Is learning math possible?
I had much troubles with this when I was younger. Substandard schooling - plus I hated math.
The inability to do this has caused trouble since when having contact with education - I have discounted areas of study or jobs because math is a component in them and I knew I wouldn't be unable to do it.
To me, that doesn't seem acceptable, to just resign oneself to such an inability. Plus as an adult the subject rather fascinates me because I can't do it.
But is just learning math even possible (especially as an adult) like you might learn a language or a physical skill? Math seems to heavily rely on some kind of natural ability. You either "have it" or you don't.
I'd like to learn it, but it's awkward as an adult who never really learned and has zero natural affinity for the subject. Is learning this even possible, if you spent your life sucking at this? How would one go about it?
_________________
Alexithymia - 147 points.
Low-Verbal.
I seem to have learned it just fine and don't know what that special ability is supposed to be. If anything, don't hate it, don't resort to the kind of tricks people use to persuade or intimidate a human opponent as a substitute for logic and you should be able to learn with no problem.
_________________
The red lake has been forgotten. A dust devil stuns you long enough to shroud forever those last shards of wisdom. The breeze rocking this forlorn wasteland whispers in your ears, “Não resta mais que uma sombra”.
Last edited by Spiderpig on 04 Jan 2016, 2:05 am, edited 1 time in total.
Learning math is entirely possible if you put in the effort. Use mathway, Khan Academy or Youtube to find out how to work out a problem. Think about math as it relates to real world problems. Make up your own scenarios to make it fun (Example: you have 45 cookies and you want to give each person 15. How many people get cookies? 75/p=15, p=3). Repetition is helpful. Otherwise you'll forget what you learned.
_________________
"I got to keep you on your toes. When you think I'll zig, I'll zag. Then when you think I'm gonna zag, I do zag, just to mess you up for the next time, when I might zig" - Lorelai Gilmore
My short answer to the OP:
Yes, you can learn math. Math has many areas, and you may have difficulty in some more than others, but you can learn.
I think that example could be confusing!
Perhaps it should be: (Example: you have 45 cookies and you want to give each person 15. How many people get cookies? 45/p=15, p=3)
But also it's worth noting that math is a much bigger subject than arithmetic and that's usually where people's learning stops when they say they are bad at math. Some people are not good at arithmetic but quite good at other areas in this huge subject.
http://www.slate.com/blogs/quora/2014/0 ... wrong.html
https://www.maa.org/external_archive/de ... Lament.pdf
Well, before grade 12 I didn't even know about some basic rules.
I didnt know that: sqrt(a/b) = sqrt(a)/sqrt(b)
Yes, seriously.
Then I took a few tutor lessons, learnt that, and got A's. Best in class.
But I knew what I didn't know. That helped a lot with learning it quickly. Most of the "complicated stuff" builds on top of the "basics", that's very important to remember, or at least that's what made it look so difficult to me back then.
So yeah, it's learnable, but I can only speak for myself. ![]()
I have a relative that taught math his entire career & well into "retirement" at both high school and college level. He loved teaching the advanced students & upper division courses, but always volunteered for the remedial ones, too. He figured if someone was willing to show up, he would make sure they learned and at least passed.
The answer simply is, "YES".
It might take finding the right approach (and there are so many), the right teacher/tutor, and it might take longer than people who have a knack for it, but barring actual brain dysfunction that prevents learning (which if not too severe can still be worked with), everyone can learn math.
_________________
“For small creatures such as we the vastness is bearable only through love.”
―Carl Sagan
I struggled with math in elementary, middle, and high school. But my parents and teachers forced me to take honors-level math classes until I was in 10th or 11th grade because according to them, only "dummies" took standard-level math. I never did well in math classes until I was in college and got tested for ADHD. After the IQ test, the psychologist said that I'd actually done very well on the arithmetic portion, which surprised the heck out of me. I mean, I basically gave up my science major because I figured I'd never be able to do well in math.
That changed my whole mindset, quite frankly. That summer I retook General Chemistry, which I'd failed freshman year. The more intense pace of summer school (one semester in one month) and the fact that I only had to focus on one class were very beneficial. I then retook Calculus and got a B (2 years prior, I'd gotten an F). I still had to work very hard to get it, but without the influence of parents and teachers and without that sense of frustration and inferiority, I was a lot more willing to keep trying. I studied 3-6 hours every day because I was intent on understanding chemistry (especially the math!) and I really enjoyed solving problems.
What worked for me was finding books and websites with lots of math problems and detailed answers. Most math books may show one or two examples of a certain type of problem, but my Aspie mind will only see how to solve problems that are exactly like the examples in the book. It's almost impossible for me to generalize, so I have to learn concepts by solving all sorts of problems that use those concepts.
I still struggle with word problems because it seems like you have to be able to read the mind of the person who wrote the problem and it's hard to discern what is relevant information.
