FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions

with Answers from Eve Sutton, Creator of ONE-DAY MATH

How do I use the audio CDs?
      The CDs have NO video (pictures), only sound, so you can play the CDs in any machine that plays music CDs, as long as you have a way to "pause" the sound (so you can stop in the middle of a lesson), and a way to "skip back" a little (so you can repeat a few words repeat a few words repeat a few words). Some people use a computer, but you might want to use a small boom box, or a personal CD player with headphones. Eve Sutton recommends a model like the Sony CFD-S01). This small boom box has buttons that are easy to use, and a window in front showing the track number and how many minutes and seconds have been played. Be creative! One classroom aide listened with headphones in a café every day, and one homeless student used the CD player in his car when it was parked at night. DO NOT LISTEN TO THE CDs WHILE YOU ARE DRIVING.

Is ONE-DAY MATH for children, teens, or adults?
      All of the above. However, it works best with adults or older teens who can study on their own and get help when they need it. Teachers, tutors and parents should do the lessons first by themselves, then select audio lessons, printed materials, and activities to do with their students at a slower pace, allowing plenty of time for practice. Adults who are familiar with most of the math commonly taught in grades K-10, including a little algebra and a little geometry, can move quickly through the course, skipping the lessons they don't need.

How was ONE-DAY MATH developed?
      Eve Sutton, a professional curriculum designer and experienced teacher, spent more than ten years teaching hundreds of teachers who needed a review of reading, writing, math, and test-taking skills so they could pass their Basic Skills test and get their California teaching credentials. The seminars were short, and some teachers only had one weekend to review all the material before they took their test, but local school principals were depending on Eve to get these teachers through their tests so they could be hired. In 1998-1999, Eve started recording cassette tapes of math lessons that teachers could study over the weekend, boosting the success rate to almost 100%. Then she got the idea to make a complete kit of audio lessons with hands-on activities and hints for teaching math, so the teachers would be successful in the classroom as well. The first ONE-DAY MATH kits had 4 hours of instruction on cassette tapes, 6 colored dice, 12 small Lesson Cards printed on both sides, and some color illustrations. Through the years, the lessons were revised so they could also be used by Eve's GED students, and her students at an alternative high school, and the adults she tutored for their job-related tests. In 2005-2006, the kit was converted to audio CDs with large print Lesson Cards, and the curriculum was expanded to include lessons for medical/health care workers, community college students in remedial math classes, adults in a variety of trades, classroom paraprofessionals (tutors, aides), and educators at Professional Development conferences. Every effort is made to ensure that the lessons are useful and accurate. ONE-DAY MATH is revised as new teaching methods are worked out, or new groups of people come to use the kit, and small corrections are made whenever an error is discovered.

Why didn't they teach this way when I was in school? or Where have you been all my life?
      These are the MOST Frequently Asked Questions in the whole history of ONE-DAY MATH. Eve Sutton has heard these questions from adults of all ages, from every state in the USA and several other countries, people who grew up in all kinds of communities and who attended all kinds of schools.
      The teachers you had as you went through school were probably doing the best they could with the training, materials, and time available to them, and their curriculum was probably the product of many committee meetings, government agencies, local authorities, and publishing houses. Individual learning, using a variety of approaches, probably was not part of their plan.
      Now, as an adult, you have a different approach to learning, and you can take advantage of a different style of teaching. ONE-DAY MATH is the result of many years of research and development by a professonal curriculum designer who is also an experienced tutor, teacher, and graphic artist. As an independent curriculum designer, Eve is free to develop and change lessons as needed, and free to choose any approach that will work for students. Hands-on activities, audio lessons, written work, and outside practice are all part of the curriculum, but YOU control the pace, and YOU decide what you need. If you appreciate this approach, you can do your part to pass it on by learning to teach math the way you WISH it had been taught to you!

How are the lessons organized?
      There are 6 CDs, each with about 20-25 short tracks, lasting about 60-70 minutes. Lessons are given in priority order for adults who need to prepare for a test, and in the order that makes sense for most adults who need practical math for home or work, but missed some concepts in school. Part 1 (the first CD) starts with advice on overcoming math anxiety, and a slogan that Eve Sutton created for everyone to memorize: Stay Calm, Work Neatly, Answer the Right Question. The second half of Part 1 is a super-quick review of the skills most adults need for a basic math test. (This is what you need if you only have ONE DAY to study!) You can skip this part if you want to move more slowly. Parts 2 and 3 review grouping by tens, place value, decimals, Roman numerals, Venn diagrams, and basic number facts (adding, subtracting, multiplying, dividing), along with prime numbers and factoring. If you skipped the second half of Part 1, go back and do it before continuing. Part 4 covers combinations, probability, and converting fractions to decimals and percents. Parts 5 and 6 have a little algebra, a little geometry, strategies for understanding and solving word problems, working with variables and negative numbers, and several practical applications for adults at work, at school, or at home: charts, graphs, interest rates, percentage increase or decrease, English and Metric measurements, time cards, estimating the cost of building a fence. All the answers are given, but not right away, so you can test yourself and see how you are doing. OH, almost forgot... the lessons include some silly jokes, party tricks, cool ways to impress your friends, and plenty of hints on how to TEACH math.

