DS (age 12) has just had a letter home saying that he is behind in maths and can we do activities using this particular website. No problem, he doesn't do enough study out of school and it's hard to nag him when we don't know what he should be doing (how DO people know that by the way?)
Anyway, we start looking at algebra and it has totally changed since I was at school. There are symbols that i have never seen in my life, I work out an equation in the way I was taught and it comes up as wrong (I learned about BODMAS the other day too, which is completely the opposite to how we were taught). Have now contacted maths tutors but my question is really - WTAF? Surely the rules of mathematics can't have changed in the last 25 years? And can anyone recommend any basic maths texts?
I consider myself to be fairly intelligent (have trained to MSc level and am now lecturer) but this has blown my mind!