Math, how can I get better?

[troymclure]

i really really bad at math. a mathtard, mathematically disabled, etc...

i need to get better at math to advance my career.

any advise to improve my skills? apps for android devise? websites? etc....

 

[Argonaut]

Start with "Hooked on Phonics" then proceed from there.

 

[the_edski]

I may not be one to listen too, as math comes naturally to me (engineer with a math minor), but have you looked into math courses at a local community college? I'm sure some are geared towards working people who need that certain boost.

 

[Hunter]

I may not be one to listen too, as math comes naturally to me (engineer with a math minor), but have you looked into math courses at a local community college? I'm sure some are geared towards working people who need that certain boost.

+1 There are almost always courses and tutors to help people get a better handle on some skills.

 

[Mark1966]

I 'get' maths but my children struggled with maths in high school so I did a fair big of investigation, discussion with teachers etc etc. Here is was I learned:

• Maths is a very cumulative skill, it builds upon earlier concepts and relies heavily on understanding those earlier concepts.
• Success in maths is highly correlated to effort and persistence.
• Most teaching methods for maths reward success with more work, so a child who completes the assigned task is given another one rather than something enjoyable.
• For those gifted more linguistically than mathematically conceptualising maths as a 'language' to be learned can be helpful.
• Practical applications involving maths can unlock success for those otherwise challenged by conventional teaching approaches.
• Many people hit a blockage in relation to maths in relation to higher order or more abstract concepts that are not relevant to everyday life and only needed in specialist fields. They then carry around the baggage of failure unnecessarily and can disqualify themselves from learning other concepts.

In your opening post you described yourself very disparagingly in relation to maths but from my investigations I'd suggest that these terms are simply not true. Your inner mathematician has simply not been unlocked to date - a reflection of poor teaching in a overly busy schooling system usually. The key is to identify the areas of maths proficiency, hone those first and then build into other RELEVANT areas.

For examples old fashioned times tables are not emphasised as much as they once were, calculators and spread sheets do all that. Knowing your times tables and the patterns built into them is a basic skill that flows into understand a whole raft of other mathematical concepts. So while we don't need to know the times tables for multiplication as much as we once did the pattern recognition skills that were taught though that process have become a lost art.

So if you hit a blockage with maths try to think about where that was. Goes back one step and get really proficient then move forward to learn about stuff that you need to, ignoring irrelevancies that you will never really commit to learning.

I hope that this makes sense and is a little helpful - good luck!

 

[SiBurning]

An experienced tutor is the most promising approach because they already know how to identify and work around the difficulties you're having. There are all kinds of reasons people have trouble with math: difficulty with abstract thinking, learning disabilities, cultural bias, learning style. A lot of people just need to find a way to relate to it or to find a compelling use for it, whether it's figuring out recipes, building a trebuchet, or balancing your checkbook. Good analogies can be important for some people, which is why things like recipes or constructing tools works. The best example of this is the book Calculus Made Easy which has helped a lot of people get through the basics of a difficult subject. There's plenty of this kind of resource on the net. While you could look around and find something that works, it's quite likely that you'll be blocked again very soon. This is why I'd recommend a tutor that could help you through the rough spots. You needn't use them like a teacher and rely on them every day. Just have one around to help you through the learning process and to get past the hard areas.

One of the main problems you'll have as an older "student" is having life's problems on your mind. Very distracting. My worst failure as a tutor in college was one semester when I had to tutor a girl that... let's just say we were both very distracted and she failed chemistry. Err... Chemistry CLASS. (Yeah, I also did math.)

BTW, college courses would be a great way to pace your progress, and you can usually get help, especially in a community college. Take night classes to be with like-minded, more mature people that you can relate to and study with. The best math tutor I ever knew failed every math class twice. If there was a way to mess it up, he knew it, but he also knew how to get around it. I can't tell if that's the kind of support and help you need, but it can't hurt. You might also consider taking one of the "technical math" or "business math" classes, though I don't think you'll find that kind of class at remedial level in most colleges. You could just "sit in" or audit the class where you just get a pass-fail grade--that way they might not bother forcing you to pass the earlier classes. It's worked for some.

 

[Go West Young Man]

What math exactly do you need for your career?

 

[SiBurning]

 

[jesseix]

What math exactly do you need for your career?

This is a GREAT question/point! Not everyone uses a lot of the applications you will learn in certain math classes (i.e. algebra, geometry, trig), so I think that since you mention needing to improve at math to improve your career the main consideration is what type of math you need to improve and then find a way to focus in on that... where are you located, and what do you do?

 

[rxonmymind]

I too had this difficulty. I had to learn to slow down a bit and not overthink math so much. Do the math you know then come back to the ones you don't. Why? Build on success and generate self esteem this way the tougher ones will not be looked at as obstacles (you did solve the ones you knew right) but challenges. Get books that over simplify math to help you. This will take effort just like running a six minute mile you start by going once around the track.
You know division, fractions, algebra 1 etc. All that didn't just come to you but took effort. You can do it by burning some late night oil in quiet of your home during some spare time with some easy math books. Even Albert Einstein admitted he wasn't the smartest guy by a long shot but persisted at problems longer than others.... for HOURS.
Good luck & don't give up!!!


