<p>Hi, I have applied to multiple boarding schools and I really like Exeter but I know that their math system is a little bit untraditional because it's problem based. I was wondering if someone at Exeter could tell me what they personally think about the system, how effective it is at teaching new material, and if anyone knows, what most people think of it--do most like it or dislike it? I've heard a rumor as well that Exeter is losing students to other boarding schools because of the way it teaches math--is this true?</p>
<p>My daughter loves math at Exeter. </p>
<p>The entire Exeter math problem set system and placement exams are on the web site, under the math Dept. So have a look.</p>
<p>In class, each student goes up to the board and puts up a problem they did for homework. All discuss, and the teacher may add to the discussion and make suggestions.</p>
<p>Basically, it is fun. Problem solving for most students is much better than memorizing. If you have trouble with a problem, other students can help, or you can ask the teacher or the walk-in math tutors who are available every night. </p>
<p>Exeter is famous for this system, and teaches it to other teachers all over the world. It is how math is taught at many universities. By the way, the math teachers are some of the nicest, friendliest teachers I have met at Exeter. </p>
<p>The placement exams usually get students into the right place to start, but lots of students move up or down as needed into different levels of classes. You need to do the homework every night, for about an hour, but the level of difficulty is not overwhelming.</p>
<p>Thank you for your replies. I was also wondering do most people like this way of learning? Do you know of anyone who does not like it and if so what do they do, just deal with it?</p>
<p>It is different, very different, than the traditional method. That is why regardless of preparation all incoming students take a term of transitional math to discover how to do math the Exeter way. Is it for everyone? By no means. My D, who otherwise did very well at PEA and had a 98 on her math SSAT struggled throughout her time at Exeter because the math curriculum didn’t work with the way she thought. </p>
<p>And yes, they learn to deal with it–as she did. Unfortunately she quit serious math as soon as she could and she became math phobic to this day. I wish that Exeter would concede that their curricular style doesn’t work for all kids (they insist that it does, but they are wrong…) and offer math the traditional way for those kids. </p>
<p>Fortunately the rest of the Exeter style of education was perfectly suited for her–and aside from math she loved her four years. If you go to the exeter.edu website you can find the full curriculum and even the homework for every class so you can see if this works for you-- or if it doesn’t, if you can still live with it.</p>
<p>So would you say that this system for math is inefficient for learning? Also, how well can one student teach another student if neither know the topic beforehand? One last question (sorry math is really important to me because I enjoy it and would like to study it later on in college) it seems to me that if you understand the homework problems there would not be a reason to come to class because you would just review the hw problems–is that accurate?</p>
<p>I’m a current prep at Exeter, and I find the math system here a little odd at times. I enjoy it (don’t get me wrong) but it definitely takes some getting used to. There aren’t any units, so you don’t necessarily know what you’re learning until you learn it. Sometimes you jump between topics, so it may be confusing.
I found it difficult because I had a hard time applying what I had learnt. For example, I knew what parametric equations were, but I took the longest time to figure out that they could be used with glide reflections.</p>
<p>To answer your question @jzs584, NO!
There are so many reasons to come to class.
Some people may have quicker ways to solve things, sometimes the teacher will add on an extra challenge to an easier problem, etc. You may start with an easy concept, but that will spiral into a whole new discussion.
Also, not all class time is used to discuss homework. Sometimes we have time left over to do extra problems that aren’t in the textbook.</p>
<p>Thank you for contributing to this thread, especially you, Pie Lover. It is illuminating and resonates with what some of us are trying to understand as the Exeter approach has been adopted at other schools.</p>
<p>PEA has perhaps the strongest math department in the country in terms of talent at the top. a majority-- yep a majority of the last (or year before last) year’s USAMO were Exonians. They have won the US Economics Olympiad which has a great deal of math as well. In Math 55 at Harvard there are former Exonians. If you have math chops, you will be challenged to the fullest extent–better than anywhere else.</p>
<p>Students teaching each other is the hallmark of ALL Exeter classes regardless of subject. As a senior member of the faculty would say-- the best class is the one where I say the first sentence of the class and then shut up. Fortunately, the kids are so smart and so driven that they do this peer teaching very well–and when they get stuck the teacher is there to give them a prod-- Mr Wolfson in math is a genius at this-- the kids are prodded, but they don’t even know it has happened-- that is Exeter teaching at its zenith.</p>
<p>At Parents weekend last fall the first class we were able to sit in was Transition Math with Mr Wolfson. My wife and I were astounded and blown away at the level of kids teaching and working with each other as they presented their problem, with the occasional prompt/ nudge from the teacher. The level of respect, camaradarie, good natured criticism and learning were all one could hope for. </p>
<p>Our Child is strong at math and the class was a class of kids (we have a prep and the class was preps and 10th graders) who are strong at math, so i can’t speak to how well the math curriculum works for kids who are less strong, but if you are strong and interested in math it will be outstandingly fun, interesting and challenging, or so we hear from a sample size of one. </p>
