My Math Experience
My first semester in college didn’t go so great that’s because I had problems with my math class. For me math was always a big problem I had to deal with. It seems that I always had to study longer and harder than anyone else. So that’s why I made the decision to drop my math class last semester and take a virtual math instead this semester. Since I have had the opportunity to take a classroom based math and virtual math I’ve seen the differences in both courses.
Making the move from a classroom to a virtual class I have notice a change in teaching methods. In the math class taught by a professor I would have the liberty of having someone to sit down and explain the process to me rather than doing it all alone. Unlike virtual school I don’t have someone to help me every minute. I have to rely on myself and what problems are given to me. Last semester I would ask the professor for help on composite functions, but this semester I have to learn it on my own and look at videos online on how to do it. In the class room the professor would teach me using the white...
Learning, like religion, is a social experience.” Currently, I have a class that I am enrolled in, often I find myself asking “Why I am in this class?” I learn nothing from this lady, her notes are continuously blurry, and every single student is unable to read them. She talks in circles and expects everyone to be able to follow. Personally, I wish I would have taken an online course for this particular class. Everything I have learned in this class has been solely self-taught. To be prepared for the class, I pre-read the chapter we will be having a discussion about in addition to study the curriculum, still I cannot keep up or understand what is coming out of her mouth. I also feel that I am not the only one in class that is completely lost, which makes me feel better about the whole situation. Whereas I am also enrolled in another class, which I adore and value every single minute. This particular class requires an hour and forty-five minutes a day for four days a week. To think this class I feared the most when I enrolled at the beginning of school. Surprisingly now, it is by far my favorite! I have learned so much information in such a little span of time. It is truly remarkable, the change of mind I have had towards this subject! Credit is due to my professor, she is outstanding! Then, of course, I have this class! Comp 1, which as you know is online. There has been struggles, as I think I would have learned better with face to face encounters with my peers and involved discussion with other students and a professor, although I think I have managed to keep my head above the water so far. All- together, with only my brief personal experience given, you cannot say online courses are worse than an in class
I also learned that mathematics was more than merely an intellectual activity: it was a necessary tool for getting a grip on all sorts of problems in science and engineering. Without mathematics there is no progress. However, mathematics could also show its nasty face during periods in which problems that seemed so simple at first sight refused to be solved for a long time. Every math student will recognize these periods of frustration and helplessness.
One of the major reasons I dropped out was the fact that my Math t...
I particularly enjoyed the YouTube Videos with Khan Academy to learn different mathematical concepts. Because Math did not come easily like other subjects, I would repeatedly replay videos after videos until I started a library with all my videos in one place. Between Mrs. Goggins’ after school tutorials, long nights of studying, the use of Khan Academy and other YouTube videos, I made up for my loss in first semester Algebra by successfully completing second semester Ninth Grade Algebra with a
In the beginning of the semester, I thought it would be enjoyable to take Anatomy and Physiology since I had already taken it in high school and actually received a high grade. I had heard from many students that this class is much harder in college and will often have a big lecture setting with more than three-hundred students, but I brushed this off and went into the classroom with a positive attitude. I quickly learned that big lectures were not the classes that I would succeed in, instead I preferred a small classroom setting where I am able to ask questions whenever needed. Throughout the semester, I also learned that I prefer online classes when it comes to mathematics and social sciences because they can be self-taught and I found myself often uninterested during the
There are also many conveniences and benefits to taking an online class over a traditional, face-to-face class. Many students benefit logistically, financially, and from the course structure itself. Online classes provide the student with more opportunities to be successful in their coursework. Online courses can be completed based on the student's own schedule, provide for faster and less nervous interactions with instructors, and in many cases, are more educationally beneficial setting alternatives to traditional, face-to-face classes. In fact, Sixty-seven percent of academic professionals evaluated online courses as equivalent to as or better than face-to-face courses (Lytle).
As a secondary subject, society often views mathematics a critical subject for students to learn in order to be successful. Often times, mathematics serves as a gatekeeper for higher learning and certain specific careers. Since the times of Plato, “mathematics was virtually the first thing everyone has to learn…common to all arts, science, and forms of thought” (Stinson, 2004). Plato argued that all students should learn arithmetic; the advanced mathematics was reserved for those that would serve as the “philosopher guardians” of the city (Stinson, 2004). By the 1900s in the United States, mathematics found itself as a cornerstone of curriculum for students. National reports throughout the 20th Century solidified the importance of mathematics in the success of our nation and its students (Stinson, 2004). As a mathematics teacher, my role to educate all students in mathematics is an important one. My personal philosophy of mathematics education – including the optimal learning environment and best practices teaching strategies – motivates my teaching strategies in my personal classroom.
