Algebra Homework Help
There is a clear tendency among college students to get strong fears when facing a algebra class. It is undeniable that there is some kind of trauma in what refers to learning algebra and other math subjects, and more precisely, learning math in a way that a grade is at the stake. This strong aversion is originated in the fear of failing, which sets the alarms and creates an state of constant agitation. And it is that fear and initial attitude what creates and even deeper problem.
The process of learning math takes preparation, but fundamentally, it requires a continuity path, a trajectory. It is a like a playing at building figures with blocks, where we have to support one block upon some other. Subjects like algebra, calculus, etc, involve a pathway, a trajectory of knowledge, where a broken link can prevent students from reaching the final goal, from fulfilling the expected objectives of an introductory college course. The problem is not an easy one, because it is fair to say that very modest learning objectives are not typically fulfilled by your average college student.
Where is this link broken at is what we should be interested in. We can say that the college programs for teaching algebra and math in general make total sense, with abundant examples and solved problems, coming from textbooks and online resources. But yet, in spite of a clearly well thought curricula you'll find that college teachers find that rarely the objectives are met in a satisfactorily way. It is hard for them to explain the poor average performance. In fact, taking into consideration all the resources put at the students availability (namely, office hours, tutoring services, algebra online help), it is simply hard to understand for a college math instructor.
It seems that the link is broken way back. In fact, if student would come to their first college algebra class equipped with the tools and background they?re supposed to, we would probably a full row of A?s all the time. Reality proves that this is not the case, so the link must be broken somewhere in the early years. This is, student don?t get to college prepared in a proper way. And we are not saying only from the academical point of view, but also from the emotional point of view.
Where does the problem originate? Personally, I believe the problem starts in the high school years. It seems that kids are used to learn new math all the time at elementary level, and inf fact, their minds get exposed to this radically new objects which tend to expand their mathematical minds (think of what is like for a kid to see a fraction for the first time). Then, in high school, they don?t continue "learning", they just spend lots of time memorizing formulas and rules, instead of being exposed to more "new math objects" like they were in their earlier days. I think the key to the problem is realizing how little of new concepts is learned in high school.
There is a difference, in which students who took calculus in high school tend to do much better in their college math than those who did?t. Is that because they "pushed" to keep learning about new math objects during the high school years which makes the difference? I think it is time to rethink how we teach math to our kids during their high school years. Otherwise, all the efforts to teach math at college level at more or less doomed.
About the Author:
Robert is one the senior members from MGT Math Help, a tutoring company based in Los Angeles, CA.