Comment due on the OpenLab Monday, September 19
“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 (in different classes) over the last few weeks. It’s devastating to me to hear anyone say this about themselves…let alone my own students.
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 at least 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???
1.
Imposter’s syndrome. I haven’t experienced this when it comes to math but the message I will write will resonate with this prompt. Imposter syndrome is loosely defined as doubting your abilities and feeling like a fraud. While I spent my time developing and learning Front end development, these feelings clouded me till the point where I felt like they were me. I felt like I truly wasn’t good enough, and never will be good enough. These malicious thoughts pestered my mind like fruit flies to a ripe apple, the self deprecation pounding itself into my personality, determined to convince myself that I have no worth. Fortunately, I don’t feel that way for math, math feels simpler, as long as you take the time, learn the formulas and spend some time repeating problems. You’ll learn these formulas in no time. In my case, I still have some catching up to do.
2.
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTz7E3YXv08cogakYUPYCyRPX7ZAZ5C09RxmQ&usqp=CAU
3.
I’ve never felt I’m bad at math, I would never say I’m good at math either. Math to me is something I master then slowly phase out of my life. I used to be a master of algebra, now I forget how to do a linear equation, I used to be a master of geometry, now I forget the angles of a triangle. I learn for the class, but I barely use it in my life so I end up forgetting all that I learned. So I wouldn’t say I lie on either side of the spectrum, I feel that like me, everyone just needs to spend time and watch some tutorials and then practice on problems until they understand it.
Prompt #3:
I’ve thought to myself before saying that I’m bad at math. I normally say it internally in my head and not out loud. I haven’t met anyone who’s said this about themselves but I have known people who say that their strong points are in different subjects. In my opinion I think in a school setting people believe they’re bad at math because the examples shown in class are more or less easy examples that help the students get a better understanding of the topic that’s being taught. But when it’s homework or a test the difficulty levels are higher making it more confusing, leading them to assume they’re just bad at math. What I would do to challenge these thoughts is to practice more easy problems and slowly move up as I get more familiar with the topic. Also maybe watching videos from Khan Academy or YouTube could make it easier.
I found this guy named Jesse Ernest Wilkins Jr. He’s is an known African American Mathematicians. During World War II, Wilkins contributed to the Manhattan Project. He published around 100 scientific papers (over 55 in mathematics). The National Academy of Engineering elected him as its second African American member (1965). Wilkins established Howard University’s brand-new PhD program in mathematics in 1970 while serving as the institution’s distinguished professor of Applied Mathematical Physics.
3. I felt bad at math when I participated in the AMC. It’s a math competition for high schoolers and I took part in junior and senior year but never did well enough to move on to the next round. The test has 25 questions, listed in order of easiest to hardest. You need to score in the top 5% to move to the next round, which equates to getting only about 12-14 questions correct.
The AMC claims to test problem-solving ability, so you don’t need advanced math to solve the questions, just a creative way of thinking. This will make you feel especially bad if you don’t do well. Or at least, until you realize problem-solving is not an innate ability and, like any other skill, has to be practiced. Looking back, the kids that did well on the AMC competed in math competitions since middle school or even earlier. Being ‘good’ at math is largely a product of how much time you put in, and it is easy to feel bad at math when everyone around you has done it for longer.
After my senior year I was disappointed in missing the cutoff and too old to retake the test, but I looked up popular problem solving textbooks anyway and went through them. They target mathematical thinking in a different way than the classroom and greatly improved my ability in both. I can now solve 12-14 questions on the AMC pretty reliably. And more importantly, I realized anyone can be good at math if they’re willing to work for it.
Prompt 2:
The person with the closest resemblance to me is Gloria Ford Gilmer. (I did say closest.) She was born in 1928 and recently passed away in August of last year. She published two research papers in 1956, making her the first African American woman to do so. She also became the first African American woman to be on the board of governors of the Mathematical Association of American in the 1980’s. Throughout her career, she also taught mathematics in public schools and and six HBCUs.
3.
