A New Advanced Algebra & Trigonometry Textbook

Knowles Senior Fellow Alex Joujan has written and published a new Math textbook, Advanced Algebra & Trigonometry. Published January 27, 2025, this is Alex’s 21st book which he independently published. He started writing textbooks in 2013 to help students learn at different paces.

The Pingry School, which already uses Alex’s Algebra 1 and Algebra 2 textbooks, will be using the Advanced Algebra & Trigonometry series as their primary textbook for their Advanced Algebra and Trigonometry course next year.

To gain more insights, we asked Alex more about this project and the structure of these textbooks. Read our short interview below:

1. How did this project come about?
In 2013, I started writing my own curriculum to help me facilitate more self-paced learning in my classes. I find the challenge of trying to make a more useful textbook really difficult but also worth the effort. 12 years later, I’ve written 21 books and 2,500+ pages. Every time I write, I have the same goal: make learning math feel like a series of small, manageable steps, so students feel like they can learn anything. When they feel confident, they keep trying. Their effort produces more learning, which boosts their confidence.

2. Can you tell us a little bit more about the structure of this textbook?
When I teach, I try to guide my students through a scaffolded process of building their understanding. Since students learn at different paces, I try to make the books mimic my teaching style so I can switch from direct teaching to 1-on-1 helping and know my students can continue to learn as I move around the room. The problems in each book are arranged to make learning feel like a series of small steps. As they work through each book, students learn by getting a little teaching, trying to apply what they have learned, getting some feedback and then repeating this cycle. The books are designed to teach a small amount at a time, while keeping the student actively engaged in the process of constructing their understanding.

3. Are there any other specifics from this project that you would like to share?
Although the book series is 930+ pages and 5,000+ total exercises, and it took me 5 years to write it, I have learned from this writing process that the final project is really just the result of an uncountable number of small moments. 1 or 2 minutes here. 5 minutes there. It’s a slow and steady, one day at a time, persistent process of trying to make each lesson incrementally better for my students.

4. What was your favorite part about working on the Advanced Algebra & Trigonometry textbook series?
My favorite part of this project is that the effort I put into writing better lessons allows my students to learn at different paces and helps them find math to be less intimidating. That motivates me to always keep improving.

Learn more about all of Alex’s textbooks and get some sample pages on his website: https://www.summitmath.com/.