BTW I HATE, HATE fractions. Arghh. Then who was the *** that made up "two negatives equell a positive". That analogy in real life FAILS. Algebra was rough but I got through it. Geometry was gooder!....as was my English.

 

[Bk124tt]

Check out khanacademy.org . They have a great system that starts you out at addition (basic) and tests you on up to the highest levels of math. You need to get twenty questions in a row correct to move on. Sal Khan's tutor videos are outstanding.
You can Google khan academy or Sal Khan to find out more re: his accomplishments.

 

[Dharuma]

Check out khanacademy.org . They have a great system that starts you out at addition (basic) and tests you on up to the highest levels of math. You need to get twenty questions in a row correct to move on. Sal Khan's tutor videos are outstanding.
You can Google khan academy or Sal Khan to find out more re: his accomplishments.

This.

If you have the time, I'd also consider going to your local community college and start off with the basics--that's what I did when I needed to take statistics for graduate school.

 

[Cajunboy2k]

Check out khanacademy.org . They have a great system that starts you out at addition (basic) and tests you on up to the highest levels of math. You need to get twenty questions in a row correct to move on. Sal Khan's tutor videos are outstanding.
You can Google khan academy or Sal Khan to find out more re: his accomplishments.

Kahn academy is a great source. When I work nights, I use it to keep my mind sharper.
I sucked at math all through high school. Once I got out on my own and saw howto apply it to my job, it got a lot easier. I eventually went back to school and started getting A's because it clicked. Now, I can do a lot of it in my head.
Keep plugging away at it and one day it will click and you'll be good to go.

 

[troymclure]

i need to improve my basic math(i can barely divide) and basic algebra for work.

and right now a community college is out, ill be forking a non fixed schedule, nights and days.

ive been bad at math since elementary school, any time i had troubles i was basically just rushed thru the process then the teacher got angry when i didnt get it.

i tried a tutor once, but he was pretty bad. he kept saying "i dont see how you never learned this", but never taught it to me.

ill check out what you guys mentioned and look around for a tutor.

any more ideas would be great.

 

[SiBurning]

You should try to find some good math books or online courses. Most suck. What I mean is, it might take some serious work just to find books you can relate to. Or it might not--you might have more discipline, determination, etc. these days.

One thing you absolutely need to do is drill constantly. That means having a huge set of problems with answers. That's why you need a thick book and answer key. (Maybe a second book.) But the important thing is to do it at least once a day. Two or three times is better. 10 minutes at a time is fine. It's probably better to do three 10 minute sessions a day (x hours total a week) than 2-hour sessions three days a week (y total hours). But you also need time to learn each section.

I'm wondering if there are any evaluation tests online that you could use to evaluate what you know and need to learn. I bet you're spotty and know some more advanced things and have holes in earlier things.

 

[Brooklyn77]

I find that the dummy books work well. I've used them for trig, calc, and stats. here is an amazon link for a good starting point:
http://www.amazon.com/Basic-Math-Pre-Algebra-Workbook-Dummies/dp/0470288175/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1371734772&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=foundational+math+adult
If you find this to remedial then just move to the next book which would be Algebra, keep me posted on how it goes. What kind of work do you do?

 

[mretzloff]

+1 to whomever mentioned Khan Academy. It is free and the guy who runs it is extremely smart. He has two degrees from MIT and one from Harvard. Plus, he makes the videos extremely interesting.

 

[Mark1966]

i need to improve my basic math(i can barely divide) and basic algebra for work.

Fixing this up is VERY achievable!

[/QUOTE]ive been bad at math since elementary school, any time i had troubles i was basically just rushed thru the process then the teacher got angry when i didnt get it.

i tried a tutor once, but he was pretty bad. he kept saying "i dont see how you never learned this", but never taught it to me. [/QUOTE]

Which proves my point! You are NOT a 'a mathtard, mathematically disabled, etc...' but simply not taught properly !!!!!

ill check out what you guys mentioned and look around for a tutor.

any more ideas would be great.

Some good advice above, Kahn Academy is great. A good tutor will take you back to where you are confident and start there - that is a key. It doesn't matter if or why you were never TAUGHT, not learned, the concepts, go back to where you know, which might be basic elementary school and build into the areas you need.

Hope it all goes well for you

 

[Luke49783]

Start with "Hooked on Phonics" then proceed from there.

With all due respect, isn't this in poor taste, particularly coming from a moderator?

 

[The Don]

Good suggestions so far. An additional suggestion is to take the time to learn the vocabulary. Math books and mathematicians sometimes like to muddy the waters with the terms they use - and often they can make things seem more complicated than they really are. A lecture/discussion can pass you by very quickly if you're unsure of the meaning of some of the terms. You could find yourself wondering what someone meant when he said "singleton" or "1-tuple" when all he's talking about is a set with a single number.

If you go the tutor route, make sure it's someone you're comfortable with - learning math doesn't have to be painful. That tutor is there to serve you and help you improve, not drone on about how much he knows or to make you feel inferior for not grasping certain concepts (yet). I've tutored and taught math up to about the intermediate college level, so I can certainly empathize with your struggles. If you get snagged in any of your work and need some help, don't hesitate to PM me.