<p>DC looks forward to homework as it is fun, even if it is also a a bit grueling as they approach the end of the term.</p>
<p>Mr. Wolfson deserves recognition as one of the first math teachers to see the need for an advanced, problem solving approach to teach math for bright kids. His history is unique, he originally started CTY/SET at Hopkins for math prodigies many years ago, and he has been at Exeter for a while. He travels all over teaching this method to other math teachers. He is kind, humorous, and my daughter simply adores him. He’s really good at encouraging kids (especially girls) in higher math, and celebrating their ability to explore problems in creative ways. My D has no hesitation to speak up in class, and is as comfortable in his accelerated calculus class as she was in his transition class last year. He can size up a math student pretty quickly, and quietly directs them in choosing a course path best suited, with lots of encouragement. He also spends time with parents.</p>
<p>Exeter can take you as far into math as you are willing to go (way beyond multivariate calculus and linear algebra into theoretical proof based graduate level work), but for students who do not want to concentrate in math, the basic classes as well thought out and very interesting, with lots of support and many opportunities for success.</p>
<p>My kid was not a strong math student (though I doubt anyone who was truly weak at math would be accepted at Exeter), and it was always his least favorite subject…until he went to Exeter. Now he loves it, and I’m always taken aback by the self-confident way he helps his brother with his algebra when he’s home (we’ve even skyped for help once or twice).</p>
<p>That said, one reason I think he has done well is that he has recognized his limitations and has resisted the temptation–even when he’s been at the top of the class in a particular semester–to jump into accelerated math or ask to move ahead a level. His assessment is that the “math genuises” would be wiping him off the floor at the end of every class. I won’t speak for Etondad, because there are certainly different learning styles, but I think that often when students struggle with math at Exeter, it is because they started in at a higher level than they should have, based on their previous math experience and test scores. My kid feels no regret for beginning in what he cheerfully refers to as “dummy math”! Exeter math is so different that a term of learning how to do it with math concepts he had already learned the year before was incredibly helpful. </p>
<p>And his absolute favorite teacher at Exeter–who sadly died unexpectedly of cancer this year–was a math teacher. He was a brilliant teacher who changed my kid’s whole outlook on learning–life, even–while he taught math.</p>
<p>@jzs: Yes, my impression has been that most of my peers enjoyed the Exeter math system. I know that I would take it over traditional math learning any day (I attended grades 1-9 in the public school system). Exeter math classes just help you understand things on such a deeper level (very vague, I know; I’m a bit too tired to explain it coherently :o). I don’t know about people who “disliked” it, but students who struggled in math class would typically work through problems with friends. As with any subject at Exeter, there is a lot of support available for math.</p>
<p>@2prepMom: Mr. Wolfson is amazing, for sure. He’s one of the nicest people I’ve ever met and the only teacher I’ve ever had who would regularly buy donuts for the whole class. You just can’t go wrong with him.</p>
<p>This might help.
<a href=“http://www.exeter.edu/documents/math1all.pdf[/url]”>http://www.exeter.edu/documents/math1all.pdf</a>
<a href=“https://www.exeter.edu/documents/math2all.pdf[/url]”>https://www.exeter.edu/documents/math2all.pdf</a>
<a href=“https://www.exeter.edu/documents/math3all.pdf[/url]”>https://www.exeter.edu/documents/math3all.pdf</a>
<a href=“https://www.exeter.edu/documents/math4all.pdf[/url]”>https://www.exeter.edu/documents/math4all.pdf</a>
I heard they don’t use textbooks there. Really like that concept.</p>
<p>^Those basically are our textbooks - haha! :)</p>
<p>A little fun fact, the math department likes to ■■■■■ us in the reference section, so if you’re looking to kill time, see if you can find some of them. :p</p>
<p>I can’t tell if you’re being sarcastic when you said that you “really like that concept” because to me that does seem like a bad thing.</p>
<p>Nope. I wasn’t being sarcastic. The purpose of the Harkness Table is to discuss problems and letting people learn from mistakes of others and the succeses of others. It’s symbiotic almost. I feel that carrying textbooks are just burdensome and I personally felt that you couldn’t do what you can at Exeter at other schools. Everyone gets involved.
And even if Exeter loses students to other private schools, they still have the best of the lot! They have IMO winners. I think 3 of the USAMO winners are also from Exeter! If you’re really into math, I think you should go there. I’m also applying next year.</p>
<p>@etondad, would you elaborate or send me an email regarding the different way that math is taught at Exeter? My child is very advanced in math (will do MV Calc at local high school as a freshman) and is very comfortable with the way math is taught, text book, units, quizzes, unit tests, mid term, and semester exams, etc. What aspects of Exeter’s math teaching approach made your child not that interested in math? Thank you</p>
<p>I understand that Exeter has some very good math students (the ones you said were part of USAMO) but I was looking at Exeter’s website and at the school profile there and I was surprised to see that the average Math 2 SAT score was like a 640 or something. I compared this to Andover which ended up having an average of 720. I know that standardized tests don’t tell everything about what the students know but surely this discrepancy must indicate something about the effectiveness of this method?</p>
<p>
I absolutely love math so this kind of worried me!</p>
<p>So, did you know this and still go to Exeter or have you applied and are now worried about this? (your response is a little bit unclear)</p>