Like most other people, I think learning math is possible at any age. I think it is real tragedy that math is regarded as being difficult.
I think one reason people have so much trouble with math is generally math education is focused on very practical application: the cookie example above is an illustration of this.
I think the problem with this if you don't intuitively grasp both division and numbers is that you can learn howto solve the problem by rote, but it will feel "hard".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Number has a pretty good description of what the different kinds of numbers are and how they work.
After that would be arithmetic. Try to memorize the times tables out to at least 10X10, (that is, memorize all the answers for any combination of 2 single-digit numbers).
Once you know your times tables and know what a number is, then you're ready for algebra. Again, I differ from most people here-I would suggest focusing on learning from the axioms, and not trying to apply it right away. The algebraic axioms are much easier to grasp than people realize, and I personally have always found it easier to start from the basics and work through a problem to find the answer.
If you are still interested after that numbers -> arithmetic -> algebra sequence, then there a huge number of options. Calculus, discrete math, geometry, category theory, topology... and much more.
_________________
RAADS-R: 176.0
ADOS-2 Module 4: 9 (Autism Spectrum)
EQ: 7
AQ: 35
Diagnosed with ASD Level 1 15 Jan 2016
Sweetleaf
Veteran
Joined: 6 Jan 2011
Age: 36
Gender: Female
Posts: 35,278
Location: Somewhere in Colorado
I have resigned myself to having such inabilities in math. I cant pass remedial math in college even with a tutor. I can kind of start understanding with a tutor sitting next to me guiding me through all the steps and such...but then I can't seem to retain it for later use like on a test. The neurologist who diagnosed me as being somewhere on the ASD spectrum said I may even have a legitimate learning disability in math.
So at least for me I don't think its something I'm ever going to really get, a calculator seems to work just fine to do any of the every day real life math I need.
_________________
Tis the time to melt the Ice.
So at least for me I don't think its something I'm ever going to really get, a calculator seems to work just fine to do any of the every day real life math I need.
There's nothing inherently wrong with using a calculator. I can't lift much so I use leverage or wheels to move things. I wear glasses because my eyes are three kinds of not-good. Also, I can't learn another language & was granted an exemption in college b/c of my APD and I apparently can't hold two words for the same meaning - one has to replace the other. My dad the math teacher - the one who always found a way to help students pass - allowed calculators if a student demonstrated a need and they worked out together that it was the best way to go about it. And sometimes it took several semesters for someone to pass Math 99 (remedial). So...no; not everyone can just absorb math and work with it, but those differences are what make us individuals. We just live in a culture that expects everyone to conform the middle of the bell curve.
_________________
“For small creatures such as we the vastness is bearable only through love.”
―Carl Sagan
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Number has a pretty good description of what the different kinds of numbers are and how they work.
After that would be arithmetic. Try to memorize the times tables out to at least 10X10, (that is, memorize all the answers for any combination of 2 single-digit numbers).
Once you know your times tables and know what a number is, then you're ready for algebra. Again, I differ from most people here-I would suggest focusing on learning from the axioms, and not trying to apply it right away. The algebraic axioms are much easier to grasp than people realize, and I personally have always found it easier to start from the basics and work through a problem to find the answer.
If you are still interested after that numbers -> arithmetic -> algebra sequence, then there a huge number of options. Calculus, discrete math, geometry, category theory, topology... and much more.
See, that directly appeals to me, as this is precisely how my mind, and the minds of many autistics, works. A structured, orderly building of knowledge based on previous steps. It therefore makes no sense that I couldn't pick this up in school.
I have a weird theory that something as seemingly removed as math may have its inability rooted in another area - the alexithymic one. An inability to process emotional content, leading to severely avoiding anything that causes it. Teachers' behaviour and general learning environment around a problem with math was handled negatively, I didn't know what to do with any kind of emotion, I avoided it.
That, also, sounds sensible. Awareness of this (as well as very likely feeling foolish) may help processing the subject as an adult, especially if interest is there, which it is.
It stands to reason that finding the right approach would also be important.
Do people usually recommend a direct teaching approach or self-learning in this area?
_________________
Alexithymia - 147 points.
Low-Verbal.
Most people are very quick to decide a subject is useless and not worth their time if they don't immediately see practical uses. That's probably why math teachers feel forced to beat so much around the bush instead of just showing their students the deductive process, and why students who are actually interested in the subject itself have to accept wasting so much time for the convenience of those who are not.
_________________
The red lake has been forgotten. A dust devil stuns you long enough to shroud forever those last shards of wisdom. The breeze rocking this forlorn wasteland whispers in your ears, “Não resta mais que uma sombra”.
In high school and college had help from tutors for algebra and passed. Also had a tutor for chemistry in college since didn't take it in high school and made a B. Did well in biochemistry in undergrad and grad school without a tutor just studied a lot. Public high schools are just not the greatest unfortunately.
_________________
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate, but that we are powerful beyond measure."

