The Open University, Europe’s largest provider of university-level mathematics and statistics, offers nearly 1000 free courses across eight different subject areas. With over 15,000 students each year, the university has helped over 2 million learners to improve their proficiency in maths. The distance learning A level Maths curriculum provides flexible study options with expert tutor support. Enroll in an online A level Maths course today and embark on your journey.
This course covers essential topics like calculus, algebra, and statistics, equipping you with skills used in a wide range of careers. The Open University offers nearly 1000 free courses across nine different subject areas, including OU distance learning, study materials, an online study portal, a dedicated tutor, student forums, and learning events.
The Cambridge A level Maths course covers pure maths, classical mechanics, probability, statistics, and develops your ability to reason. For a limited time, students can receive £150 off ALL A Levels for a limited time only. Studying A Level Maths from home and earning up to 56 UCAS points is possible with a 94 pass rate.
OOL provides flexible hours and fully qualified tutors to support students in their studies. The A-level Maths course covers the brand new AQA specification and is ideal for those looking to pursue careers in sciences, engineering, or computing. The Cambridge A level Maths course covers pure maths, classical mechanics, probability, statistics, and develops your ability to reason.
📹 MSc Mathematics at The Open University
This video is intended to give you an overview of the postgraduate course MSc Mathematics at The Open University. The way I …
Is open university good for mathematics?
The Open University (OU) offers a variety of mathematics courses, catering to students seeking a solid foundation in maths and statistics or specializing in pure or applied mathematics. With over 15, 000 students each year, the university offers a wide range of topics, including pure mathematics, applied mathematics, mathematics education, statistics, and theoretical physics. Students can choose from starting points that match their existing mathematical knowledge, qualifications recognized by organizations like the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications, the Royal Statistical Society, and the Institute of Physics, opportunities to develop experience with mathematical and statistical software, and nationally recognized teaching content created by award-winning staff.
Is maths A level worth it?
A-Level Further Maths is worth it if it helps achieve personal and career goals. However, it is not worth it for those planning to take History, as advanced mathematics is required for the application. Those highly encouraged to take Further Maths are those pursuing engineering, chemical engineering, biotechnology, natural sciences, medicine, mathematics, computer science, and artificial intelligence at the university level. A-Level Further Maths is expected at the University of Cambridge.
How to get an A in A level maths?
In order to achieve an A* in A-Level Mathematics, it is necessary to complete seven steps. Firstly, it is essential to gain a comprehensive understanding of Core 1. Following each lesson, it is beneficial to conduct a review. Secondly, it is advisable to answer questions in the style of the examination. Thirdly, it is important to conduct another review. It is important to remember that previous papers were designed as mock examinations. Fourthly, it is necessary to strive for every mark. Finally, it is recommended to join ELITE Tuition.
Is an Open University open degree respected?
Open University degrees are recognized as top UK universities, and they have been established by Royal Charter in 1969. The university has continuously innovated to ensure access to education for all, making it the largest university in the UK and the most popular choice for part-time students. The university’s mission remains relevant today, bringing university to students wherever they live.
Is Open University prestigious?
The Open University, a leading institution in Milton Keynes, UK, has been ranked between 101st and 130th place in the QS World University Ranking by Subject 2024.
How hard is maths A Level?
A-Level Mathematics is a challenging subject that builds upon GCSE concepts and skills, focusing on topics like algebra, calculus, trigonometry, and statistics. The difficulty level varies based on individual aptitude, study habits, and instruction quality. The course requires a strong foundation in basic mathematical principles, rigorous analytical thinking, logical reasoning, and mathematical modeling. It covers a wide range of topics and requires a good understanding of abstract concepts.
Assessment is exam-based and does not include a coursework component. Success in A-Level Mathematics requires good problem-solving skills, a solid grasp of mathematical concepts, independent work, significant practice, and a commitment to studying and revising the material thoroughly.
Can I teach myself a level maths?
