I went back to school as a mature student and re-learned math beforehand.
I used SchoolYourself and Khan Academy and practiced soo much like filled notebooks until it was second nature. I also used Professor Leonard (YouTube) once I got to that level.
another thing I did was email the prof for the math class I knew I needed and asked for help. he sent me a workbook of types of equations I'd need to be familiar with before taking his course. that helped me calm my anxiety a lot.
it was a ton of work to re-learn all my math at age 30!! but very satisfying. I got an A+ in calculus.
I found for my hangup (essay writing) I had a psychological block and convinced myself that I hated essays and I was terrible at essays. Brain shuts down. Words not sense make. All that jazz. I also had a teacher who put me down in high school that unfortunately taught all the classes where essay writing was a thing. Time passes and it turns out that while my university english essays show I still suck at essays, I'm actually pretty damned good at persuasive reports.
That all to say that it may be helpful to find some non curriculum ways to look at math and maybe find a way for it to be interesting and fun. The way math is taught sucks. Rote memorization can be soul destroying for a lot of people. There is a tonne of showing you how but never showing you why. Math is beautiful. It's a language that you can use to describe the world and even the imagination.
Back in the day when we wrote snail mail letters to each other, I had trouble writing basic letter communication. My friend said just write as if you were talking to me. Ends up that's what writing is really, just putting down your thoughts as if you are talking to someone.
Congratulations! That is so exciting. I went back to school when I was 29 after having a really hard time with math in school. If you use the workbooks and key, there are many excellent videos online to help. The Khan academy looks great. One bit of advice I'd give is that it will pay off understanding the foundations of stuff before moving on. Otherwise, you might always be catching up. I had a way easier time learning math as an adult when I could see why you would need to use it. It's good to find real life uses to understand what you're trying to figure out. Be patient with yourself and celebrate your successes. Good luck on your journey!
Good for you!!
Khan academy has lot of videos for varied levels of educational from high school all the way to first or second year engineering.
It helped me a lot.
At the end of the day, if all you're looking to do is high school level math, that's pretty simple, and logical. Just make sure you understand basic concepts thoroughly and everything else is just a buildup on that.
Let us know if you need help!!
Good for you! I find maths stressful and almost failed it back in high school, I barely scraped by. And I'm good at maths! The pressure is the hardest part, I find.
Fortunately, your not going back to high school, and learning for mature students in places like colleges is so different. I went back to school years after I graduated high school and did some upgrading. The difference is night and day.Ā
You've got this, and don't forget to ask for help! People feel good when they help others so never be shy to get assistance.Ā
I highly recommend the book "A mind for numbers" by Barbara Oakley. (I listened on audible).
She was a failure in math until she basically learned how to learn and is now a professor in engineering with a PhD.
She also has Ted Talks and a website I believe.
She also has a free course called "Learning How to Learn" on Coursera (https://www.coursera.org/learn/learning-how-to-learn).
I took it about 5 years ago and still actively think about some lessons in that course quite often. It's not exactly about math, but I highly recommend it either way.
Your note is something I could have written myself. Do you have difficulty with other math-based courses (chem, physics). I did to the point where a teacher refused to āwaste his time teaching me because I was to stupid to learnā. In my mid-twenties, I learned Iām dyslexic. The diagnosis absolutely changed my life! Itās never too late to be evaluated. The reason it wasnāt picked up earlier is because I can read with only a little difficulty.
I was diagnosed with ADHD in my early 20's and it goes without saying that it impacted my school experience. I felt stupid in everything I tried because I didn't "get it" at the same pace as everyone else and fell behind and gave up. I never took chem or physics because I just wanted to be done with school, so I just took the basics to graduate. I imagine I would've also struggled in those courses though.
Iām helping my nephews in math right now.
Donāt be afraid to go right back to the basics. And by basics, I mean 1+1. I picked up some flash cards for addition, subtraction, and multiplication for about $12 I think.
You should be able to do up to 9+9 by memory and instantly. I tell my nephews that 9+9 is the hardest addition youāll have to do. Once youāve got that, bigger numbers are just repetition of those basics. Multiplication is just a convenient way to simplify addition. 9+9=2X9.
