June Strohm, a mathematics instructor and professional tutor for the past 17 years at Penn State DuBois, has written an algebra tutorial.
"I'm excited that students are going to get the benefit of my labors," said Strohm. "I do hope it is helpful to them."
"The Strohm Guide to Algebra" is written to answer the questions, "How do I know where to begin?" and "What do I do next?" Strohm covers each topic by first itemizing the steps to work out the problems and then showing examples using the steps. The author said the book grew gradually, almost literally one page at a time.
"I started out writing handouts for my students that listed the steps in an order that would always work. I figured as the students got more adept working the problems they would find shortcuts," said Strohm. "After a while, students started asking for handouts on different topics. They claimed the handouts were very helpful. As the number of handouts grew, I decided to gather them into a tutorial book. I decided to set the book up alphabetically, so it is easier to use as a reference."
Along with the list of steps and examples, each section includes problems using these steps and their answer key. The section begins with easy problems and builds up to harder problems. Each degree of difficulty has its own examples and problem set.
The book begins with a dictionary of terms and is set up alphabetically. Each section has a tabbed page that is printed with a table of contents for that section. The book has a soft cover with spiral binding, so it can lie flat when open, and is the size of a three-subject notebook, so it won't be too bulky and heavy to carry. Students in high school or college algebra I and II can benefit from "The Strohm Guide to Algebra."
Anyone interested in finding out more about the book can e-mail June Strohm at jms40@psu.edu.