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I'm terrible at math. What can I do to overcome this?

Tagged as: Big Questions, Teenage<< Previous question   Next question >>
Question - (24 September 2009) 4 Answers - (Newest, 24 September 2009)
A female United States age 30-35, anonymous writes:

I am a freshman in school and I am getting back on track after a terrible semester. I still need to pass my math placement test and I am terrified. I am TERRIBLE at math! I'm so scared I might not pass or do well in the rest of my classes. I also need to transfer since I decided I want to become a social worker and the school I am currently in does not have a social work program. I'm also scared all my work to get back on track will not be enought

What can I do to get over this?

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A male reader, CaringGuy United Kingdom +, writes (24 September 2009):

You need a private tutor. Maths is a big thing in the world and you can't afford not to know about it. It affects everything (including paying bills). There's no shame. Don't be afraid. Get a tutor, or maybe a family member who is good to help you.

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A male reader, Fatherly Advice United States +, writes (24 September 2009):

Fatherly Advice agony auntI am lucky not to have your trouble with math.

Some of my kids have my head for math and some don't. There are two ways to work math. When you study cognitive theory soon this will make more sense. One is concrete reasoning. Most people who don't like math are concrete reasoners. They make great accountants though. If you are a concrete reasoner concentrate on memorization. Memorize the times tables and formulas you need. Keep crib cards to help you along. I think in social work you need statistics and business calculus. That would be good as you can avoid trigonometry which is hard for concrete reasoners.

The other approach is abstract reasoning. If you thought that algebra was easier than general math then you are an abstract reasoner. You may get bored with accounting and statistics. Abstract reasoners need to concentrate on the theory. They must keep up with the way the lessons build on each other. When I fell behind in calcus I felt so dumb to have to go back and retake classes but for an abstract reasoner, you have to.

Getting a tutor is a good idea, but if your tutor explains some thing to you three times and you are not getting it get another tutor. Abstract reasoners have a lot of trouble teaching concrete thinkers, and vise versa (i think).

I hope I haven't muddied the waters too much.

FA

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A female reader, ffogalilly United States +, writes (24 September 2009):

You need to get a tutor, I am terrible at Math too, I got a tutor and he helped me catch up.

Do you have any volunteer programs in your community, like a Literacy Program that offers volunteer tutoring?

If you're in college, they should have resources on campus to help students that need extra help, I know my college has a Math Lab that offers tutoring.

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A reader, anonymous, writes (24 September 2009):

Getting a tutor -if possible- is a great way to become better at math. Ask your teacher for help after class if you're confused on any part, remember that math builds upon itself, so getting a handle on the basics is key!

There's also websites for math help:

http://hotmath.com/

http://www.math.com/

http://www.webmath.com/

Math wasn't my strong subject either, it can be quite daunting. If there's anything you're not sure of go over it again, and do some problems that have the answers in the back of the textbook.

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