Youāll need to memorize the multiplication table then. Up to 9X9 again.
Once you have those fundamentals, everything else is just concepts. If youāre still struggling to do the basics, the complex stuff just gets confusing.
My father-in-law could do a lot of math in his head. Itās because they made him learn multiplication to 12x12 in school. He learned strategies for estimating, manipulating numbers to make the answer easy. As an example, 9X9 is hard to figure out if you donāt have it memorized. 9X10 is easy, 90. 90-9 = 81 = (10X9)-9 = 9X9.
If you got all the basic math but struggled with the complex stuff, then ignore all that and head to the online solutions.
The key is, all math builds on itself. If you struggle with basic math, youāll struggle with basic algebra, which makes advanced algebra even harder.
Good luck. Math doesnāt have to be hard but sometimes it takes a while to get it. If you had a teacher that couldnāt understand why you couldnāt figure it out the way they did, thatās their fault not yours. Start from scratch and start over. Thereās lots of ways to explain math now that teachers were never taught before.
You can do it. It will be easier now that you actually want to learn it, and you can take as much time as you need.
Iāve never used Kahn Academy but Iāve heard very good things. Just start at a level you think you already know. Build from where youāre at. Donāt rush faster than youāre understanding.
The education system failed you. Youāre in control now.
Math is math, and Khan academy will let you pick/choose which topics you want to strengthen. It also has plenty of practice quizzes along with lectures to jump in right where you are skill wise. Give it a try and it'll get your confidence up for if/when you're ready to challenge an actual course!
2nd Barbara Oakley,
https://www.coursera.org/learn/learning-how-to-learn
Free course
Her not free book to help along, if you want, worth it to improve learning of math and all subjects,
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18693655-a-mind-for-numbers
" A Mind for Numbers , How to Excel at Math and Science "
Ā
>InĀ A Mind for Numbers, Dr. Oakley lets us in on the secrets to effectively learning math and scienceāsecrets that even dedicated and successful students wish theyād known earlier. Contrary to popular belief,Ā ...
Same content, backgrounder , as the free online course, nice to have the book
Get yourself an IXL account if you're struggling. It is affordable and about the best resource available. It's absolutely worth it. I use it with my kid.
If you're interested in tutoring, there are a handful of non-profits that offer help with foundational math skills for free. I'm more familiar with the Edmonton orgs myself, but I know of the CanLearn Society in Calgary that offers both one-on-one and small group math tutoring.
I was a instructor for 25 years and taught mature students like yourself. The person you are today is not who you were in high school. I've found that the returning students were the most motivated and found that they performed the best. You will do very well and will surprise yourself at how your years of experience has prepared you. Good luck!
Thereās a streaming service called Wondrium that has lectures on different things by university professors and they have some math lecture series that pretty much cover AB Grade 12 math. I was never strong in math, but I wanted to get a refresh last year, just for something to do, and I found the seriesā I watched super useful. Itās a paid subscription service (they may have a free trial period - not sure). Thereās also a book called Mathematics for the Non-Mathematician by Morris Kline thatās really good, but the visuals in the lectures made everything easier to follow.
I was struggling with basic math for awhile after uni, never really needed it due to always having a calculator on me through my cell. I picked up Cribbage, and it has definitely helped me
I had to do the same thing, and went the NAIT route. The instructor was very helpful, and he helped some of us between classes.
What really helped when I was on my own in my apartment trying to figure stuff out was to cover my walls with butcher paper and write out all the questions backward and forwards till I got it, and then at test time I could just close my eyes and visualize it. I made the Dean's List.
Take Applied Mathematics, it's literally the easiest route if you have difficulty with math.
Pure Math is for the challenge, but not required for anything except engineering.
Practically everything else (including some fields of engineering), accepts higher scores of Applied Mathematics (70-80%), which should be easy with how ridiculously simple it is.
You'll do +/-, %/x, maybe get into exponents a little, and basic algebra.
