What is it like to be weak in math
I, as a math teacher, are often disappointed in the students. They skip. They are lazy. They cry like babies if they are deprived of calculators. But worst of all is what they do not do . Do not ask questions. Do not write. Do not correct the tests, even if it can increase their overall score. Do they not care about their failure to study?
There are many explanations for this behavior: laziness, indifference, distracting factors, etc. But if you ask me, I will call a deeper reason: ignorance of mathematics makes you feel stupid. And this is unpleasant.
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It is difficult to understand if you have never experienced this. Fortunately, I have this experience (although then there was nothing to rejoice about). My story about mathematical ignorance. Perhaps something will be familiar to you.
I went to college mathematically savvy, and at the final exam I scored the highest score. It seemed that the mathematics comes to me quite easily. But then I ran into topology.
Lessons on topology were held in the format of seminars, where students taught each other. Twice in a semester, each of us must prepare a lecture, give homework and evaluate it.
My misunderstanding of the subject came calmly, gradually. I lectured classmates, vaguely understanding only half of what was written. I memorized the main points, but did not understand the essence of the subject, hoping that someday fragmentary knowledge would take the form of something whole. But I did not do anything for this. He did not ask questions because he was afraid to appear stupid. As a result, everything became only worse, glimpses of understanding faded away, it became uninteresting. I realized that I was completely confused.
In the end, I did what most students do. I relied on a man who knew the subject better than me. It was my girlfriend (studying in the same class). Everything that she explained to me, I simply wrote down in my own words, without delving into the essence, because of which the knowledge did not linger long in my head.
I blamed everyone around for my failures. Her girlfriend, who persuaded me to choose this course. A teacher who sat in the classroom aside and laughed at our incompetence. Why do we need this topology? When all the excuses were over, I said to myself: I hate this class! I hate topology!
I hate math!
My first experience as a lecturer in the classroom was positive, despite the fact that there was almost no knowledge of the subject. But plunging into the material, I understood that the second lecture would not be such an easy walk.
I was constantly lazy, often complaining about the complexity of the subject. But soon I realized that it was not just laziness. Facing the fact that I did not understand, I was faced with my doubts and anxieties. A constant postponement removes these unpleasant feelings.
As the day of the second lecture approached, I began to panic. I called my father, a man with a good soul. Did not help. I called my sister, a math teacher with whom it was always fun. Did not help. Then I made an appointment with the topology instructor.
I was sweating while I was going up the elevator to his office. The worst thing was that I admired him. Most world-class mathematicians regarded communication with students as a burdensome act of charity. He was different: shrewd, hardworking, sincere. I knocked on the office door to tell him that I had failed.
He was supportive of me, offered a few ideas and helped with the presentation, so that I could show at least something in the upcoming lecture. I begged not to ask questions about the material in the classroom, in fact I asked him not to do his job. And he reluctantly agreed.
I gave a second lecture and tried to forget it as quickly as possible.
Looking back, I realize that I was the perfect example of a bad student, showing all the symptoms:
It's amazing how hard it is to write about it even now. Mathematical failures, like romantic ones, are remembered for a long time.
I told this story to show that the problem is not the absence of a “natural mind”, on the contrary, such failures occur when a combination of many reasons is combined: excessive anxiety, low motivation, gaps in knowledge of the subject, etc. The hardest thing to avoid failures at times when you want to expose their shortcomings.
Ignorance of topology doesn't make me stupid. It makes me weak in topology. This difference is very important to understand. In the end, I am grateful for the experience.
There are many explanations for this behavior: laziness, indifference, distracting factors, etc. But if you ask me, I will call a deeper reason: ignorance of mathematics makes you feel stupid. And this is unpleasant.
')
It is difficult to understand if you have never experienced this. Fortunately, I have this experience (although then there was nothing to rejoice about). My story about mathematical ignorance. Perhaps something will be familiar to you.
I went to college mathematically savvy, and at the final exam I scored the highest score. It seemed that the mathematics comes to me quite easily. But then I ran into topology.
Lessons on topology were held in the format of seminars, where students taught each other. Twice in a semester, each of us must prepare a lecture, give homework and evaluate it.
My misunderstanding of the subject came calmly, gradually. I lectured classmates, vaguely understanding only half of what was written. I memorized the main points, but did not understand the essence of the subject, hoping that someday fragmentary knowledge would take the form of something whole. But I did not do anything for this. He did not ask questions because he was afraid to appear stupid. As a result, everything became only worse, glimpses of understanding faded away, it became uninteresting. I realized that I was completely confused.
In the end, I did what most students do. I relied on a man who knew the subject better than me. It was my girlfriend (studying in the same class). Everything that she explained to me, I simply wrote down in my own words, without delving into the essence, because of which the knowledge did not linger long in my head.
I blamed everyone around for my failures. Her girlfriend, who persuaded me to choose this course. A teacher who sat in the classroom aside and laughed at our incompetence. Why do we need this topology? When all the excuses were over, I said to myself: I hate this class! I hate topology!
I hate math!
My first experience as a lecturer in the classroom was positive, despite the fact that there was almost no knowledge of the subject. But plunging into the material, I understood that the second lecture would not be such an easy walk.
I was constantly lazy, often complaining about the complexity of the subject. But soon I realized that it was not just laziness. Facing the fact that I did not understand, I was faced with my doubts and anxieties. A constant postponement removes these unpleasant feelings.
As the day of the second lecture approached, I began to panic. I called my father, a man with a good soul. Did not help. I called my sister, a math teacher with whom it was always fun. Did not help. Then I made an appointment with the topology instructor.
I was sweating while I was going up the elevator to his office. The worst thing was that I admired him. Most world-class mathematicians regarded communication with students as a burdensome act of charity. He was different: shrewd, hardworking, sincere. I knocked on the office door to tell him that I had failed.
He was supportive of me, offered a few ideas and helped with the presentation, so that I could show at least something in the upcoming lecture. I begged not to ask questions about the material in the classroom, in fact I asked him not to do his job. And he reluctantly agreed.
I gave a second lecture and tried to forget it as quickly as possible.
Looking back, I realize that I was the perfect example of a bad student, showing all the symptoms:
- Entangled in the material
- I was afraid to ask questions
- I was embarrassed to accept the help of a teacher
- Instead, plagued friends
- Copying other people's homework
- Justifies himself by blaming others
- Slowed
- Afraid of failure in public
- Afraid of teacher's conviction
- Felt like an idiot
- I did not want to admit anything of the above
It's amazing how hard it is to write about it even now. Mathematical failures, like romantic ones, are remembered for a long time.
I told this story to show that the problem is not the absence of a “natural mind”, on the contrary, such failures occur when a combination of many reasons is combined: excessive anxiety, low motivation, gaps in knowledge of the subject, etc. The hardest thing to avoid failures at times when you want to expose their shortcomings.
Ignorance of topology doesn't make me stupid. It makes me weak in topology. This difference is very important to understand. In the end, I am grateful for the experience.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/187344/
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