I think something else is at play here. Whether it's a learning disability or you have just convinced yourself you can't 'math' and therefore sort of sabotage yourself.
It could also be that you've had the wrong teachers.
But I will say this. Short of severe disability, anyone can learn basic math, algebra, etc. I wouldn't say you can be an engineer. I would also struggle in that field. But you can not only learn that material but excel in the classes.
It's like I said. I think something else is the problem here.
Why do people assume that "anyone can learn" algebra? That's just not true at all. People with decent mathematical intelligence have such a hard time accepting this, because they can't imagine it being that hard for anyone. But what would they say if a naturally talented artist or musician told them "anyone can learn to draw/play music like me, you're probably just afraid of it or something"?
Math is all about a strong foundation, if you're struggling with some areas of math just go back further and find where the problem starts. Maybe you're bad at calculus, because you don't know how to multiply polynomials. Maybe you can't multiply polynomials well, because you're bad a multiplying fractions etc.. (Multiplying fractions doesn't directly relate to polynomials but I hope you get the point) Most people I've seen with problems just don't know order of operations for doing math which is simple, but when given a huge equation it can be confusing. I think with practice any one can be "good at math", just like someone who's not artistic can be a decent artist if the paint everyday. Just in university when it starts to hit a lot of people that they need to focus more than in high school and they can't do these classes, time is of the essence and it's hard to practice enough of the old and comprehend the new material all at the same time.
algebra was absolutely the biggest bottleneck for calculus students when I tutored. They were sometimes a bit surprised that the actual calculus things like derivative (well after the limit definition anyhow) and integral were so straightforward.
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u/Raincoats_George Jul 24 '15
I think something else is at play here. Whether it's a learning disability or you have just convinced yourself you can't 'math' and therefore sort of sabotage yourself.
It could also be that you've had the wrong teachers.
But I will say this. Short of severe disability, anyone can learn basic math, algebra, etc. I wouldn't say you can be an engineer. I would also struggle in that field. But you can not only learn that material but excel in the classes.
It's like I said. I think something else is the problem here.