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

<mensanator@xxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1160184075.874598.262180@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

snip

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.

snip

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.

Ah, but I would be willing to bet that you did not find Algebra fun when you
were a HS freshman. Geometry made math fun for you because you could derive
the answers and not just memorize them. Teaching the subject so that
students can use their minds would be a step in the right direction.

It is true that many students do not want to take math, and for them there
may be no way to make it interesting or fun or whatever, but there are ways
of teaching that can make it unbearable even to those who like the subject.
So at least learning to avoid those methods and find better methods can
allow people who enjoy the subject to look forward to the class rather than
count the days until the semester ends.


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