Personally, I have never really thought I was bad at math. I loved math growing up and it was in fact my favorite subject. But I have definitely said it more than I should. When a subject gets difficult, when I’m stuck with homework or when I have to memorize formulas or equations, I say and also repeat it at times. It happens here and there and my friends have definitely said it a lot more than I do. When my friends would say that, I would crack jokes and cheer them up a little bit. “You’re not so bad” and “You got this” are a few of my responses when someone or one of my friends would tell me that they personally think they are bad at math. I believe what makes people think they are bad at this particular subject is it is a hard subject. The memorization of certain equations, how long it takes to solve certain equations, the mixture of numbers and terms, and more just make the subject itself so complicated. I challenged these thoughts by challenging myself to understand the subject that made me believe in the first place that I am bad at math. A way we can support people when they feel like this is just helping out. Maybe they have been tutoring, or even just another discussion about the subject.
I read the article you posted from The Atlantic, and I must say it was very interesting to read. It explains that math skill should not be misinterpreted as a “nature” thing, something genetic, or something you’re born with. Math is a skill that can be greatly improved with hard work. I feel that the author also missed a certain point. He says that people wrongly think that since math skill is genetic, some people just aren’t ‘math people’. I think that there is a second part to this issue, which is that we now understand that people have different ways of learning that their brains absorb more knowledge than through other methods. The misconception of math being genetic should really be understood as that some people are not learning math in the way that suits them best. If we can all learn math to our unique abilities and learning methods, we can all expect to grasp more math skill.
2.
I couldn’t really find a person that looks like me but I looked up someone that could be a long lost relative. I don’t know why very Arab thinks there your cousin for sum reason. Abu Rayhan Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Biruni is commonly known as al Biruni he was known for mathematics and physics. He wrote 146 books and 95 was written about mathematics and physics. what interest me about him was he originated in Middle-west and he followed Islam. If i had a question i would ask him what interest him about math and why he wrote the books.
Prompt #3
Yes, I have told myself that im “bad at math”. I feel like I tell myself that im bad at math when im struggling to solve a problem or maybe a topic in general. As you progress through school math does get harder and thats when it takes for me or someone to understand a topic or a math problem. As ive progressed through college the math classes ive taken have started to get harder so there is times where I do say im bad at math. What I do when I say that is I try and focus on one thing at a time. I need to stop overthinking and try to learn stuff little by little. Yeah, ive had friends and classmates who have told me that theyre bad at math. For example if were solving a problem and they cant figure it out they would theyre bad at math, even though the only reason they couldnt solve it is because they just forgot how to do it. What I would tell them my friends who think theyre bad at math is the same thing i would tell myself, to stop overthinking and take things little by little. What I think what makes us think were bad at math is when we forget how to solve something or when we see something weve never seen before. I feel like we can support each other by asking questions and solving problems together. We need to force ourselves to learn the material and make sure we help each other learn along the way as well.
I chose prompt 3.
Personally, the only real time that I began to say, “I’m bad at math,” is when there were some things that were being taught that I didn’t really get right away. Sometimes I would say it jokingly, but near the second half of my junior year in high school, I noticed that I had a hard time understanding the topics being introduced and began to say that phrase much more often. This thought process continued even after, and at this point, I struggle with what I’m being taught even to this day. There is not much that I can do to change that process of thinking unless I decide to go to YouTube and have someone else explain it to me.
But it’s during that time that I begin to realize, that maybe it was the way it was explained to me that made it difficult for me to understand. Some teachers may go too fast and as such, I don’t fully grasp the concept. But with, say, a video, I can play the lesson over and over again, until I get the topic. I believe that the reason that some people say, “I’m bad at math,” is because certain topics weren’t explained well enough for them and may need a more detailed example. That is also what I say to most of my friends when they say that. That may be because the lesson wasn’t detailed enough for them. The best way to encourage people like them is to encourage them and provide the necessary support to help them fully grasp whatever it is that they are struggling with.
Prompt 3
Yes I definitely have a lot so far in this semester. I don’t think I say it out a loud but I do say things in the same context. Every time I see a Math problem that I thought I knew how to solve. When it happens I just give up for the day and try again another day. If I still don’t understand I search my good old friend google for examples and explanations. If I had a friend say they were bad at math I would say me too. Only thing is it’s only when I don’t understand what I am solving. When these thoughts pop up I just go with the flow and give up. It’s only easy when you understand so keep trying.
