coefficients are just vague memories of times long ago. I was excited, to say the least, to revive those interests with Math Refresher for Adults.   

Math Essentials was created by Rick Fisher. His passion for math has resulted in not only his teaching for over 31 years but also his developing award-winning materials. His "highly functional, easy-to-use, and easy-to-understand" teaching system works so well that approximately half of his 6th grade students would skip 7th grade math and move directly to an advanced algebra class, year after year. He shares his teaching strategy through books, DVDs, and an online instructional program. His resources have helped countless students worldwide.

A strong foundation in basic math skills is important for many aspects of life. Whether you're budgeting for your home or working in a profession, you're likely to use math throughout the day. Math Refresher for Adults can help you revitalize those skills that have been forgotten or even help you finally get a good grasp of those concepts.

The book covers the following topics:

• Whole Numbers
• Fractions
• Decimals
• Percents
• Geometry
• Integers
• Charts and Graphs
• Word Problems
• Pre-Algebra
• Algebra

Mr. Fisher, like my own math teachers, believes that neatly copying problems onto a piece of paper helps with both accuracy as well as understanding. There is no room to work the problems in the book, but there is a small section on each page for personal notes. 

The book is filled with various exercises blocked off by type. The format is the same for each lesson: a handful of review exercises, followed by two sample problems, and then the lesson problems (almost always ten, except for review pages).    

Since this book is a refresher and not a typical textbook, there is no teaching instruction in it, save a helpful hint on each page. The actual teaching can be found in video lessons on the site. The lessons are taught as if you were sitting in class watching the teacher work through the problems on an overhead projector. The instruction are clear and concise. The majority of the videos are 3-10 minutes long, so it's easy to fit into any schedule. The videos aren't in order for this specific book, but you can easily find what you need by the titles.  

I may be a bit of a nerd, but I am loving working through this book! I find it almost therapeutic to write the problems and work them out. I was surprised how easily all of it came back as I sat down and flipped through the book. I worked through the order of operations sections first, just because it's fun. I've also tackled integers, word problems, fractions, and linear equations.

And now that I had some fun, I figured it was time to dive into the one section that I dread: percents. I don't know why, but I've just never liked them (unless we're talking 50% sales at the store or something, ha). I figured I'd utilize the videos for this, for sure. The first bit, of course, covers the easy stuff, but I can already tell that the explanations in the video tutorials are going to make those more difficult percentages much easier to understand, too.   

The back of the book contains all of the solutions to the exercises along with a glossary of mathematical terms. There are numerous charts also, such as important symbols, a multiplication table, commonly used prime numbers, squares and square roots, and fraction/decimal equivalents. These resources are great when you need the answer to common things at a glance.

The lessons are short, the instructions are clear, and the topics are vast. If you need to review your math skills for home use, college classes, to advance your career, or even just for fun, Math Refresher for Adults is a wonderful book to have. 


You can connect with Math Essentials on their website and Facebook.

You can read more reviews of this math curriculum on the Hommeschool Review Crew blog.