yup, wanna make em squeal, give them a ten and a one for something that costs $5.75 and watch them scratch their heads... or cry
Posted on 12/01/2012 2:31:36 PM PST by thecodont
“I was awful in algebra. I scored barely well enough to advance to geometry. One day in geometry I had a B.F. Skinner-type “white light” moment. From that moment on I was an A student in math and went on to major in Math at college.”
i did summer school for algebra in 9th grade (1965). also had trouble the first 3 semesters of plane geometry in 9th grade. my dad and teacher tried to help to no avail. i had a similar “white light” moments, aced the llast quarter, aced the final and didn’t hve any trouble with the rest of my high school math (solid geometry, trig, analytical geometry, alegebra 2, 3, abstract, and calculus) had to work hard at some of them but it was much easier.
Anyone capable of making change at a flea market stall can learn Algebra. In fact I think they could become a mathematician, if they wanted to.
Math is a subject where you can’t just start in the middle someplace. You must have a firm grasp of all the fundamentals or you cannot move on. I think most kids are handicapped by a poor math foundation, stuff that should have been learned in grade school. Without that base knowledge more advanced classes seem totally bewildering.
If you think math is fun then it will be very easy for you. If you don’ like it but know you need it then you can still learn it but it won’t be much fun.
Many years later, I realized the algebra teacher was both bored with the topic and unable to realize at least half the class couldn't follow him. For all I know, he was a fine, perhaps even a brilliant algebraist; I can assure you, however, he was an utterly incompetent teacher.
More in spite of than with my father's well intended, but equally rigid, bungled "help," I muddled through the year with barely passing grades, and looked forward to geometry in dread verging upon horror. To my astonishment, geometry was veritable child's play for me: I could see what was going on. The idea of having to prove things gave me pause at first, but once I was over that internal barrier, I was off and running. I brought home an A at the end of every grading period, and was one of the stars of my class. Being able to see what I was doing was half the difference; the other half was the teacher, who accepted at face value geometry isn't easy for everyone, and did his best to teach it this way, that way, and as many other ways as we students needed.
My junior year's advanced algebra class was misery all over again. To the extent I could graph things, I made clear sense of them: about what you'd expect of an artistic, verbal kid; to the extent I had to work in formulæ, I was in over my head: about what you'd expect of a kid who'd made sense of geometry rather than algebra. I memorized, memorized, memorized, and muddled through with Bs and occasional Cs. Again, the teacher knew the material inside-out, frontward, backward, upside-down, and every other whichway, but clearly didn't understand all students don't learn algebra the same way.
Senior year trigonometry wasn't a breeze, though nothing like the misery of algebra and advanced algebra. Again, I could see much of what was going on in graphs, and that year's teacher was versatile rather than set in his ways.
I went on to teach assorted subjects from college freshman English to graphics software to safe shooting and concealed carry. At the start of every course, I've made a point of telling my students: "What matters isn't what I teach, but what you learn. If you don't get something, let me know, please: I don't read minds."
Is any given class about teaching or learning? I say that's all the difference in the world.
On the other hand, I was doing poorly in Algebra, having failed it once before. Mr. Litrell announced to the class that I could do the work well if I wanted to because I was smart. I Passed. I think this post—not the poster—is ful of baloney.
Yes. Thank you for saying it.
Don't have to worry about it unless it doesn't make sense - then you check your inputs and formulas.
Well, you really don't need that hippo-tense junk if you know how to make a 3-4-5, or 6-8-10 corner.
I've turned over dirt for many years, and I've never seen a square root.
That is very true especially with students who will not be going to college. It should not be a required course. Basic Math and practical application Math such as ones finances and even how to make correct change {without a cash register} should be taught.
I had basic Math in high school. During the early 1980's downturn being able to give customers correct change without the cash register's assistance got me a job. Many kids today can not count back customers change from the amount due to the amount handed them by the customer.
This method helps cut down on mistakes and more important SCAMs where the customers says the change wasn't correct. You count it to them in that method then both of you can catch the mistake. I didn't put the money in the till until the customer pocketed their change.
I failed Algebra in 8th grade. Had to take it again as a senior. something clicked and i got all A’s.
Tried again at the community college nearby, was taking 4 class's but hubbys company sent him to New York for 3 months and so I had to drop one class, without him 4 class's were too much.....I dropped algebra. The professor said mathamatics/algebra was the queen of all science's because she depended on no other science to exist, and all other sciences depended on Mathamatics in one way or another...He finished with he knew I would be back....he was wrong. I explained to him why I had to drop a class. But it did come in handy as a medicine nurse...the only thing I was good at was fractions and thats all I needed to know when giving meds. Doctor orders X mg and all you have is Y mgs. How much do you give...Could be injections or liquid meds, took a little math to give the right dosage..
There is pre-Calc to help students learn the basic fundamentals when they take Calculus.
Maybe there needs to be a training algebra offered.
I squeaked through HS algebra and took college algebra three times before I made it. I finally had to find a girl that was a math whiz - she also got me through chemistry. She was so useful to have around I married her. That was over 38 years ago.... :)
Algebra is not advanced math. It's the the most elementary kind of mathematics after arithmetic. Any person of even modest capacity can learn it.
A lot of teachers are unable to accomplish the advanced math understanding and knowledge they are expected to teach. It’s over their heads.
Again, algebra is not advanced math. The second part should be modified to read: elementary mathematics like algebra, plane geometry, and trigonometry are too difficult for most teachers, many of whom are not even proficient in arithmetic.
In order to train a dog, you must know more than the dog. Many teachers are no more than an "answer key" ahead of their charges. Competent teachers using competent methods can teach any motivated person to understand algebra.
Exactly! Our daughter took pre-AP classes in 8th grade. She struggled with algebra, so much so her grades went down and we ended up changing her to a "regular" math course. When she started her Freshman year she whizzed through Algebra . . . that was due to the teacher knowing how to teach.
Your experience was similar to mine...did poorly in math in high school, but when I got out of the Navy and went back to school I had a completely different motivation. Math never came easy, but I managed to repeat algebra through calculus with A’s and B’s.
And I don’t buy the bs “I’ll never use it” excuse...math teaches organized thinking and solving complex problems is important in anything one does.
Same here. I wasn't allowed to take algebra in 8th grade due to bad attitude and misbehavior. But I passed the AP math test containing quite a bit of algebra and went into AP math in high school, a good start for engineering.
Iwas required to take Algebra in my freshman year. That first quarter grading period I brought home an “F”, the lowest grade I had ever gotten.
That night my dad and I sat at the kitchen table going over equations until I understood.
That was way back in the days when parents cared.
yup, wanna make em squeal, give them a ten and a one for something that costs $5.75 and watch them scratch their heads... or cry
I was awful in algebra too but I never had the “white light” moment you did. I passed (barely) and got out of there are quick as possible. I am not good at general math either I absolutely hate it. I am an artist, maybe that explains it. :)
I took 5 years worth of univ. math courses for a BScEE. I feel sorry for those HS kids who hit a “brick wall” at Alg-I and quit math forever.....it’s like going to the preview, but never seeing the movie.
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