Re: Why do so many people hate or have trouble with math? Your input is needed!


LearningNerd wrote:
I'm starting to relearn math on my own (I'm taking a year off before
college), and I'm planning to write an introduction to learning math on
my blog. To get some ideas, I'd like to hear your answers to any or all
of the following questions:

Why do so many people hate math?

Because it's hard.


Why do they have trouble understanding it?

Because it's not trivia like History.

When the teacher says "open book test" it means the answers
aren't in the book. The methods to find the answers are, but you
have to figure out how to apply them.


What are your experiences with learning math (at school, on your own,
etc.)?

I almost didn't pass Algebra as a HS freshman, had to study all
summer and take a test to get a grade.

Then, as a sophmore, I took Geometry and discovered I
was better at deriving answers than memorizing them
and got straight A's. And suddenly, the Algebra that I
couldn't previously fathom suddenly became clear and
I got A's in all subsequent math classes.


Do you enjoy math?

You should see the looks I get when I tell people that
math is a hobby of mine.

If so, why?

It's enjoyable because you WANT to do it, not because
you have to. There is nothing I want to do that involves
Calculus. If I had to do it (say, for work) I wouldn't enjoy
it. Yet I plan to spend a good portion of my vacation
doing further research on the Collatz Conjecture. My sister
thinks I'm nuts.


How could teachers and students make math more fun to learn?

You can't make it fun. The fun only comes from a person's
internal motivations. Want to learn MS-Access? It helps
greatly if you have something to motivate you, such as a desire
to do baseball statistics.

But not everyone is into baseball and many who are don't care
about statistics. Those are the problems you face when you
want to make math "fun".


Thanks in advance for your feedback! Also, if you have any suggestions
for how I should go about relearning math, please share them.

You need a hobby where math is applicable.

Any
useful websites or books would also be greatly appreciated.

.

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