CTK Exchange
Front Page
Movie shortcuts
Personal info
Awards
Reciprocal links
Privacy Policy

Interactive Activities

Cut The Knot!
MSET99 Talk
Games & Puzzles
Arithmetic/Algebra
Geometry
Probability
Eye Opener
Analog Gadgets
Inventor's Paradox
Did you know?...
Proofs
Math as Language
Things Impossible
My Logo
Math Poll
Other Math sit's
Guest book
News sit's

Manifesto: what CTK is about |Store| Search CTK Buying a book is a commitment to learning Table of content Things you can find on CTK Chronology of updates Email to Cut The Knot

CTK Exchange

Subject: "Teach me!"     Previous Topic | Next Topic
Printer-friendly copy     Email this topic to a friend    
Conferences The CTK Exchange This and that Topic #71
Reading Topic #71
dejaniire dejaniire (Guest)
guest
Jan-08-01, 09:50 AM (EST)
 
"Teach me!"
 
   Dear sir,

I came across your site and found it quite interesting! I was wondering if you could help me. I'm 22, live in Greece, and although I'm working now, I never want to stop learning. I've always been the worst student in my entire school in Mathematics (and I've changed quite a few schools), and although I'm incapable of doing even the simplest of fractions that 10 year-olds can handle, I still have a feeling that I would be very good at math.

Do you have any suggestions as to how I can learn math the right way (that is, totally un-academically)?

Thank you for your attention

Julie


  Alert | IP Printer-friendly page | Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
alexb
Charter Member
672 posts
Jan-08-01, 10:13 AM (EST)
Click to EMail alexb Click to send private message to alexb Click to view user profileClick to add this user to your buddy list  
1. "RE: Teach me!"
In response to message #0
 
   LAST EDITED ON Jan-08-01 AT 10:15 AM (EST)

LAST EDITED ON Jan-08-01 AT 10:14 AM (EST)

Dear Julie:

You seem to be a sufficiently intelligent young woman to realize that there are no tricks, nor special methods for studying mathematics. It's exactly like in any other kind of activities.

Start with simple, move a step at a time, progress to more complex. Exercise - if you want to learn anything, see that you have a sound foundation to acquire new knowledge. Whenever you see a problem, try solving it. This is especially important if you run into an already solved problem, or one that has a solution at the end of the book. First try solving it by yourself, then check you solution.

Read popular books. This may not teach you much, but will provide a flavor for real mathematics. M. Gardner, I. Stewart, I. Peterson's books are highly recommended.

In the US, Singaporean math text are often referred to as especially well planned and useful. If you can get any, grab them.

Most of all, like all exercises, see that you make your study a fixed item in your schedule. Read and learn on a regular basis.

That's about it.

Good luck,
Alexander Bogomolny


  Alert | IP Printer-friendly page | Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
Julie (Guest)
guest
Jan-12-01, 01:20 PM (EST)
 
2. "RE: Teach me!"
In response to message #1
 
   Dear Mr. Bogmolny,

I would like to thank you for your kind and prompt repsonse. Although there may be no "tricks", I do believe that teaching methods, at least here in Europe, are far from encouraging students to open their minds to maths. Here, you're either good at something or not -- end of story. The so-called tricks would be to eventually find, if possible, the many different ways to open doors in people's mind to mathematics, for example philosophy (Descartes...), language (Hebrew...)...why not?
In America the teaching methods are a great deal more nteresting, and teachers take into consideration each student's level. I hope it won't take long to promote this in Europe! I have found a good book in which the author explains math in a less abstract way, it's a bit closer to the philosophy of maths, so I'm quite happy.
Nonetheless, if it isn't too much trouble, could you please explain to me what you mean by "real mathematics"? As opposed to?

Thank you again for your kind attention,

Julie


  Alert | IP Printer-friendly page | Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
alexb
Charter Member
672 posts
Jan-12-01, 01:25 PM (EST)
Click to EMail alexb Click to send private message to alexb Click to view user profileClick to add this user to your buddy list  
3. "RE: Teach me!"
In response to message #2
 
   dejaniire dejaniire wrote:
>
> Although there may be no "tricks", I do believe that
> teaching methods, at least here in Europe, are far
> from encouraging students to open their minds to
> maths. Here, you're either good at something or not-
> end of story.The so-called tricks would be to
> eventually find, if possible, the many different ways
> to open doors in people's mind to mathematics, for
> example philosophy (Descartes...), language
> (Hebrew...)...why not?

Absolutely. It's awfully hard to teach this way. However,
as you are on your own, you may easily choose an approach
that suits you best.

> In America the teaching methods are a great deal more
> interesting, and teachers take into consideration each
> student's level. I hope it won't take long to promote
> this in Europe!

America is too big to generalize. Education here is absolutely
distributed. State authorities may issue guidelines, but actual control is more a a city or county level.

Also, if you look at the results of the TIMSS study (just search the Web), America has very little to be proud about.

> I have found a good book in which the author explains
> math in a less abstract way, it's a bit closer to the
> philosophy of maths, so I'm quite happy.

Excellent.

> Nonetheless, if it isn't too much trouble, could you
> please explain to me what you mean by "real
> mathematics"?As opposed to?

As opposed to the pidgin mathematics that is studied as an obligatory subject in school and colleges.

By real mathematics I mean that which is worked on by real mathematicians, with unexpected connections, surprising results, and some excitement - you can feel all this reading a good popular math book.

> Thank you again for your kind attention,
> Julie
>

You are welcome,
Alexander Bogomolny


  Alert | IP Printer-friendly page | Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

Conferences | Forums | Topics | Previous Topic | Next Topic

You may be curious to visit the old CTK Exchange archive.

|Front page| |Contents|

Copyright © 1996-2018 Alexander Bogomolny

[an error occurred while processing this directive]
 Advertise

New Books
Second editions of J. Conway's classic On Numbers And Games and the inimitable Winning Ways for Your Mathematical Plays