Teaching A Level Maths requires dedication, a structured approach, and the right resources. To succeed, students should understand the curriculum, use suitable materials, follow a study schedule, break down complex concepts, practice regularly, seek clarification, and review topics. Building a strong foundation in mathematics is essential for success. Starting with easy questions before progressing to more challenging ones can significantly enhance understanding and performance.
Engaging with these questions builds confidence in problem-solving skills, providing a manageable starting point for grasping fundamental concepts. As confidence grows, students are more likely to approach challenging questions with a positive mindset, knowing they have already achieved success in easier ones.
Is a level maths the hardest a level?
The top 15 hardest A-Level subjects are Art, Design and Technology, Business Studies, Politics, Economics, History, English Literature, Psychology, Modern Languages, Mathematics, Computer Science, Biology, Chemistry, Further Mathematics, and Physics. Art A-Level is often ranked among the most difficult subjects, despite the common assumption that it is a’soft’ subject. Studying Art at A-Level is challenging, especially if you are a gifted artist, and this is a naïve view towards Art and other Humanities subjects.
What are the least respected A-levels?
A-Level subjects like Media Studies, Home Economics, and Leisure Studies are less respected by universities like Oxford and Cambridge. High-achieving students should choose challenging subjects like the Top 10 Hardest A-levels. Choosing the right A-level subjects is crucial for academic success and future opportunities. While easier A-levels may offer short-term benefits like higher grades and less stress, their impact on university admissions and career paths must be considered. The top 20 easiest A-levels cater to diverse interests but should be chosen based on personal passion, career objectives, and university requirements.
What grade is 80% in A Level maths?
The A* at A Level award is bestowed upon candidates who attain a grade of A on the A Level as a whole (equivalent to 80%) and a uniform mark of at least 90% across their A2 units.
📹 Stop Trying to Understand Math, Do THIS Instead
Sometimes it’s really hard to understand a particular topic. You spend hours and hours on it and it just doesn’t click. In this video I …
Thanks for the helpful info! I’m looking to apply to this but I’m not sure if I should go for this October or wait another year to revise properly. I finished my degree a few years ago and I’m finding myself even having to revise things like a level calculus as I’m trying to get on top of everything. Did you find the entry level modules started slowly? Would it be feasible to revise on the go or better to wait and be more prepared? Thanks
I really needed this. I’ve been teaching myself algebra (trying to catch up where public school failed me) and I’ve been really stuck on the “why” on certain things. I’m an analytical person, I love figuring out the reasons behind what’s done, but as long as I can get the how I can let that go. Thank you💕
Thank you so much. I am currently taking an asynchronous course in Multivariable Calculus and I find myself spending hours on just one problem or topic. Last week I was stuck on a few problems from my textbook and couldn’t see why my answers were wrong. I spent so much time on these problems, only to find out later that the answers in the textbook had typos :(. I will try to apply what you talked about to avoid this happening again in the future.
This is a skill I really need to pick up but I absolutely get so sucked in to certain problems and concepts and can’t make myself move on and I end up getting behind on other things. There has definitely been times when I have found just moving on or coming back to it has helped a lot. I’m terrible with procrastinating so that’s another thing I need to work on: to allow myself time to not understand something and let that be okay. Thank you for this article!
Thank you for this message, I have been struggling with math 099 and its hard for me doing graphing problens and when I get fraustered with someone my performance on testing can be horrible. Recently, I didn’t do so well on my first test, I felt crummy and total unprepared. So when I saw your article, I feel like the weight has been lifted.
Yes, I agree. In studying electronics, I’ve come across some things that I just can’t grasp, and it is easy to get discouraged and think that maybe I’m not made for this endeavor. But then I remember that there are SO many things to learn in electronics, there’s no point in banging my head over just one thing, when I could branch in a different direction and then circle back around some other time.
Good advice. I’m in software development and I think a key thing is not solving certain problems YET. I will figure it out but to totally fixate on it and obsess, like you said has been bad news for me. I like also focusing on different problems, as there is such a thing as momentum in our work, once I solve smaller sub tasks I’m able to tackle many others.