Math is probably one of the only subjects that I have really struggled my whole life or more accurately, all my years being in school. Math has been such trouble and really challenging because I cannot really remember mathematical formulas and problem solving methods. It is actually a real struggle when taking a math test or exam, especially a final exam. Trying to remember all those methods and formulas, it makes it hard to think and focus on finishing up all the problems on time. Even though I am often am
Furthermore, some may suggest that online learning is benefiting our students in society. There has been a breakthrough in time and geographical limitations of education via online courses (Ho, 2009). Online education is cost-effective, efficient, and easily accessible (Schmeeckle, 2003). Online classes are used for individual and independent learning in which the student can learn at their own pace (Gonzalez, 2009). Not only is online education beneficial for breaking down barriers, online education has the potential to help students learn material more efficiently. Students are more likely to seek help from their instructors when the material is taught online (Whipp & Lorentz, 2009). Computer use in statistical classes could help decrease math anxiety (Gundy, Morton, Liu, & Kline, 2006). In a study that measured online students’ ability to achieve the same efficiency of course material as face-to-face students, at least 98% of students reported that they had, so one may be lead to believe that online learning is just as efficient as face-to-face courses (Liebowitz, 2003). With all of the positive aspects of online education, one may wonder why there is any debate as to whether or not online education is beneficial for
Today’s generation is like no other. The nation as a whole has completely evolved from past times, with technology being one of the greatest improvements. Traditionally, schooling takes place in a classroom setting, but, with the many modifications in our world’s system, we are able to assimilate more modern means of education, such as online learning. However, with many changes comes differences and requires adjustments. The online learning system has proven to be just as effective as traditional learning, with some minor differences, however, nothing of great significance. A few of those insignificant differences include online learning being convenient, especially for the non-traditional students,
... Students taking online classes might find it easier to attend family gatherings, travel, and attend to personal needs. An online class allows the students to work on their own time, whereas the traditional classes they have to stick with a schedule. There are many differences between taking an online class and a traditional class, time, communication, teacher-student ratio, time and the teaching methods. Both courses still have some similarities between them and what they require the student to do.
All of our lives, we have gone through school learning with many other students in a classroom, and using books. But what if things were to change? What if instead of getting up to go to school, we simply had to just turn our computers on. Virtual Education is becoming a new way to teach and learn. Using computers, students can interact with other students and instructors, go to a history lecture with people all across the world, and even dissect frogs.
I used to struggle with multiplication tables to the point where I would fail all of the in class quizzes. With plenty of practice and help from my grandmother, I have improved greatly in that area. This helps me complete more difficult math problems much faster. I have learned the concepts behind math as well as the math itself. In my calculus class, my teacher would always explain how a formula was created and why it works before he explained how it was used. This has helped me see the deeper purpose of math instead of just the surface, where we are told to do a problem without really knowing why. Another specific math topic that I have struggled with in the past is factoring. When the concept was first introduced to me, I was so confused that I got every single problem wrong. I asked for help every time but I just did not understand how someone could figure out the numbers off the top of their head. Since then, I have done hundreds of factoring problems in order to practice. Now, I get almost every problem right. I purposefully did these problems so that I could improve my skills, since I knew I would need them in the future. Overall, I think I have also improved my patient with math. I am able to think critically about a problem and figure out why I’m getting it wrong instead of instantly getting angry and giving up. That’s also a good skill to
When learning lessons over the internet, you might think its great that you can study anytime and anywhere. Sometimes other things can get in the way of your study time. When you go to school, there is a schedule to go by and nothing can really get in the way to distract you from studying. Being in the classroom listening to a teacher is much more interesting than sitting at home staring at a computer monitor. Not every teacher makes lessons interesting but most do, so I think it outweighs learning over the internet.
For decades, going to school has become every kid’s nightmare which haunts them for an eternity, from Pre-K to senior in high school. I still remember waking up at 6 in the morning just to catch the school bus, or else I have to march one and a half mile hike to school. Especially in the winter time, when walking was not an entertaining way to commute from my house to school and back. It was all hades. And then, I started to think about a way of learning education which does not require the present of students, nor teachers. But that was just an idea, I thought. Then after high school moving on to college, the idea of taking courses without having to be in an actual classroom came true when I found out colleges do offer online classes, with virtual classrooms and interactions. This new education method is called distance learning.