Im failing a remedial algebra course in college

[Speedo]

Edit: Also, I'm a bit suprised that they even offer "Remedial Algebra" at college. The highschool I attended made it mandatory that all kids at least pass pre-cal to graduate.

Just depends on state requirements. In NC only Algebra I is required to graduate HS. And with that kind of requirement, I would be reasonably confident in guessing that you went to a private HS?

You'll also find a lot of "remedial" type courses at community colleges, particularly for the people coming back to school who haven't been in a classroom of any sort in 20 years.

 

[pboily]

Tell me pboily, what types of math courses do you teach and do you really fail a lot of students? Do you have a rough percentage of the failure rate or does it vary from year to year?

It depends, of course. My averages for first year courses tend to hover around 65-68%, and I'd say up to 15% of the students fail. In more advanced courses, students don't necessarily do better, but the failure rate is smaller. It makes sense in a way: if you teach to 8 third year mathematics students, there is some level of interest/maturity. If you teach to 200 admin first year students... though, to be fair, I have been suprised often by such students.

Something I will never understand are college/university students that purposely blow off their courses and subsequently fail them. I thought it was an overblown myth in high school but now that I've been in university for three and a half years, I'm surprised how often it happens.

I understand that in the States college is a whole lot more expensive than in Canada, but if I had to form an educated guess, I'd say the students who have their studies paid for tend to blow off their courses more than those who have to pay their own way. Now, that is not true of all such students, and there are plenty of students without handouts who are not too great, but it still boggles the mind, doesn't it? The students I enjoy the most are those who come back to school after a prolonged absence: they are invariably motivated and disciplined.

 

[Ethics]

I understand that in the States college is a whole lot more expensive than in Canada, but if I had to form an educated guess, I'd say the students who have their studies paid for tend to blow off their courses more than those who have to pay their own way. Now, that is not true of all such students, and there are plenty of students without handouts who are not too great, but it still boggles the mind, doesn't it? The students I enjoy the most are those who come back to school after a prolonged absence: they are invariably motivated and disciplined.

I think maturity is the major factor (although, "good" and "bad" students come in waves across education). I recall the magnitude of change in my thinking from 14-18 (and I was "mature" for my age), but the 18-22 span was an even greater one.

I just see some of the kids on my end in the public school system, and they all have this arrogance of success and going off to college. The problem is, you can hardly get them to sit down and do a worksheet in highschool... they don't realize that a professor is a lot less anchored by the state to "motivate" you to work.

That said, I recall the anxiety of the night before my first exam (algebra ironically). I just couldn't sleep and ended up going downstairs in the freezing cold to talk with the smokers. After the formalities with one fellow, I became shocked to learn that he was going to skip all his exams because his father had gotten him into his favored school in Michigan... and there was "no way" they could trace his failing grades back to him. This, along with the cost/shamefulness of failing were always the reasons I looked towards to push myself as much as my developing brain could go.

Theres something to be said for leniency for students (especially freshman in college), but sometimes they have to take the harder route in life. At some point, the hammer must come down, and lessons must be learned.

 

[Stegyre]

I'll add my own, cruelly-blunt advice:
(1) Get off the web;
(2) Pack up the computer games (even the stuff from Sid Meier); and
(3) Turn of the T.V.
. . . until you have passed this class. If you're performing like this on something so fundamental, you're getting too much entertainment and not enough studying. Whatever you need to do to make this stick, you need to do it.

While everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses, and math is a definite weakness for some (you included), this is very basic stuff you're being tested on. It is on a par with functional literacy. Math comes up everywhere: even ditch diggers have to balance a check book and pay income tax.

 

[Gogf]

I'll add my own, cruelly-blunt advice:
(1) Get off the web;
(2) Pack up the computer games (even the stuff from Sid Meier); and
(3) Turn of the T.V.
. . . until you have passed this class. If you're performing like this on something so fundamental, you're getting too much entertainment and not enough studying. Whatever you need to do to make this stick, you need to do it.

While everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses, and math is a definite weakness for some (you included), this is very basic stuff you're being tested on. It is on a par with functional literacy. Math comes up everywhere: even ditch diggers have to balance a check book and pay income tax.

No offense intended at all (I'm not very good at sounding tactful, but I'm trying!), but I have to agree with this. Take a look at this screenshot from the top few threads in the Off Topic forum:

If you're failing such a basic class, don't you think this time can be spent better elsewhere?

