8th grader struggling in geometry

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Absolutely. For some strange reason, no doubt to do with how our brains process mathematical concepts, most people are better at algebra vs geometry, or the reverse. I loved geometry and had a difficult time with algebra and calculus (and became a scientist, ha ). My daughter hates geometry and loves algebra and calculus. Most of high school math is algebra based and calculus continues on the same path. There will be some geometrical elements to calculus, so don't completely abandon geometry concepts, please - but most of it is algebraic thinking.

Make sure her algebra is rock solid before she gets to high school, though!

100% this.

[Anonymous]

What the heck, OP. Getting a B in a class does not warrant retaking. That’s insane.

[Anonymous]

Spend next year reviewing and extending Geometry with Khan/IXL/Alcumus and maybe RSM/AoPS

You need to lock it down before Trig/Precalc and Calc

[pettifogger]

Anonymous wrote:DD did very well in algebra but has struggled all year to maintain a B in geometry. I'm wondering what she should do for next year. I want her to fully understand the concepts, but I also heard geometry is harder at our high school so I wonder if it will backfire to retake it. Can some kids have a so-so understanding of geometry but still go on to be successful in higher level math? She hates the class (and part of that is the teacher) and just wants to move on to algebra 2.

Yes, some kids can do very well in algebra despite having a weak understanding of geometry. This is especially true in the US school systems where geometry and algebra are taught in a highly isolated way. If it was other places in the world where both subjects are taught in an integrated way, it might be a bigger problem for your dd.

The main issue though, is that it's not really clear from your description why she struggled all year and it's very important to find out what that reason(s) might be. Is it really simply a weak understanding of geometry? Or is it something else, such as a weak ability to apply reasoning and logic to problems? I don't think you should necessarily make a decision on how to proceed (i.e regarding level next year, summer math, etc) until you and your DD first try to figure out what is the root cause of the long struggle (besides hating the teacher, which is always outside of control each school year, what else is there?)

E.g.. what topics did she not do well on? How were her test/quiz scores -- mixed, or poor across the board? Did she turn in all the homework (and more importantly, did she feel she understood it, or just go through the motions to get the credit)? Is her issue mostly related to proofs, specifically 2-column proofs which are the bane of most students' existence (and luckily, they cease to exist in real life or any academics outside of high school geometry class). Did she have specific issues with visualizing things? (usually not a problem, as there isn't much 3d geo in k12 geometry). What about constructions, which to kids can feel highly arbitrary and more akin to drawing than math (despite their importance, they are taught very procedurally in US schools). Given that she did very well in algebra, I'd at least expect her to do well on all the analytic/computational portions of geometry (which is a large chunk of the course).

Think about the above q's and others. If she's unable to pinpoint it to specific things or find a pattern, then I'd highly recommend a few sessions with a tutor and/or just taking a comprehensive geometry test to see if there are any big gaps. While it is true that geometry stands very isolated on the K12 math course totem pole, it's important to make sure the problem isn't something that goes beyond the specific content, which could appear in other math classes.

[Anonymous]

Op, you need to consider: the study of Geometry and the study of Algebra are, essentially, two different things. More different than they are alike. Of course there may be review, but when thinking about a student's strengths -- view them separately. A solid understanding of Geometry is not essential. I had a student superb in Geometry. I asked the teacher, "what does this mean?" Their answer was, "your student might enjoy studying architecture. A solid understanding of Algebra is different, it's essential. Algebra is the foundation for future advanced math