Advice to you is to ask questions, no matter how simple you may think it may be ask. You can only benefit from asking questions and who knows maybe someone else had the same question as you.
Prompt #1: Miles Kimball’s, Noah Smith’s, and Quartz’s article aims to dismantle the false ideal in mathematics, which is the assumption that being good at math or higher intelligence in certain skills is genetic and not learned. They root out this assumption being based upon test-takers who believe their peers are going into the course they’re taking at the same level of preparation, which is false. They discover that familial pressure and values in education was the real factor towards a person’s intellect in math for the basis of their youth. Open mindedness was another factor as those who believed that one’s own intellect can be increased would perform better compared to those who obstinate in the belief of it is not being changeable performed worse. The part that was more profound to me was the societal value of education in different areas of the world, like the example they used of Japan being their value of education as high. I chose this piece of the article as I wish the US would value investing more into this part of our society. I experience math anxiety during exams with extensive amounts of questions, as I usually get fatigued easily from doing so much all at once. Also, I experience math anxiety during exams as I always am subconsciously thinking of the timer that goes along with it. I was able to overcome my anxiety with long exams, but I still am always nervous about my time limit. I was able to overcome long exams by doing the questions by their rate of difficulty to myself instead of doing it in a normal numerical order fashion. My feelings about math has became more optimistic as I aged compared to my past.
I always love challenging myself that’s why I love math! even though sometimes I don’t understand it, but here is the fun about it to challenge myself to understand it. I love to challenge myself until I find my way to understanding even though sometimes seemed impossible to understand problems. However, nothing is impossible if I keep trying and once I understand the method, that’s it I get the solution. With all these being said I still sometimes I feel that “I’m Bad at Math” to be honest all depends on the way math being thought and the way it is explained.
Prompt 2:
The mathematician I chose is called Benjamin Banneker. He was an astronomer, scientist and a mathematician. This was a very big accomplishment because this happened during the American revolution. He is also considered to be one of the firsts African American scientists. What I found the most interesting is the fact that he did this while slavery was still very active & showed people what a free person could do. One question I would like to ask this person is, how much of an impact do you think you had on the people during the time you were alive?
when it comes to math I don’t think I’m bad at math but when it comes to taking the test its pretty much wraps for me, my mind goes blank, and have no idea what I’m looking at. I always liked math until they started putting the alphabet into it once we got x and y and z, I knew I wouldn’t be the best at math but somehow I’ve ended up into calculus 2 already so I’d say I’m doing pretty good and that I’m not bad in math. I chose George cantor not because he looks like me but because he has a nice beard.
3. The thoughts of, “I’m bad at math,” and saying that out loud of myself seems true and others as well. This often comes my head whenever I received a grade or knowing the performance I done to the quiz / work that I wrote down of all explanation in ever since end of high school career. So, whenever this happens, I sometimes ask other if they encounter similar issue, and my friends agree and said about it to us and others of struggling also. But, if my friend said “I’m bad at math” to me, I just try to help or just say “same, I’m bad too”. The thoughts or the thinking makes people they’re bad at math is either we barely focus, involvement to the topic, or we’re just afraid to be criticized or something else that challenges our thoughts. Overall, the best support I think for us all when feeling like this situation, just either ask for help online, or a close friend who can help too.
Prompt #3:
See, I was never really bad at math, or thought I was bad at math, because I’m just built differently. Nah, but seriously it is probably because I like challenges and I’m persistent. I, also, don’t really have a fear factor, so it never really crossed my mind. The closest and most recent was probably in May. After we finished Calc I in HS, my teacher was briefly intro-ing a kid into Calc II. At the time, he was showing sins, cos, tan, square roots, etc (what I would later know at Trig-Sub). As I looked at what was happening, I said, “that’s scary and seems like a long day.” There was a partial truth in it, but I just wrapped up senior year of HS and didn’t want to do more math. And look, now Trig-sub is light work.
I do want to bring in another point of view of my friends saying they’re “bad at math.” Again, math kind of boils down to perseverance and challenges. Whenever a friend is struggling with something, I always say to break it down and understand the fundamentals. It’s the same in math; a solid foundation, built by small blocks, allows you to learn the content a lot better. It just takes perseverance and friendly pushes. Also, the more you don’t like it the more you start hating it and calling yourself bad.