 

[Xanikk999]

Its only the first test. I already said I UNDERSTAND MOST OF IT.

I just make mistakes sometimes and in math if you make a mistake the whole thing is wrong.

Making mistakes in arithmatic doesnt mean you dont know it.

My only fault for some of them is i didnt doublecheck it. But some of them i forgot and wasnt sure of so i did my best.

 

[mdwh]

I just make mistakes sometimes and in math if you make a mistake the whole thing is wrong.

Making mistakes in arithmatic doesnt mean you dont know it.

Well this is an important question - is the problem a lack of knowledge/understanding, or are you just slipping up a lot? If the latter, all I can suggest is practice. On the other hand, your answer for the scientific notation one suggests a lack of knowledge.

The greatests mathematicians can be crap at mental arithmetic, and a good maths test won't penalise you for making one little mistake, as long as you've shown your working.

I agree that question b is a bit odd and misleading - no one uses the divide sign in any non-basic maths anyway.

 

[Tomoyo]

I have a question: Does that test award partial credit? If so, one mistake doesn't make the whole thing wrong. A example a question on such a test would be like:

1. Simplify:

2(3) + 1

Student A:

2(3) + 1
6 + 1
7

Student B:

2(3) + 1
5 + 1
6

Student C:

2(3) + 1
5 + 1
7

Student A would get two points, B one point, and C none.

 

[Stegyre]

Its only the first test. I already said I UNDERSTAND MOST OF IT.

I just make mistakes sometimes and in math if you make a mistake the whole thing is wrong.

Making mistakes in arithmatic doesnt mean you dont know it.

My only fault for some of them is i didnt doublecheck it. But some of them i forgot and wasnt sure of so i did my best.

Reminds me of my favorite quote from Finding Nemo: "Denial."

Get back to the books.

 

[brachy-pride]

Now I am confused, College means university or secondary school ?
The problems look quite easy

 

[Adamb0mb]

Algebra can be tedious but its just a matter of practice. Once you get enough familiarity you'll be able to simplify those types of expressions as easily as your reading these words.

 

[spankey]

No offense intended at all (I'm not very good at sounding tactful, but I'm trying!), but I have to agree with this. Take a look at this screenshot from the top few threads in the Off Topic forum:

If you're failing such a basic class, don't you think this time can be spent better elsewhere?

to copy others(imitiation is the sincerest form of flattery), quoted for truthery

 

[Xanikk999]

Now I am confused, College means university or secondary school ?
The problems look quite easy

Do you know what a remedial class is?

 

[brachy-pride]

No, sorry

My english is not that good

 

[Sephiroth]

If you're omitting * and the first line should read ((9+6)*4)+6, then the answer is not 58 but 66... but I don't understand your point?

you are wrong, try again.
((9+6)4)+6=
(13*4)+6=
52+6=58

 

[sanabas]

you are wrong, try again.
((9+6)4)+6=
(13*4)+6=
52+6=58

9+6=15, not 13. Try again.

 

[plarq]

I confess that I have done a bad thing--to post Xanikk's test paper on some college BBS anonymously...hope he doesn't get mad at me.

 

[brandon_simpson]

Let's see. (12/4)*3 is 9, and 12/(4*3) is 1. I seem to remember than should you encounter a:b*c, you're supposed to do the operations as they come.


Hard to argue with that.

In your examples, you get different answers because you're following the order of operations correctly: (Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication/Division, Addition/Subtraction). When you get to M/V or A/S, you have to go left to right. Let's analyze your example:

(12/4)*3=9 (You had to perform the division first because it was in parentheses. 12/4 is 3, then you multiplied by 3 to get 9.

12/(4*3)=1 (You had to perform multiplication first because it was in parentheses. 4*3=12. Then you have 12/12, which equals 1.

If you want to know why multiplication and division are the same thing, the answer is that "division" is really multiplying by a number's reciprocal.

50/2=25 50(1/2)=25

The reciprocal of 2 is 1/2.

Subtraction is the same as adding a negative number.

3-1=2
-1+3=2
3+(-1)=2

 

[MobBoss]

First post for a 3 year necro?

Wow.

 

[azzaman333]

Oh, I was hoping Xanikk was back...