What if I am not planning to teach math?
      Change your plan. Sooner or later, someone you know will need help with basic math. You should be able to explain it clearly and correctly. Frank Laubach (1884-1970) developed adult literacy programs around the world by teaching each class of beginning readers how to teach OTHERS to read, and his motto should inspire all of us in math as well: "Each one teach one."

What are the policies for returning a math kit?
      First, here is some advice to prevent returns. Very few kits are returned, but when it happens, it is usually for one of two reasons: The buyer (or person receiving it as a gift) is not willing or able to use the kit (no CD player, doesn't want audio instruction, too busy with other things), or the buyer worries about the financial expense.

    1. Before you order, set a clear goal. What will you be able to do when you are comfortable with basic math? Don't let money stand in your way. You can use the kit (or supervise someone else using the kit) and get a full refund when you finish. (See "Free Kit", below.)

    2. Before you buy a kit as a gift, make sure the recipient has a way to use it (computer or CD player with "pause" and "skip back" buttons) and that the person would enjoy using it. The math kit works best with adults or older teens who are ready and willing to study on their own, getting help as needed from someone nearby, or from writing to Eve Sutton to get tutoring by email. If you plan to give the kit to a teacher for use with a class, or to an employee who should learn more math for the job, make sure that person really wants it and has a way to use it.

    3. If you want to test your CD player or computer, you can practice with a music CD, writing down the words of a very slow song, a little at a time, as "pause" and "skip back" to repeat a few words. If you want to hear Eve teaching a lesson, try listening on iTUNES.

    4. Remember that every effort will be made to help you enjoy and learn from ONE-DAY MATH. Open your kit as soon as you get it, and check everything carefully. If anything is broken or missing when the kit arrives, send email to Eve Sutton using the Contact link. Allow a few days for a reply, or to get a replacement part.

      If you have tried to resolve the problem, and you still wish to return the kit, you should do so promptly. You may return the kit within 30 days of purchase for a refund of your purchase price. All materials should be in the 3-pocket carrier (dice, ruler, cards, disks). Send it in a padded envelope or box to the address on your receipt. You must enclose a copy of your receipt, AND a note telling why you are returning the kit.

      Allow 4-6 weeks to receive your refund check by postal mail. It will be sent to the shipping address on your receipt unless you request a different address.

How can I get a FREE KIT?
      Buy a math kit in any of three ways (online order, purchase order, campus bookstore) and save your receipt: You will need to photocopy it, and you will use the return address at the top. Send an email promptly using the Contact link, telling Eve Sutton that you intend to become a Math Kit Reviewer, or you intend to supervise someone else (child, teen, adult) who will work with the math kit while you watch and write comments. Within 30 days of purchase, you must finish using the math kit and return all of the following to Eve Sutton in a large envelope, pages flat, using the address on your receipt:
    1. Copy of your receipt for the math kit, and your receipt for photocopying (see #3). This should be on top of the stack.
    2. One page (or more) of comments, starting with an introduction to yourself or your student, clearly describing your experience with the math kit, how it helped you, where you got confused, any errors you noticed, and suggestions about what to keep or change. This should be just under your receipt(s).
    3. Original Lesson Cards, or photocopy of every Lesson Card, clearly showing anything you wrote on them. Keep the pages neatly organized (they are numbered in the top left corner).
    4. Original note paper/scratch paper or photocopies (enclose your photocopy receipt), clearly showing all your writing and the dates you did each lesson. Keep the pages neatly organized, with the date and the lesson title written at the top of each page (or the top page of a section that is stapled).

    Notice that you do NOT need to return the math kit! If all your papers are received on time and in good condition, you will receive a FULL REFUND of your purchase price, your photocopying, and your postage! Allow 4-6 weeks to receive your refund check by postal mail.

    THANK YOU for helping to make ONE-DAY MATH even better!