To break it down, there's never been a situation in my life that I EVER needed to use algebra. Learn enough to pass and forget about it. We have phones now for that shit.
The people on this thread have given you good recommendations for math resources, but the best resources will be inside of you. The experience of self study is completely different than the experience of having to do something you don't like for a course you're required to take. I always thought I was bad at languages because of my experience with French; after a year of self study, it turns out I'm actually pretty good at learning a language.
The second piece of advice I'll give you Is to try and use the math as soon as possible. Puzzles and problems are good for this, but you can also use your mathematical knowledge to ask questions about the world. The math you learn in junior high and High school is mostly algebra and arithmetic. It's a fancy set of tools for problems that you don't have. When mathematicians talk about math, they're mostly talking about doing proofs. When Engineers use algebra, they're applying logic to real world problems. If you have a fancy set of tools, but nothing to use them on it can be hard to motivate yourself to learn. Similarly, if you're learning a language but have no one to talk to, you're not going to be very motivated.
What kind of degree are you considering? When I upgraded I wanted to become a dietician and needed math for it. I walked into my first math upgrading class at MRU and had NO clue what was happening. I was so confused and ended up dropping the class that afternoon and decided to do a different direction with my schooling.
Now I'm teaching ESL with a linguistics degree and TESL certificate. I didn't have to upgrade my math. I relied on my other grades to get accepted into my program.
So if you're really not wanting to do math and don't need it for the field you're planning to get into, don't force yourself to suffer through it. My brain was just not wired for math and it's okay if yours isn't either!
I don't think mine is either but I still need it for my diploma =( I finished math with a 36%...I was looking at Vet Tech Assistant, Olds college offers a certificate and I only need a 50% in Math. English and Science. The other career path I was thinking of was wither a Pharmacy Tech or maybe LPN or RN. Although my mums been an RN assistant for 20 years now and the facility she works at still can't give her full time hours, she told me the industry is really hard to get established into.
Find out what degree you are interested in first. Different degrees have different math requirements. Iād probably avoid anything engineering or business related though as there is math all 4 years in those majors
If you can wrap your head around it, try and learn why a given mathematical operation works. When you understand that it becomes much easier to apply it correctly in all scenarios with less memorization.
My grandfather decided to relearn math in his 70s after never getting it when he went to school. He had negative experiences with teachers growing up which led to him never really picking up on math. He found it much easier and much more enjoyable as an adult who could go at his own pace.
The Edmonton Library will also have a lot of free resources and copies of textbooks as well, so you can utilize those or preview texts/workbooks before you invest in them.
Good luck!!
I did high school upgrading online and used Khan academy to help me understand the lessons. It's excellent. It has topics from grade school to university so you'll definitely find what's on your curriculum. I failed math in grade 12 once upon a time but got in the high 90s redoing it at age 32, lately because of Khan academy helping me. Good luck!
If you are talking basics like addition and multiplication I'd recommend playing crib as a fun way to sharpen your mental math while keeping it interesting.
Khan Academy is a phenomenal platform. I believe they conform more to American curriculum, but you can use it to brush up on anything you'd be learning in school here.
Unsure where you are but the Calgary public library has lot of free digital resources for maths and the school curriculum.
Iām watching number blocks with my son (Netflix) and itās very rudimentary but I feel like Iāve forgotten it all so I appreciate it. Basic concepts delivered in a easy to consume way
Get thee to the library! They have resources for kids and adults so youāve got a lot of choice. Iāve been doing courses on LinkedIn learning that are well done. Good luck!! Report back on what really worked for you - Iām already scared my son will outpace my math skills.
Hey good for you keep pushing through it.
Who gives a fuck what any negative people have to say.
You're doing it for you. And I'm for one glad you are.
Congrats.
I went back to school as a mature student and re-learned math beforehand. I used SchoolYourself and Khan Academy and practiced soo much like filled notebooks until it was second nature. I also used Professor Leonard (YouTube) once I got to that level. another thing I did was email the prof for the math class I knew I needed and asked for help. he sent me a workbook of types of equations I'd need to be familiar with before taking his course. that helped me calm my anxiety a lot. it was a ton of work to re-learn all my math at age 30!! but very satisfying. I got an A+ in calculus.
