Comment due on the OpenLab Monday, September 12
“I’m bad at math.”
Everyone on earth, probably
Contents
Background
“I’m bad at math.” This is something I’ve heard from a handful of students over the last few weeks. It’s devastating to me to hear anyone say this about themselves… let alone my own students… in the middle of actually solving a math problem.
Here’s a big secret: I’ve said this about myself. I have a Ph.D. in math. I write math research papers and get invited to give fancy math research presentations. I’ve taught hundreds (maybe thousands?) of students math in my career. And I have said this about myself tons of times over the years.
Here’s another (not-so-big) secret: I’m bad at pushups. I don’t have a Ph.D. in pushups! I can barely do one pushup! I’m, like, definitely, objectively really really bad at pushups! But it doesn’t make me feel bad when I can’t do a pushup. I really don’t care. So what’s different about math?
There is something unique about math: it can make all of us feel bad about ourselves sometimes. The wife of my good friend (who got his Ph.D. in math the same week I got mine) says this: “You mathematicians… if you do understand something, you think it’s because it’s obvious and easy… if you don’t understand something, you think it’s because it’s impossible and you’re too dumb. When do you ever get to feel good about yourselves?” Doing math can be very humbling. (If you’ve never been challenged doing math, let me know and I’ll find a challenge for you.)
There are lots of intersecting reasons that so many people think they’re bad at math, even when they’re not…especially when they’re not. For example, do this right now: do a Google image search for “mathematician.” Scroll until you see someone who looks like you. Can you find anyone? I haven’t seen all of your faces on Zoom, but I’m willing to bet none of you look like this bro:
Assignment
Choose one of the following prompts. Then write a response of about 5 sentences and drop it in the comments below.
- Read an article on “math anxiety” (for example this one). Math anxiety is a real thing and there have been tons of articles written on it! Summarize the article. What parts of it resonated the most with you? What is a situation during which you remember experiencing math anxiety in your life? Were you able to overcome it? How? Have your feelings about math changed as you’ve gotten older?
- Go back to the results of your Google image search for “mathematician.” Find a picture of a mathematician who looks like you. What is their name? Research this person’s biography and summarize it for us. What did you find most interesting about their life? What is a question you would ask this person about their life if you could?
- Okay, let’s get personal! Have you ever thought, “I’m bad at math,” yourself? Have you ever said it out loud? How often does this thought come into your head? In what circumstances? What do you do when it happens? Have any of your friends or classmates ever said this about themselves to you? What would you tell your friend if they said “I’m bad at math” to you? What do you think makes people think they’re bad at math? What do you do to challenge these thoughts? How can we support people when they feel like this? (Bonus: respond to someone else’s comment on this prompt; be nice.)
If your response is too long for a comment or if you want to include pictures (especially for prompt #2), feel free to submit your own new post. Use the category Bad at math and copy the link into the comments below.
You will earn participation credit for your comment.
Back to pushups
I’ve never been one to enjoy working out. But a few summers ago, I started doing these “quick workouts” that appeared in a meditation app I use. These workouts are pretty short and not very advanced, but they’re challenging enough for me to do consistently. And guess what… I still can’t do a pushup! Hahahahaha, but I am getting a lot better at the kind of half-pushup where you keep your knees on the floor! At some point, as long as I keep up the workouts, I’ll be ready to graduate to the full-pushup. (Edit: I’ve totally stopped doing pushups since I first gave this assignment!!)
So here is one more question for you: why do you think am I talking so much to you about pushups in a math class???
Prompt 3
I always say that I’m bad at math. When this thought crosses my mind, it’s usually when I’m doing homework and reviewing my notes that we covered in class. If I get stuck while doing a problem, I get frustrated and discouraged.(that’s when I say I’m bad at math. Both in my head and out loud.) If I attempt a problem and I get it wrong more than 3 times, I give up and I don’t try the problem again. I convince myself I’m not cut out for this and give up.
I’m trying to change this line of thinking lol.
Prompt 3
I say that I’m bad at math pretty often. Whenever I encounter a challenge that I can’t understand I always go “wow I’m terrible at this” under my breath. I also say that when comparing myself to other people, for example if they understand math that I don’t. It’s a pretty bad habit of mine. On the contrast however, whenever I figure something out, I always say “wow I’m a genius” and it always gives me confidence that I can solve any kind of problem. Unless its during an exam, my brain shuts down during those
Prompt 2:
The criteria for mathematicians who resemble me or vice versa is rather small, so I had to search Filipino mathematicians then look for any with glasses and a flat nose. Fr Bienvenido Nebres is the President of Ateneo de Manila University from 1993. Nebres is credited with doctorates and masters in math from Stanford along with philosophy degrees from Berchmans. This priest also once served as President of the Southeast Asian mathematical society. The Philippines owes Nebres 15 articles of mathematical education.
I chose Srinivasa Ramanujan because he looks similar to me with his hairstyle, face, and also wearing glasses.
