It seems like students often ask, "How am I going to use this math in the real world?" In other words, "Why do I have to learn this stuff I don't think I'm ever going to use?" For the reluctant math student, it can help to take math courses from the abstract to the more practical courses like personal finance, or business accounting.
Michael P. Licata, Ph.D. is a college professor who has designed an accounting course for homeschool high school students: Professor In A Box's Financial Accounting. Although the material is college-level, it is designed to serve as a math elective for high school students. Once the course is completed, a student could choose to take the Financial Accounting CLEP test to receive college credit for the course, as well. Any student planning to pursue a business degree, or hoping to own their own business, would benefit from the Financial Accounting course.
The Professor In A Box Financial Accounting course comes with an instructor disc, three student lesson discs, a syllabus/objectives pamphlet, a pencil, and a calculator. Tests and answer keys are included on the computer discs. All you'll need is a computer -- with Microsoft Excel or the free Open Office software installed on it.
The course is divided into 12 chapters with 28 lessons. This course can be taken as a semester course, or extended for a full year, taking it at a slower pace. First the student views the slide-show lecture, then they complete the assigned problems, check the answers, and take the test. This course can be accomplished by high school students who have already covered basic algebra. You can view the course syllabus HERE or download a sample chapter HERE.
The current special price for this Financial Accounting course is $134.99 (instead of $144.99) with free shipping. Professor In A Box offers a 30 day money back guarantee, if you aren't completely satisfied.
What did our family think?
My 14 year old is a bit young for this course, but we gave it a try. She found the lectures to be rather dry and uninspiring, but she's not fond of math ... period. It would take a lot of theatrics to make math exciting for her, I'm afraid.
The only other issue we had with this program are the problems inherent with computer-based curriculum: taking turns on the computer, and staying focused on the curriculum rather than other things on the computer. But, those relate more to our family dynamics and student personalities than the curriculum itself. When a curriculum is computer based it is somewhat less portable than a textbook would be, and you can't do your math during a power outage ... but it does eliminate the heavy textbooks and long chapters to read.
This curriculum is re-usable and non-consumable ... which is ALWAYS a big plus in my book. $140 seems high for a one-year high school math course, until I remember it can be used for future students as well. Unlike computer download courses, there does not seem to be any prohibition against selling the course when you're done with it, either.
Professor Licata does a good job of explaining the accounting concepts, and this is an excellent option for homeschool families looking for either a more practical math course, or a college-level course.
This item was provided free for our review as a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew. We received no other compensation, and this review is our honest opinion. Click the TOS Homeschool Crew banner at the top to read more reviews on this product by other Homeschool Crew members.
Trusting In Him,
April
