Math Struggle

• December 5, 2011
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For most of us Math has been a subject of great struggle. Simply following a textbook doesn’t full fill the information needed to solve Math problems properly.

Math particularly is quite different from other subjects like English, Geography or even Science. Math is a subject in which you must start at the beginning and build upon what you learned in the previous lesson. The answer derived is either 100% right or 100% wrong, there is nothing like a partially correct answer.

Unlike other areas of study, one can’t just pick up a Math book and begin unless the proper sequence of preliminary concepts is understood. This is because the study of Math is the study of a procedure and methodology. Many students that develop Math problems in the middle grades do so because of this effect. The multi-step problems magnify minor inaccuracies into major, test-failing problems.

Math difficulties generally are of three types,

¨      Process

¨      Conceptual

¨      Algorithmic

Process problems deal with the process adopted by students to solve the problems. This causes most of the difficulties Math students have. As such, they are really personal habits that need to be corrected.

Conceptual problems are the one where the concepts are not clear. Explain the concepts to the students until it becomes clear to them, use references, examples, objects etc.

Algorithmic problems are problems related to the method of problem solving. The general procedure to solve an algorithmic problem is to first teach the student that an algorithm is a step-by-step procedure along with the couple of revisions later.

Students who solve problems usually with short cuts will often have trouble with complex problems because they are used to shortcuts rather using a robust methodology. Such students generally have a tendency not to check their answers, which is a wrong practice.

To help students it is advisable to try and incorporate basic math into day-to-day life. One of the great ways is to use interactive activities and online materials for introducing and later explaining concepts. Math becomes more of fun a learning activity with such a new age technology. Math Buddy is such a platform for students to explore the ways of dealing with mathematics. It’s an online learning system which is absolutely user friendly.

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