Another thing about learning math, esp. up to the undergraduate level, is that there are two aspects to it — 1. mechanical and symbolic fluency, and 2. conceptual and theoretical understanding. It is very common (at least, in my experience) for one aspect to outpace the other at various times. This is completely normal. So sometimes when you feel “stuck”, it might be that the other aspect needs more work. For example, maybe you’re not getting the theory or abstract definitions of a topic. Rather than hitting your head against a wall reading the same theory over and over, try to work some problems, and don’t worry if you can’t justify all the steps. Just try to complete them. Working many problems mechanically will help you understand the theory. On the other hand, maybe you feel overwhelmed and exhausted by the homework problems. You’re trying to just memorize all the mechanical steps, but there are too many cases and no two problems are ever exactly the same. Rather than spending all your time memorizing steps that don’t mean anything to you, try to see the bigger picture. Read the definitions and the theorems. Look for general conceptual patterns. You might begin to see that all those unrelated steps you were trying to memorize have some structure to them.
I try to imagine it not understand it. As an engineer i see a decade after my degrees that there are things i thought I understood. Things i definitely understood. Things i understood better than others with others thinking im dumb for not understanding something trivial which they didnt get in the first place. Shift focus is true. I get glimpses or strokes of clarity when i go to sleep or shower on things i did 10 years ago knowing that i never understood just did.
I’ve started my Math PhD this semester and the act of prioritizing my time is the most beneficial tool in my toolbox. Also, there is a big misconception from people who don’t do math to those who do. i.e. in undergrad I was a double physics & math major, and I worked at my university’s math tutoring center where I tutored math & physics. So many times I heard something to the extent of, “wow you’re smart how do you just know all do this??” The bottom line is I’ve spent a lot of time doing & reading math & physics… the way I made an analogous statement was I would ask them about something theyre good at.. then ask them how much time they’ve spent doing it.. then ask them how does that compare to the amount of time they’ve spent doing math.. it’s almost always that people spend as little time as possible doing math, which is a key mistake in the learning process IMO
great idea! when I was a 9th grader, one of my classmates gave me a geometry problem to solve. I couldn’t solve it in a week. I always ended up falling to sleep while trying to solving the problem. One night, after two months, a voice popping up in my ears gave me a hint and I jumped up to solve the problem. Later, I found it was a theory in a high school geometry textbook. Be patient and wait your brain to click and never to give up.
There’s a casual Mathematics book that could provide some extra insights to this article: The Art of Problem Solving by Paul Zeitz. While the book doesn’t provide scientific analysis to his strategies, but they have brought me a lot of interesting factors to be aware of including the following. There are two quotes that are related to the article and that the article has provided some nice way to achieve them. Taking a Walk: “… (the story) The moral of the story, of course, is that a good problem solver doesn’t give up. However, she doesn’t just stupidly keep banging her head against a wall (or cage!), but instead varies each attempt.” If one has ever taken a walk or exercise, then come back at a problem, one would be able to see from a new perspective and adds more variation to each attempts as to keep banging into the same. A variation can be re-read the question, proving to yourself that your reasoning cannot lead to the conclusion (so you’d have to change one), etc. Weigh our goals, let the problem go and come back to it: “… All good problem solvers occasionally admit defeat. An important part of the problem solver’s art is knowing when to give up (temporarily). But most beginners give up too soon, because they lack the mental toughness attributes of confidence, and concentration.” . Most of us want to get a degree, so, sometimes, give up (ask prof, friends…), and move on so that it doesn’t hinder our big goals. But then, sometimes, we might feel that we give up too fast and just rely on other people’s solutions.
