By Telijah Patterson
Campus News
If you’re like many students in America, the word math is enough to make you cringe. Recent studies indicate that anywhere between 40 to 60 percent of entering freshmen need remedial courses. Math remedial courses count for the bulk of these percentages. Students who take remedial courses are also less likely to graduate. Experts in nearly every field acknowledge that the workforce of tomorrow demands a good foundation in math. For example, many professions now require strong data analytic skills to improve their performance. With math being a key ingredient in future success, what is a student who is weak in the area of mathematics left to do?
In order to meet a challenge it is important to understand why it is challenging so that the best solution can be found. So what makes math so challenging for many American undergraduate students? Many are quick to blame the American public school system curriculum for inadequate preparation. Studies have found that compared to students studying math in other countries, American students tended to perform lower. In one study involving four school systems, no Chicago school studied had an average score as high as that of the school with the lowest average score in three cities in China and Japan.
University of Michigan Psychologist Harold Stevenson notes that Americans tend to see math ability as innate. That, says Stevenson,” gives youngsters a tailor-made excuse for not pushing hard, since the results are presumably preordained.” Numerous studies support Stevenson’s claim. A separate study published in the Journal of Instructional Psychology comparing American and Taiwanese students’ perception of Math indicated that there is no evidence that Taiwanese students are more intelligent than American students. What did differ, however, is their attitude towards math.
Aside from cultural perceptions and poor school curriculum, math seems difficult because math doesn’t appear to be as integrated within our daily lives as reading or writing seemingly is. It is a necessity to be able to read and respond to text messages or emails. The most math the average person might do on a daily basis is count their change at the check-out counter or subtract hours and minutes in order to figure out how they should schedule their time. However, an advanced understanding of complex math concepts can do one well. So here’s what you can do to improve your math skills:
Cultivate a growth mindset and be confident that you will come to understand advanced math concepts in time. Math is like learning a new language. It gets easier over time; the key is not to allow yourself to be too overwhelmed when you see something unfamiliar. With practice it will become familiar, and it can be mastered!
Get a Tutor. Every campus has a tutoring center, so go and visit as much as you can until you understand the concepts. Many tutoring centers are staffed by current students or recent grads who were in the same position, so they know what you need to hear in order to understand complex math problems.
Review basic math concepts. You may have a weak foundation in algebra and calculus. These are areas of mathematics that are more abstract and less tactical as opposed to simple arithmetic like addition and subtraction. Without a solid foundation in these areas it can be difficult to keep up with college level math coursework. Review these areas of math in your spare time. You can add a level of accountability to this by trying to explain these concepts to someone.
Figure out your learning style. There are four basic learning styles: visual, auditory, verbal and kinesthetic. By figuring out which learning style you more inclined toward you can find learning aids that cater to that style. For example, if you are a visual or verbal learner, watching math tutorial videos on youtube might be helpful. If you are a kinesthetic learning, finding learning aids that incorporate touch or that involve your fine motor skills will be helpful.
Play a math game. If math is hard for you, it’s probably also really boring, but it needs to be done so make it fun. In addition to watching engaging videos on websites like khanacademy.org/math, try your hand at some video games that help to teach and build upon your knowledge of math. For calculus, try the award winning game Variant.
No matter what strategies you use it is important to be consistent and dedicated. Jeonghee Lee, the master teacher at Abakidz, a program that improves math ability and the world’s only 11th degree abacus master (the highest anyone has attained to date), has a lot to say about the matter. She notes: “If there is a desire and commitment to learn, the student can overcome the struggles and find success in math. Sometimes, you need to take a step or two back to identify a particular area or concept that may not have been clear. When you take the time to understand the process, it will help build a stronger foundation and the confidence associated with math will continue to grow.”
My sources and for further reading:
Bowen, E., & Stanley, A. (1987). “Bad News About Math Compared with other students, Americans are at sea with numbers.” Time, 129(4), 65.
Tsao, Y. (2004). “A Comparison of American and Taiwanese Students: Their Math Perception,” Journal Of Instructional Psychology, 31(3), 206-213.
And www.americanprogress.org, searching under “remedial education.”
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