Why Math Is Difficult - Math and Brain Types

Why Math Is Difficult - Math and Brain Types In 2005, Gallup conducted a poll that asked students to name the school subject that they considered to be the most difficult. Not surprisingly, mathematics came out on top of the difficulty chart. So what is it about math that makes it difficult? Have you ever wondered? Dictionary.com defines the word difficult as: â€Å"...not easily or readily done; requiring much labor, skill, or planning to be performed successfully.† This definition gets to the crux of the problem when it comes to math, specifically the statement that a difficult task is one that is not â€Å"readily† done. The thing that makes math difficult for many students is that it takes patience and persistence. For many students, math is not something that comes intuitively or automatically - it takes plenty of  effort. It is a subject that sometimes requires students to devote lots and lots of time and energy. This means, for many, the problem has little to do with brainpower; it is mostly a matter of staying power. And since students dont make their own timelines when it comes to getting it, they can run out of time as the teacher moves on to the next topic. Math and Brain Types But there is also an element of brain-style in the big picture, according to many scientists. There will always be opposing views on any topic, and the process of human learning is subject to ongoing debate, just like any other topic. But many theorists believe that  people are wired with different math comprehension skills. According to some brain science scholars, logical, left-brain thinkers tend to understand things in  sequential bits, while  artistic, intuitive, right-brainers  are more global. They take in  a lot of information at one time and let it sink in.  So left-brain dominant students may grasp concepts quickly while right-brain dominant students don’t. To the right brain dominant student, that time-lapse can make them feel confused and behind. Math as a Cumulative Discipline Math know-how is cumulative, which means it works much like a stack of building blocks. You have to gain understanding in one area before you can effectively go on to â€Å"build upon† another area. Our first mathematical building blocks are established in primary school when we learn rules for addition and multiplication, and those first concepts comprise our foundation. The next building blocks come in middle school when students first learn about formulas and operations. This information has to sink in and become â€Å"firm† before students can move on to enlarge this framework of knowledge. The big problem starts to appear sometime between middle school and high school because students very often move on to a new grade or new subject before they’re really ready. Students who earn a â€Å"C† in middle school have absorbed and understood about half of what they should, but they move on anyway. They move on or are moved on, because They think a C is good enough.Parents don’t realize that moving on without a full understanding poses a big problem for high school and college.Teachers don’t have time and energy enough to ensure that every single student understands every single concept. So students move to the next level with a really shaky foundation. The outcome of any shaky foundation is that there will be a serious limitation when it comes to building and real potential for complete failure at some point. The lesson here? Any student who receives a C in a math class should review heavily to make sure to pick up concepts theyll need later. In fact, it  is smart to hire a tutor to help you review any time you find that youve struggled in a math class! Making Math Less Difficult We have established a few things when it comes to math and difficulty: Math seems difficult because it takes time and energy.Many people dont experience sufficient time to get math lessons, and they fall behind as the teacher moves on.Many move on to study more complex concepts with a shaky foundation.We often end up with a weak structure that is doomed to collapse at some point. Although this may sound like bad news, it is really good news. The fix is pretty easy if we’re patient enough! No matter where you are in your math studies, you can excel if you backtrack far enough to reinforce your foundation. You must fill in the holes with a deep understanding of the basic concepts you encountered in middle school math. If you’re in middle school right now, do not attempt to move on until you understand pre-algebra concepts fully. Get a tutor if necessary.If you’re in high school and struggling with math, download a middle school math syllabus or hire a tutor. Make sure you understand every single concept and activity that is covered in middle grades.If you’re in college, backtrack all the way to basic math and work forward. This won’t take as long as it sounds. You can work forward through years of math in a week or two. No matter where you start and where you struggle, you must make sure you acknowledge any weak spots in your foundation and fill the holes with practice and understanding!

Coordinating Words, Phrases and Clauses in English

Coordinating Words, Phrases and Clauses in English When we coordinate things, whether were talking about our schedules or our clothing, we make connections or, as the dictionary says in a more fanciful way, bring things together in a common and harmonious action. The same idea applies when we talk about coordination in grammar. A common way to connect related words, phrases, and even entire clauses is to coordinate them that is, connect them with a coordinating conjunction such as and or but.  The following short paragraph from Ernest Hemingways Another Country contains several coordinated words, phrases, and clauses. We were all at the hospital every afternoon, and there were different ways of walking across the town through the dusk to the hospital. Two of the ways were alongside canals, but they were long. Always, though, you crossed a bridge across a canal to enter the hospital. There was a choice of three bridges. On one of them a woman sold roasted chestnuts. It was warm, standing in front of her charcoal fire, and the chestnuts were warm afterward in your pocket. The hospital was very old and very beautiful, and you entered through a gate and walked across a courtyard and out a gate on the other side. In most of his novels and short stories, Hemingway relies heavily (some readers might say too heavily) on such basic conjunctions as and and but. The other coordinating conjunctions are yet, or, nor, for, and so. Paired Conjunctions Similar to these basic conjunctions are the following paired conjunctions (sometimes called correlative conjunctions): both . . . andeither . . . orneither . . . nornot . . . butnot . . . nornot only . . . but (also)whether . . . or The paired conjunctions serve to emphasize the words being connected. Lets see how these correlative conjunctions work. First, consider the following simple sentence, which contains two nouns joined by and: Martha and Gus have gone to Buffalo. We can rewrite this sentence with paired conjunctions to emphasize the two nouns: Both Martha and Gus have gone to Buffalo. We often use the basic coordinating conjunctions and paired conjunctions in our writing to connect related ideas. Punctuation Tips: Using Commas with Conjunctions When just two words or phrases are joined by a conjunction, no comma is needed: Nurses in uniforms and in peasant costumes walked under the trees with the children. However, when two or more items are listed before a conjunction, those items should be separated by commas: Nurses in uniforms, peasant costumes, and worn frocks walked under the trees with the children.* Similarly, when two complete sentences (called main clauses) are joined by a conjunction, we should generally place a comma before the conjunction: The tides advance and retreat in their eternal rhythms, and the level of the sea itself is never at rest. Although no comma is needed before the and that joins the verbs advance and retreat, we do need to place a comma before the second and, which joins two main clauses. * Note that the comma after the second item in the series (costumes) is optional. This use of the comma is called the serial comma.