This doesn’t apply to the very basics of math. Like, I’m having an issue with simplifying expressions, and moving on has caused me grief in almost every other math topic/question. The internet has soooo many tutorials that work for me, but for the same reason most of my teachers could not get the basics through to me, it has been a challenge to find someone online that caters to the teaching style that works for me, because a majority of people are not really built this way. I am greatful to this website and websites like “professor dave explains”. I am now filling the gaps in my basics. The basics cannot (or rather should not) be moved on from, they will be the difference between being comfortable with math and failing math for reasons that are hard to figure out at later stages
I wish I heard this at the start of my math journey, all the way back to my first year of HS. I never really understood algebra the way I did arithmetic, and so I lost all interest in anything related to it. This worsened into the later years, with more complex math being introduced, which required mastery of the basics. I used to be an ace at math in elementary, but now I can’t get by without cheating. If only I had this advice and just kept training with math drills and exercises, I would have been better off. Now I’m relearning everything on Khan Academy four years later.
The best approach is to take everything slow. I’m as bad at math as you can possibly think but I started to practice a few problems a day. I’m still horrible at it but I’ve shown progress. I’ve had teachers tell me that you can’t actually study math which implies that you either know it or you don’t which is extremely discouraging. Also, it doesn’t help when it’s normalized for people to say “I’m not a math person”. Looking at a problem on paper and giving up is not studying. Having your teachers always help you but then refusing to practice at home is not studying. The moment I realized this I started to believe in myself. I can be as good at math as I wanna be. For once in my life I actually want to improve becuase I know I’m capable of doing so.
Many times I can understand the previous chapter from the perspective of the current one. So if I am struggling, I carry on to the next topic and go back until I get the whole picture. This is more effective for me than repeating a difficult chapter over and over. You need to have the time for this back and forth method, so planing ahead becomes paramount.
The sorcerer just described my entire experience with algebra. I didn’t understand any of it. I had been going along happily doing quite well in “regular” math. Fractions/decimals, geometry, long division until tbe cows come home. Then I started algebra and I truely felt betrayed that somehow something I was quite comfortable with and good at had suddenly been transformed into something that made NO sense. I asked to transfer to another class, and the new teacher told me he didn’t card how I got the answer as long as it was correct and I showed my work. Still I struggled and he tried to help me all he could, but I never got It. But he gave me a C because I tried so hard. Many years have passed and I will never forget him. Years later I had a new friend who is very good at math. He told me, “You know, you can do anything with regular math you can do with algebra, it just might take a little longer.” That single remark set me free. 😊 I’m not talking about theoretical physics or building space shuttles. But I can do all the little real world, practical engineering things I need or want to do and I actually look forward to figuring out tbe math! 😉
That was really helpful. Because in order to understand Mathematics perhaps some of its complicated ideas one must has a fully developed prefrontal cortex because that is the region which is responsible for making those abstract ideas logical meaningful to your brain by creating a pattern of logic so as to use it in the explaining process to your brain. So kids and even also other may not understand some mathematics concepts due to age.
As Barbara Oakley explains in her book “A Mind for Numbers: How to Excel at Math and Science”, the brain has two modes: focused mode and diffuse mode. When you are trying to solve a problem, you are in the focused mode. The focused mode is mostly for linear and logical thinking. Going for a walk or taking a nap helps you get into the diffused mode. It’s when you are in the diffused mode that solutions to problems you have been working on can suddenly pop up, as if out of nowhere.
I think it’s important to limit the scope of this advice. I’ve tutored someone who was a senior in high school. I noticed that he kept trying to do algebraic manipulations that were totally wrong and he didn’t understand why some were right and some were wrong. So I gave him a battery of math tests from different grade levels. He effectively had about a 5th grade math education. He understood so little. He just followed the teacher’s example for so long that he lost any hope of catching up in understanding. Some parts need to be understood. Some parts do not. Operator precedence: required. Substitution: required. Basic algebra: required. Trigonometry: not required. Geometric proof construction: not required.
Math becomes easy when you realize that everything is a generalization of something else. And that something else is usually something you already understand. For example, Fourier analysis is a generalization of finding vector coordnates in an orthonormal basis in the Euclidean space which is very esay to visualize.