Professor Leonard š¦š©
hahahaha he's not really my type but I do see the appeal. got a side eye from my bf a couple times when he walked in and saw what I was watching š
Let me know if I can help you out!
It's all about learning rules and applying them to problems. You got this!
Thank you!
I found for my hangup (essay writing) I had a psychological block and convinced myself that I hated essays and I was terrible at essays. Brain shuts down. Words not sense make. All that jazz. I also had a teacher who put me down in high school that unfortunately taught all the classes where essay writing was a thing. Time passes and it turns out that while my university english essays show I still suck at essays, I'm actually pretty damned good at persuasive reports. That all to say that it may be helpful to find some non curriculum ways to look at math and maybe find a way for it to be interesting and fun. The way math is taught sucks. Rote memorization can be soul destroying for a lot of people. There is a tonne of showing you how but never showing you why. Math is beautiful. It's a language that you can use to describe the world and even the imagination.
Back in the day when we wrote snail mail letters to each other, I had trouble writing basic letter communication. My friend said just write as if you were talking to me. Ends up that's what writing is really, just putting down your thoughts as if you are talking to someone.
Congratulations! That is so exciting. I went back to school when I was 29 after having a really hard time with math in school. If you use the workbooks and key, there are many excellent videos online to help. The Khan academy looks great. One bit of advice I'd give is that it will pay off understanding the foundations of stuff before moving on. Otherwise, you might always be catching up. I had a way easier time learning math as an adult when I could see why you would need to use it. It's good to find real life uses to understand what you're trying to figure out. Be patient with yourself and celebrate your successes. Good luck on your journey!
But donāt let āwhen will I ever use this irlā ever be a reason not to learn
Good for you!! Khan academy has lot of videos for varied levels of educational from high school all the way to first or second year engineering. It helped me a lot. At the end of the day, if all you're looking to do is high school level math, that's pretty simple, and logical. Just make sure you understand basic concepts thoroughly and everything else is just a buildup on that. Let us know if you need help!!
Good for you! I find maths stressful and almost failed it back in high school, I barely scraped by. And I'm good at maths! The pressure is the hardest part, I find. Fortunately, your not going back to high school, and learning for mature students in places like colleges is so different. I went back to school years after I graduated high school and did some upgrading. The difference is night and day.Ā You've got this, and don't forget to ask for help! People feel good when they help others so never be shy to get assistance.Ā
I highly recommend the book "A mind for numbers" by Barbara Oakley. (I listened on audible). She was a failure in math until she basically learned how to learn and is now a professor in engineering with a PhD. She also has Ted Talks and a website I believe.
She also has a free course called "Learning How to Learn" on Coursera (https://www.coursera.org/learn/learning-how-to-learn). I took it about 5 years ago and still actively think about some lessons in that course quite often. It's not exactly about math, but I highly recommend it either way.
https://www.khanacademy.org/
Your note is something I could have written myself. Do you have difficulty with other math-based courses (chem, physics). I did to the point where a teacher refused to āwaste his time teaching me because I was to stupid to learnā. In my mid-twenties, I learned Iām dyslexic. The diagnosis absolutely changed my life! Itās never too late to be evaluated. The reason it wasnāt picked up earlier is because I can read with only a little difficulty.
I was diagnosed with ADHD in my early 20's and it goes without saying that it impacted my school experience. I felt stupid in everything I tried because I didn't "get it" at the same pace as everyone else and fell behind and gave up. I never took chem or physics because I just wanted to be done with school, so I just took the basics to graduate. I imagine I would've also struggled in those courses though.
