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HAVE FUN WITH MATH
Besides the several articles in Volume 1 on Youth Motivation for School and Youth Self Development, there is this section called Math Quick Tips. Included in this section are tips on various Math concepts that are important for successful performance in school.
Many people suffer from math phobia and believe they will never be able to do Math. What is a phobia, you ask? A phobia is a ‘strong and persistent fear’ of something, and is characterized by an ‘excessive and unreasonable desire’ to avoid that thing. People who suffer from Math phobia dislike and avoid Math as much as possible. This makes their performance in Math even worse, for Math is cumulative: you have to build on what you know.
Some people dislike Math and claim that they dislike it because it is difficult and boring. If we find something difficult, we will quite likely find it boring as well, if we are required to do it. However, everything is difficult until we learn how to do it. Think back to the time when you didn’t know how to ride your bike. You thought it was difficult, until you were able to do it. Once you knew how to ride your bike, you found it easy, and you started experimenting and having fun with it. It is the same thing with Math. If you earn how to do it, it would no longer be difficult, and you won’t find it boring.
Some girls believe Math is something that boys are good at, and that Math is not for girls. The truth is, Math is for everybody. Some young people tell themselves that Math is a subject that is not important after they leave school. They quite likely draw this conclusion when they do Math by simply plugging numbers into formulas, without understanding why they are doing so. Math is a necessary part of our lives. We use Math when we go the store to buy things, to count our money, to set the temperature in our homes, and to carry out many everyday activities. Everyone – girls, boys, men and women - needs to be able to carry out these basic operations.
Therefore, every young person needs to know these operations before graduating from school. In fact, you need to know these operations in order to graduate. Maybe you are planning to follow a career that does not seem to involve Math. Think again. You need to know Math for everything you do. Maybe at the present time some of these basic operations baffle you.
In the “Math Quick Tips” section of Volume 1 of “What If I Can’t?” “You Can!” you will find many of the most common of these operations explained. This section was designed to deal with everyday situations, so you can see the relevance of Math in your lives. A concept is introduced and explained, and examples are given. Read these through over and over until you understand them. Take your time.
HAVE FUN WITH MATH
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. . . and many more articles.
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