Re: Going back to School

On 2005-08-05 18:41:33 -0700, "Howard C. Berkowitz" <hcb@xxxxxxxxxxxx> said:

In article <2PQIe.2910$HM1.263@okepread03>, "MaryL" <carstan101@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

"Pamela Shirk" <tanada@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:rONIe.1206$Je.18@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Well I'm enrolled in courses. I have to take remedial math (I'm so embarrassed), and am taking the following courses: Beginning Biology, College Success, Story Telling (drama course), and Critical Thinking (a philosophy course). I'm nervous, needless to say, but am getting impatient about getting the show on the road. All I have to do now is get my ID, and register the car on campus. I also need to dig up some financial records in order to speed up my Pell Grant.

Mike is also enrolled at the same college, and we will be car pooling. Unfortunately, our schedules have very little in common. It will make transportation a challenge.

Now if we can only arrange for a Robby sitter...

--
http://www.mousertails.blogspot.com
Mouser Tails:  The voyages of the Mouser

I'm not bad...I'm just written that way


Don't be embarrassed about the remedial math.

Math teaching at the K-12 level tends to be incredibly bad. You've got a chance of getting better teaching in a college.

Now, what worked for me may not work for others, but while I did poorly in high school math, my major self-study breakthrough came when I dug into what math majors call "Foundations of Mathematics", confused educational reformers usually scrambled into "New Math", and is actually set theory and mathematical logic.

After starting to see the underlying principles, much math with which I had problems became far more clear. I also discovered that some of the humiliating answers from my driver-education-and-geometry teacher, asking "what if there were different assumptions", were flatly wrong. It was extremely enlightening to find that there is a specific technique for defining "an algebra", of which the typical high school form is only one. Knowing the basic elements of mathematical systems made the "mainline" much more clear.

Yep- I generally did fine in math in High school, I just thought it was incredibly boring. I had to take statistics in college and found that it was an absolute hoot- the instructor was great and really *liked* teaching math (that makes all the difference). He was of the opinion that in the "real world" we would be able to look up a formula if we needed it, so we were allowed to bring in a sheet listing the various formulae we would need for a test. He felt his job was to make sure we understood how to apply them, so that's what he tested on- not on how well we could memorize. The most fun I had was in Grad school- no math at that point, but being in a small conference room with a half dozen other students and a professor with a tightly focused discussion was a blast. BTW- I went back to school for my Bachelor's at age 34 and finished my Master's at age 40. I now teach college, and find that re-entry students are my favorites as a group... they're more focused, have their priorities straight and don't tend to give lame excuses when they don't do well- they take responsibility for themselves. 

Katrina

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Multiple-Choice Exams in Math? Good Idea?
    ... got over and over again when I was in high school (at least, ... "Nobody ever teaches you how to write an essay properly so ..." ... When I actually got to college ... math and did well in math was that there are so many ...
    (sci.math)
  • Re: Moving on to real math - and help with an exercise
    ... mathematics only after he had graduated from college, ... math a second chance off of the subject completely. ... in part to similar disciplinary problems in high school in which I ...
    (sci.math)
  • Despite high school algebra focus, more students need remedial college math
    ... Despite high school algebra focus, more students need remedial college ... More math in high school would equal more students prepared for ...
    (misc.kids)
  • Re: Recording Classical music
    ... I have to disagree with this statement, at least in regard to math. ... calculus was a sophomore-level college course. ... high school; colleges expect students in scientific and technical fields ... which used to start at the junior level in college. ...
    (rec.music.classical.recordings)
  • Re: Ive been away from it 40 years... college math tutorial?
    ... after doing OK in mathematics all through high school and the ... algebra, geometry, and trigonometry... ... "ometry" and then a course in college mathematics up to at least basic ...
    (sci.math)