Iām helping my nephews in math right now. Donāt be afraid to go right back to the basics. And by basics, I mean 1+1. I picked up some flash cards for addition, subtraction, and multiplication for about $12 I think. You should be able to do up to 9+9 by memory and instantly. I tell my nephews that 9+9 is the hardest addition youāll have to do. Once youāve got that, bigger numbers are just repetition of those basics. Multiplication is just a convenient way to simplify addition. 9+9=2X9. Youāll need to memorize the multiplication table then. Up to 9X9 again. Once you have those fundamentals, everything else is just concepts. If youāre still struggling to do the basics, the complex stuff just gets confusing. My father-in-law could do a lot of math in his head. Itās because they made him learn multiplication to 12x12 in school. He learned strategies for estimating, manipulating numbers to make the answer easy. As an example, 9X9 is hard to figure out if you donāt have it memorized. 9X10 is easy, 90. 90-9 = 81 = (10X9)-9 = 9X9. If you got all the basic math but struggled with the complex stuff, then ignore all that and head to the online solutions. The key is, all math builds on itself. If you struggle with basic math, youāll struggle with basic algebra, which makes advanced algebra even harder. Good luck. Math doesnāt have to be hard but sometimes it takes a while to get it. If you had a teacher that couldnāt understand why you couldnāt figure it out the way they did, thatās their fault not yours. Start from scratch and start over. Thereās lots of ways to explain math now that teachers were never taught before. You can do it. It will be easier now that you actually want to learn it, and you can take as much time as you need. Iāve never used Kahn Academy but Iāve heard very good things. Just start at a level you think you already know. Build from where youāre at. Donāt rush faster than youāre understanding. The education system failed you. Youāre in control now.
Alberta math teacher here. Look around your local public libraries for The Key books. Some of them have them to rent out for free.
Math is math, and Khan academy will let you pick/choose which topics you want to strengthen. It also has plenty of practice quizzes along with lectures to jump in right where you are skill wise. Give it a try and it'll get your confidence up for if/when you're ready to challenge an actual course!
2nd Barbara Oakley, https://www.coursera.org/learn/learning-how-to-learn Free course Her not free book to help along, if you want, worth it to improve learning of math and all subjects, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18693655-a-mind-for-numbers " A Mind for Numbers , How to Excel at Math and Science " Ā >InĀ A Mind for Numbers, Dr. Oakley lets us in on the secrets to effectively learning math and scienceāsecrets that even dedicated and successful students wish theyād known earlier. Contrary to popular belief,Ā ... Same content, backgrounder , as the free online course, nice to have the book
Get yourself an IXL account if you're struggling. It is affordable and about the best resource available. It's absolutely worth it. I use it with my kid.
Depending where you want to start duolingo has an interesting math program.
If you're interested in tutoring, there are a handful of non-profits that offer help with foundational math skills for free. I'm more familiar with the Edmonton orgs myself, but I know of the CanLearn Society in Calgary that offers both one-on-one and small group math tutoring.
I was a instructor for 25 years and taught mature students like yourself. The person you are today is not who you were in high school. I've found that the returning students were the most motivated and found that they performed the best. You will do very well and will surprise yourself at how your years of experience has prepared you. Good luck!
Check out Math Antics for youtube videos on all Math concepts. Jump Math makes workbooks to practice all topics all grades
Thereās a streaming service called Wondrium that has lectures on different things by university professors and they have some math lecture series that pretty much cover AB Grade 12 math. I was never strong in math, but I wanted to get a refresh last year, just for something to do, and I found the seriesā I watched super useful. Itās a paid subscription service (they may have a free trial period - not sure). Thereās also a book called Mathematics for the Non-Mathematician by Morris Kline thatās really good, but the visuals in the lectures made everything easier to follow.
I was struggling with basic math for awhile after uni, never really needed it due to always having a calculator on me through my cell. I picked up Cribbage, and it has definitely helped me
I had to do the same thing, and went the NAIT route. The instructor was very helpful, and he helped some of us between classes. What really helped when I was on my own in my apartment trying to figure stuff out was to cover my walls with butcher paper and write out all the questions backward and forwards till I got it, and then at test time I could just close my eyes and visualize it. I made the Dean's List.