I used that with learning languages. When I face some grammar that has no sense or structure and seems unreconstructable, I move on. Languages always have other words for the same thing, so there would also be some other constructs that could replace the problematic one for you. Go on and you will find it faster.
(sorry for my english, I’m not a native speaker) I’m wondering if this doesn’t raise the question to know if in general, so called “good student” are not mainly students in a favorable psycho-social situation. Having the ability to “manage your time”, as is explained in this article, is certainly a very important thing (thank you so much for your point), and I think every one would agree with me on the fact that it mainly requires a psycho-emotional ability to “let things go” so to say. For me, to do this is very difficult, because each time I have a difficulty in math or physic, all the people who once told me that I wasn’t worth it pops in my head to tell me “see ? I told you so !”, which really puts me in a state of deep anxiety, and it’s really difficult for me to accept that my all life does not hang to that single exercice. In one word, my comment is a “plaidoyer” (as we say in french) to think about the fact that what we call “intelligence” is not mainly a matter of how a person is “well hardwired” so to say, but is also to a large extent a matter of healthy psycho-social environnement, and I’d like us to think about how many talents and passions we, as a society and community, are wasting not thinking about that. Thank you.
This is a really interesting article to me. Super helpful and very kind. It’s interesting to me because people have often told me that the way I work is wrong. I am told I should always prioritize what is due first, and should complete those tasks before any other ones. This article is very helpful because it provides an alternative to that. It shows me that there is a reason why I instinctively jump to different tasks when I get stuck, and tells me that’s not a shameful way to go about things. In fact, if I accept it, it can be helpful for resolving the task at hand! Thank you!
Thank you for this article! I am taking advanced math courses in my school right now, as well as just the normal math classes, and it is so frustrating to not understand. I was, or still am very intuitive in math but I feel as if I lost that the last year because some things just don’t make sense to me. Anyways this helped, and I actually look forward to math again. 🙂
I’m a highschool drop out, managed to get my GED and decided to further my education at 22. I’m in computer science right now and spent 8+ hours a day for a week re learning everything I possibly could for highschool math before starting. I actually managed to get it and for the first time felt like I was “good” at math. Then it kept going, I kept getting into more and more complex problems and started to feel like I sucked again. I believe this article will help a lot, thank you.
I’m a computer science background, and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve thought of a solution while away from my desk. Sometimes stepping away and thinking about it in your head a bit, instead of staring at your paper/screen can work wonders. Going to the gym has also helped me a lot, and helps release stress
I think the biggest thing is, usually when i don’t understand something it’s because my foundations are too weak in that area, so i identify what exactly seems to be confusing and revise over that, and also focused and diffused learning is no joke, most the time i come back to a problem a few hours or day later and everything is crystal clear.
I was always bad at math, I luckily had college algebra and trigonometry with a community college profesor from Egypt, what I liked about him is he had patience to teach every detail of the problem you or someone was stuck on and would go over the exam reviews even after the exam review day by the end of trig I was actually enjoying doing math problems and felt confident going forward, I Passed both classes with high b’s and now I’m a junior at UNI majoring in construction management i owe that man a debt of gratitude 🙏 to me he and the guy in the article are prime examples of what a good teacher or professor should be
I feel math would be much easier with instructors who teach the most simplest way. Like show us the tricks the rule so we can grasp quickly. Sort of like PEMDAS that makes doing order of operations very easy once you know the steps and the rules you can apply it to the math problem. It’s really hard to get a great teacher these days. A great math teacher is not easy to come by, and when you do have one it feels like a lifelong best friend. At least to me 😅👍🏾
I get stuck on a problem, and have tried just working on something else. The problem is when I skip something I am stuck on it quickly comes back to bite me later. Failing algebra right now and moral is pretty low. This class leaves no room for skipping a problem. Everything must be understood to complete the next assignment.
