Math is a foreign language to many NIC students, but math also makes the world go ‘round.
IBM is a global company that uses math fundamentally every day. Why is math such a difficult subject for some people? Do students truly care about learning math?
Students are having an increasingly hard time understanding math these days. According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, long-term trends in science and math show declines in the ‘70s and early ‘80s. The National Center for Educational Statistics also said that the relative international standing of U.S. students declines as they progress through school. The U.S. is behind other countries in math education. How we get better?
Each student learns math differently. A solution may be to individualize math teaching. NIC has several available resources for math tutoring such as the Trio program, peer tutoring, the Testing Center and the Math Study Center. Still, educational institutions need to figure out better one-on-one tutoring methods.
On the other side of the spectrum, students might just have to work harder. It’s easy for a student to be lazy and not study. Of course, the world would be smarter if everyone studied more because taking the time to individualize what you learn places knowledge in perspective. Students just need to work harder.
So, the problem is finding a way to learn and understand math individually.
Math concepts can be difficult to understand, especially if they’re not taught in a way that “clicks” with the individual. It may be that some students just don’t work hard enough or apply themselves to studying like they should. Or it may be that there are not enough resources for help and tutoring in some cases. Sometimes students get placed into the wrong math class whether too hard or easy. This is its own problem.
If things like correct course placement and availability of resources improve, students will be able to achieve better math understanding. Self-motivation is important for learning. Students need to push themselves and work harder in their studies. No, math isn’t easy, but it’s not impossible.