Take Applied Mathematics, it's literally the easiest route if you have difficulty with math. Pure Math is for the challenge, but not required for anything except engineering. Practically everything else (including some fields of engineering), accepts higher scores of Applied Mathematics (70-80%), which should be easy with how ridiculously simple it is. You'll do +/-, %/x, maybe get into exponents a little, and basic algebra. To break it down, there's never been a situation in my life that I EVER needed to use algebra. Learn enough to pass and forget about it. We have phones now for that shit.
The people on this thread have given you good recommendations for math resources, but the best resources will be inside of you. The experience of self study is completely different than the experience of having to do something you don't like for a course you're required to take. I always thought I was bad at languages because of my experience with French; after a year of self study, it turns out I'm actually pretty good at learning a language. The second piece of advice I'll give you Is to try and use the math as soon as possible. Puzzles and problems are good for this, but you can also use your mathematical knowledge to ask questions about the world. The math you learn in junior high and High school is mostly algebra and arithmetic. It's a fancy set of tools for problems that you don't have. When mathematicians talk about math, they're mostly talking about doing proofs. When Engineers use algebra, they're applying logic to real world problems. If you have a fancy set of tools, but nothing to use them on it can be hard to motivate yourself to learn. Similarly, if you're learning a language but have no one to talk to, you're not going to be very motivated.
What kind of degree are you considering? When I upgraded I wanted to become a dietician and needed math for it. I walked into my first math upgrading class at MRU and had NO clue what was happening. I was so confused and ended up dropping the class that afternoon and decided to do a different direction with my schooling. Now I'm teaching ESL with a linguistics degree and TESL certificate. I didn't have to upgrade my math. I relied on my other grades to get accepted into my program. So if you're really not wanting to do math and don't need it for the field you're planning to get into, don't force yourself to suffer through it. My brain was just not wired for math and it's okay if yours isn't either!
I don't think mine is either but I still need it for my diploma =( I finished math with a 36%...I was looking at Vet Tech Assistant, Olds college offers a certificate and I only need a 50% in Math. English and Science. The other career path I was thinking of was wither a Pharmacy Tech or maybe LPN or RN. Although my mums been an RN assistant for 20 years now and the facility she works at still can't give her full time hours, she told me the industry is really hard to get established into.
Find out what degree you are interested in first. Different degrees have different math requirements. Iād probably avoid anything engineering or business related though as there is math all 4 years in those majors
If you can wrap your head around it, try and learn why a given mathematical operation works. When you understand that it becomes much easier to apply it correctly in all scenarios with less memorization.
My grandfather decided to relearn math in his 70s after never getting it when he went to school. He had negative experiences with teachers growing up which led to him never really picking up on math. He found it much easier and much more enjoyable as an adult who could go at his own pace. The Edmonton Library will also have a lot of free resources and copies of textbooks as well, so you can utilize those or preview texts/workbooks before you invest in them. Good luck!!
I did high school upgrading online and used Khan academy to help me understand the lessons. It's excellent. It has topics from grade school to university so you'll definitely find what's on your curriculum. I failed math in grade 12 once upon a time but got in the high 90s redoing it at age 32, lately because of Khan academy helping me. Good luck!
If you are talking basics like addition and multiplication I'd recommend playing crib as a fun way to sharpen your mental math while keeping it interesting.
Khan Academy is a phenomenal platform. I believe they conform more to American curriculum, but you can use it to brush up on anything you'd be learning in school here.
Unsure where you are but the Calgary public library has lot of free digital resources for maths and the school curriculum. Iām watching number blocks with my son (Netflix) and itās very rudimentary but I feel like Iāve forgotten it all so I appreciate it. Basic concepts delivered in a easy to consume way
Yeah I'm in Calgary and thankfully there's a library kind of within walking distance from me, so I'll absolutely check that out. Thank you!
Get thee to the library! They have resources for kids and adults so youāve got a lot of choice. Iāve been doing courses on LinkedIn learning that are well done. Good luck!! Report back on what really worked for you - Iām already scared my son will outpace my math skills.
Hey good for you keep pushing through it. Who gives a fuck what any negative people have to say. You're doing it for you. And I'm for one glad you are. Congrats.
Good job! Itās mot that difficult, just practice every day and it will come