Thank you, this really helped me. I am really interested in astronomy, but I found that astronomy needs an incredible amount of mathematics to learn. I am not really good at math, so I started to study mathematics and I really struggled a lot. ” Although It takes a lot of time, but it doesn’t mean it’s not going to happen.” (Sorry if it’s bad grammar, I’m Thai)
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve just paced around my room, trying to explain some mathematical concept to myself in a way that would make sense to anybody. I believe there to be a lot of truth in Einstein’s quote that “if you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.” I’m fresh out of high school, and I’ve been attempting to teach myself Complex Analysis in spite of the fact that I probably don’t have near enough prerequisite knowledge to fully grasp it all, as the residues of complex functions still don’t entirely make sense, but contour integration is making more sense the more I work on it.
I disagree. It’s best to understand everything we care about or want to contribute significantly. If we don’t care, then fine, just memorize it. In particular, I won’t lose time practicing what I don’t understand since I refuse to be a machine. When we truly understand a topic, we can even detect typos and other errors people make. And we don’t lose time trying to solve problems that aren’t real but only other people’s pride.
I was really bad at math, in my junior years in the UK and Mexico I always got below average grades. Had a tough life indeed, but never gave up. Started working in a gas station in Chicago, Illinois and gave of that up and moved back to my home country, after about 23 years working as a translator I was introduce to math again, I wanted to become a data science engineer! So I signed up for a BS exam, got trashed 3 times! But never gave up, started self teaching myself together with work from the basics, artihmetic, geometry, etc…I never knew I liked math so much! It’s never late to learn! TY Math Scorcerer for the heads up! I absolutely love math 🙂
Let me tell you a little story, when I was in middle school mathematics used to make me cry because when I saw the problem on the exam everything that I knew just vanished, and I was really stressed out because my father and my grandfather are both brilliant in maths, so my dad has always put pressure on me regarding maths, but at 22 during my law studies, I decided to change that and I reviewed every aspect of the maths program since middle school, I got into a “preparatory school” to get into the top engineering schools and after working my ass off for 2 years I eventually got into the 3rd best engineering school in the country on my way to get a double degree for another top tier engineering school so don’t give up
I had a very hard time in math early on. I would come to understand a concept a semester after it was taught to me… What I started to do when I found myself not “getting it”, was to learn to recognize a format, convert the problem into a sort of black box. You multiply these numbers here, take the root there… just remember the process and crank the handle, then see if the answer that you got, made sense.
I teach adults in a particular profession, usually including a wide swath of educational backgrounds in the same classroom. I’ve noticed something that may be a worthy addition to this article’s theme. I often see people approach a ‘big’ problem (one that will take several steps and supporting calculations) and fail to see a clear path to the answer, and they sometimes freeze up and fail to make any meaningful progress. They focus one what they don’t understand. My advice is to stop focusing on what they don’t know, and instead process with clear eyes what they do know. Do the supporting calculations, I.e. small steps that develop additional information, even if they are not sure where or how it will be used. In time, this method can produce results. As information develops, confidence builds that we are figuring things out, and in time the big picture may click right into place.
The environment matters. I never got enough to work in my house until i moved to my campus hostels. Many said, it isn’t worth it or there’s risk of getting uh addictions. Well, concentrating on work was really easy afterwards. You just gotta clear the common parts and make a comfortable, self-reliant environment.
1. Brilliant advisor came up with the idea of not spend too much time on a particular math problem. Merely waste of time 2. Sometimes don’t get to the math is absolutely fine. 3. Firm believe in Math is very very hard. 4.enormous amount of time and efforts,perseverance needed for becoming math experts. 5. Sometimes Don’t ask why.
I absolutely agree and this trick also can be applied to any kind of studies or works. I’m a programmer, I remember one day I stuck with this problem, I had been trying to solve it for hours but didn’t find the solution, then I got my motorcycle and went to my friend house just to talk random topic unrelated with programming. At night I went home and continue to solve the problem, less than 30 minutes the problem was solved. It turned out it was just simple problem. It seems that when we’re stuck, even the easiest problems can become impossible to solve.