Srinivasa Ramanujan was born in Erode, India on December 22, 1887. When Ramanujan was 15, he found an out-of-date book called “A Synopsis of Elementary Results in Pure and Applied Mathematics” and began studying its hundreds of theorems before he eventually created many of his own. Although soon after high school he gained 2 scholarships he lost them both at the Government College and the University of Madras because his commitment to math led him to neglect his other classes. Thanks to the help of another mathematician G. H. Hardy he was able to obtain both a research scholarship at the University of Madras and a grant from Cambridge. In the end he obtained a bachelor of science degree for research from the Cambridge in 1916 as well as became a member of the Royal Society of London in 1918.
One question I would ask him if I could would be: If you had the opportunity to travel the world but could no longer focus and make math your top priority… would you take it?
1) What resonated the most for me was the fact that article talks about how good you are at math only relates to how confident you are in yourself and how prepared you are. Along with the fact that even if some people are naturally better at math, will not do them justice if they do not put in the time like everyone else. My issue with math is that I tend to overthink problems or sometimes need to see problems completed that are similar so I know what to do. I usually do not get math anxiety, but when I am being timed to solve a problem and I am not sure what to do I get frustrated. Sometimes I have made it through and sometimes I have to take the loss, but at the end I have to look up the solution so I know how to complete it.
2) Niels Henrik Abel. I have been searching for some time and out of the mathematicians I have seen, I feel like I look more like Niels Henrik Abel than anyone else. He was born in 1802 and is mostly famous for proving the impossibility of solving the quintic equation in radicals. Covering some of his biography, his father was a poor minister. Niels Henrik Abel’s mathematical talent was noticed when after he changed schools and by his new math teacher. Niels Henrik Abel was introduced to the classics of mathematical literature. He began to study works of Sir Isaac Newton, Leonhard Euler, Joseph Louis Lagrange, and Carl Friedrich Gauss in preparation for his research. He later went on to completing a major paper on the theory of integrals of algebraic functions. He later on went back to Norway suffering form tuberculosis but he had a temporary teaching position. Still pushing through, he still wrote a great number of papers until he died in 1828. The one question I would ask him is has math ever made you feel unable to solve a problem when you were younger?
3) I have thought I was bad at math because sometimes I would spend more time that anyone should spend on a question and not get anywhere. When it comes to this, that is when I get frustrated. I do not necessarily think I am bad, it is just that I do not know and sources I am using for help is not clear enough. I think that what makes people think they are bad at math is that they are not sure what to do. It may be that they are not prepared, that they are overthinkers just like me, or that the approach they took was not the approach needed. What I do when I am frustrated is that I take a break, then come back and review what I know and understand. I may also use some YouTube videos using the same method to get an idea how to approach the problem.
Philip Emeagwali designed the program and formula for the fastest computer on earth, the Connection Machine. He designed the system of parallel computers that are used by all search engines, for example Yahoo or Search.com. Philip Emeagwali was born in Akure, Nigeria on 23 August 1954.One thing I find interesting about him is he is from my country of birth but I have never heard of him, feels strange to me. What sacrifice did it take for you to be extraordinary good at math?
https://openlab.citytech.cuny.edu/https-openlabcitytechcunyedu-poiriermat2680fall2022/2022/09/12/am-i-bad-at-math/
Prompt #3:
I started thinking I was bad at math when I took MAT 2580 (Linear Algebra) last semester. I never really had a problem with any of my math courses until I took that class. It used to take me hours, sometimes the whole day just to answer a few questions. I lost confidence in my abilities. Some days, I felt like I didn’t even know what was going on. I would just stare blankly at the screen trying to figure out what to do. Even when I used outside sources for help, it was still challenging for me. Also, trying to remember all those theorems was tough. Although I pass the class (barely), I still believe I’m “bad at math”. Maybe my mindset will change when I retake the class.
Prompt 3
I feel like after my second year in college I have gotten worse at math. Even after studying for countless hours, I always forget or miss something. I tell myself that I’m bad at math whenever I don’t understand a question or when I make a small mistake. I think what makes people think they are “bad at math” is that there is a lot of memorization. It could be a bit overwhelming but I think people should study as much as they can and try their best.
I totally agree with you Rafael and hopefully we can all pass this class so we can not be that stressed when we take the final.
Hopefully we pass with flying colors lol
Prompt 3
Of course I’m bad at math! It’s already amazing that I have gotten this far with my math skills. I’ve been horrible at math ever since back in middle school where they began to introduce timed exams of doing simple multiplication and don’t even get me started when they started asking for proofs of shapes, like it’s a square! Anyways, I know I’m not good at math because everytime I have to take an exam, my mind freezes and doesn’t recall anything until there is thirty minutes left and suddenly remember everything so I end up rushing against time and my hand cramping. Me personally, I feel like the best to help me would have at most 2 hours for an exam or as a take-home but even I know that’s a stretch to get.
Prompt 3:
I took Linear Algebra last semester and the class was a bit difficult for me due to many stuff. That’s when I started thinking that I was bad at math. The first exam i got a good grade and the second one my grade went low and I started thinking that I was not that good at math because it was too much work to do and many theorems to remember. But i decided that my third exam will not be like the second one. I focused more and did a lot practice and after the third exam my grades went up. I realized i was not that bad in math, I just need to focus more and do a lot practices. I passed the class but overall it was not that easy.