Improving Your Math Skills: Tips and Tricks for Success

  • Thread starter Thread starter wls_3.14
  • Start date Start date
Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around strategies and advice for improving math skills, particularly for individuals who may struggle with mathematics or are transitioning from remedial courses to higher-level math. The scope includes personal experiences, general tips, and varying approaches to learning mathematics.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested
  • Homework-related

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses a desire for tips to succeed in mathematics, highlighting a lack of confidence stemming from remedial courses.
  • Another suggests that extensive practice is essential, likening it to the famous saying about reaching Carnegie Hall.
  • A different viewpoint emphasizes the variability of challenges faced by learners, advocating for the support of a tutor to guide through basic concepts and mistakes.
  • One participant stresses the importance of mastering the basics and having a passion for mathematics as key components of success.
  • Another shares a personal experience of overcoming difficulties in math by developing a unique approach to problem-solving, suggesting that finding a personal method can lead to improved aptitude.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the importance of practice and mastering foundational concepts, but there are differing opinions on the best methods to achieve success, including the role of tutors and personal approaches to learning.

Contextual Notes

Some participants note that advice may vary significantly based on individual experiences and challenges, indicating that what works for one person may not be applicable to another.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be useful for students in remedial math courses, educators seeking to support struggling learners, and anyone interested in improving their mathematical skills through shared experiences and strategies.

wls_3.14
Messages
4
Reaction score
0
I am not, by nature, a math whiz. However, I am, by nature, an English whiz. I have learned to like math a lot better than I did in high school, but I have been in remedial math courses for the past two years of community college. I really want to be able to go into higher math courses, but I am not confident in my math skills. Are there any tips, tricks, or advice that anyone can give me that will help me succeed in mathematics?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Do exercises- do lots and lots of exercises.

Question: "How do I get to Carnegie Hall?"
Answer: "Practice, practice, practice!"
 
Kind of hard to give really general advice like that. Different people will face very different challenges. If you are in remedial classes, it's hard for me to say because I never found basic math to pose any significant difficulties. At that level, I think having a good tutor would be one of the best things you could do because if you have trouble with basic stuff, you need a guide to set you straight when you make mistakes and get you thinking in the right way. It's kind of like having training wheels. Most of the things that are essential advice for success later on are things that are based on the assumption that you are very independent-minded, questioning, and like to think for yourself. Eventually, that's what you want to aim for, and you can start trying to take that attitude when you can, but, you're likely to need the "training wheels" to some extent before you can really take off. It won't happen overnight.
 
do the basics and master it, exercise a lot, have a passion or desire or love for it.
 
Well, I have been very good at math for a while, but I have not always been. At one point, I was horrible in math and quite confused because I did things in the exact way that my instructors told me. For some reason, I started figuring out how to work with mathematical problems in my own way, and this is the point at which I began to have an aptitude for math. So that's my suggestion for you: just try to figure out a way of working problems that makes sense to you.
 

Similar threads

Replies
5
Views
3K
  • · Replies 10 ·
Replies
10
Views
2K
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
2K
  • · Replies 13 ·
Replies
13
Views
3K
  • · Replies 32 ·
2
Replies
32
Views
4K
  • · Replies 14 ·
Replies
14
Views
2K
  • · Replies 21 ·
Replies
21
Views
134K
  • · Replies 20 ·
Replies
20
Views
2K
  • · Replies 14 ·
Replies
14
Views
2K
  • · Replies 17 ·
Replies
17
Views
3K