I think it goes the same for languages. I like to learn English and other languages alone, but sometimes I get stuck like you said. When it happens I try to figure it out, looking for explanations that make sense and in the end, I lose a lot of time and effort. But if I move on, keep advancing on the study, in the future when I meet that problem again, it becomes easy to understand. So that what you said in the article works perfectly. In my opinion, Language is a kind of Math so your methods work pretty well. Thank you very much for the article.
This article is specifically about math but I think it applies to basically every subject. One time I was struggling with a math problem. Couldn’t figure it out. Then I went to sleep, then next day it was simple. Just needed some sleep on that one. Other times I find that sometimes learning other related things makes the thing your struggling with suddenly click. Like you said, try another problem.
A couple of months ago i had to prove a relation was an equivalence relation and prove the quotient set. I could prove the first part but the second one stopped me. I was do stressed and exhausted i had to go for a walk. On my way back i stopped completely worrying about the exercise, and start pondering about the whole course. I was revewing the materials in my head and i get to the part about the quotient set being a partition of the set. It immediatly came to my mind that if i proved that the quotient set was a partition of the set, then the quotien set was proved. I write it down and set it to the professor who gave me full points. 💯💯💯
Academically speaking, I’ve always had a good self-esteem. Nothing was ever too difficult to understand to me, but I DO find myself wasting a lot of time when I try to study maths, and i know it is because my entire life I was wired as a theorical person, I am more of a social sciences person, i am all about concepts and reading and reading, so when I sit to study maths i spend WAY too much time on the theory rather than practicing it, and since pretty much every concept in math is built upon another that’s built upon another and so on, I sometimes lose my way and I’m like oh my god I know nothing and I feel like I have to revise past topics again and again and I know I shouldn’t but i NEED to understand everything to move on. Maths really humble you
This frustrates me too no end. This mindset was not valuable to me at all when I flunked out of college. I found one tutor in college who could help me to get through any problem given the time but his time was so limited. Every other math teacher or tutor gave me some version of this story. I came to realize that what he was doing differently was that he was using his social skills to ask probing questions and find where the misconceptions or missing knowledge lied and then talked me through rebuilding my mental model from that point onward. Mathematics was incredibly difficult and yet here was this guy who through the use of psychology and and his own internal model of the world around him was able to piece together these mathematical principles in a way that he could discover the misconceptions and rework those into functional mental models. In hindsight if I could have taken out more student loans and just given it to him to be my personal tutor I wouldn’t have flunked out of college and I probably would have never been indoctrinated by a cult or ended up homeless or gone to jail. This mindset though not some responsible hugely contributed to putting me in a fragile mental state that wrecked my life. This quite simply isn’t the answer.
This is solid advice for college in general. I study linguistics and sometimes I just get stuck working on something that I need to get done, among other things (I also need to get done) and there comes a point when I just get stuck because I don’t wanna do it anymore but I told myself I’d get it done on this arbitrary deadline, when I could instead 1) take a break/go on a walk 2) work on something else. It’s so simple yet I always forget those are options and I end up wasting more time not doing stuff and my other work piling on.
I think one trick to do is to know that your mind can remember a ton of stuff; it can actually remember anything from your 5 senses, but also your emotional state and probably more I’m missing. This is extremely powerful. Navigating your own mind and body is also something I “I figured out.” And it’s turned me into an efficient person at frankly, far too many things. It is something I recommend…to a point. The reality is, everyone can get a lot more done than they think, there’s more time than they think, and they can learn in ways they may not even realize.
Great article,, my personal feeling about math teachers is too many of them let their egos warp their sense of what they should be doing and that is reaching the minds and hearts of the students rather than force they’re style and way of doing things,, Great teachers are the ones that can grasp what the student is hung up on and looking for or showing them another way to see it,, thanks again ………..
my god!!! i wish i had you as a teacher when i was a kid. i came up with math teachers who were practically antagonistic if you didn’t like/get math. they all seemed to think that it was the simplest thing and if you didn’t get it, there was something wrong with you. so, now, as an old man, i’m exploring some of things that i allowed to be made intimidating and “boring” by others, like math and chess. thanks for this article.
I have also found, and suggest to my students that setting a problem aside and going for a walk is so helpful. There are a number of times during my undergrad where I was stuck on a problem while taking a test that I knew the I knew how to solve, but I just couldn’t get it out of my head. So I finally gave up and turned in my test and started walking home (I always walked to class). And of course on my walk home it came to me.
This remember me when the internet spent months trying to solve the last question of the mensa norway test, reddit and you tubers coming up with all kinds of crazy theories about how to solve the puzzle. Eventually someone emailed Mensa and got in contact with the creator of the puzzle and … ups… the instructions were actually typed wrongly, it wasnt possible to be solved, so the question was removed and all internet theories from the geniuses were all just completely wrong. All time spent for nothing.
This is some great advice. Just went back to school and started studying engineering. And I am stuck all the time with math and sometimes spend 1-2 hours on one problem because I have thought that I need to understand everything and if I don’t, I won’t be able to pass the tests or am gonna fail with the whole examination. Just recently I’ve been capable of letting go when stuck and continue on other stuff and maybe come back later. It has improved my mood a lot while studying and I’m making more progress every day. I hope this came by the very start of my studies and I could have saved hours and hours 😂
I am an brilliant artist, illustrator, I challenge any mathematician to be able, create images, art as good as mine. But with math, I NEVER got it. And all the math teachers I’ve had throughout my education, didn’t have the patience to help me…now to cut a long message short, I’m now grateful that I have smart watch (two in fact, so I always have one charging) that has an calculator – my problem is sort of, solved😊.
How can I remember it, if I don’t understand it. That’s the only problem with me and math. For me to remember something, either it has to be a story or a logical step by step. But some math areas like integration, calculus, derivatives doesn’t behave that way. They neither have a story to tell, nor a logical step by step manner, which should go only in that particular way. 🤔 I already have very weak memory. This just adds more burden to it.
Although I’m not currently learning math but instead Python programming language, I did, a few days ago, got stuck on a subject. I just absolutely did not understand what I was perusal and reading. Spend a few days on it and still couldn’t grasp it. So I thought it was best if I just moved on to the next topic in the same chapter. And also tried new exercises. Then I came back a few days later to the where I was previously stuck, and I felt like I understand better now. So yes I agree 100% with this article. Can’t contemplate too long on one thing. Break. Move forward. But circle back once you feel better about your subject of interest.
What’s beneficial sometimes is thinking outside the box. There was a problem in electromagnetism involving variational calculus and I didn’t understood it. After a while, just by random, i got an idea how it can be derived in a understandable way. I just had to use a set of nested Systems, known from thermodynamics,
The day a brilliant math’s teacher explained to me how and why calculus was created, it was only then that I understood it perfectly. Understanding how and why something works provides amazing incite and confidence into any concept…perhaps not understanding has it’s place, but sometimes it’s far better to show someone the spark that gave rise to the reasons and conditions of those original ideas.
🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation: 00:43 🕰️ Accept that sometimes you won’t understand a math problem; prioritize your time wisely. 01:25 🤔 Don’t get stuck on one problem for too long; manage your time effectively. 02:22 🧠 Math requires immense time and effort for everyone, regardless of brilliance. 03:30 🚶 Take a walk to clear your mind and gain perspective when stuck on a problem. 03:58 📚 Switch to a different math subject or task to break through mental blocks. 04:41 🌟 Understand that struggling with math is normal; embrace the challenge. Thank me Later…
I really find your articles very helpful for the self learning. since my childhood i always wanted to learn by myself. And i’m super irregular student AS WELL that’s why my academic studies don’t favour me at all. WHAT I REALLY FIND MY SELF CONTENT IS SELF STUDY. AND I’M THANKFUL TO YOU FOR PROVIDING US SOME GUIDANCE TO GRAB IT ALL THE TIME.