I struggled with advanced maths.
I was learning abstract algebra at 15 and I remember a classmate asking: “When are we going to need this in life?” I was playing sport and working on my physical fitness, and more concerned with what my plans are after rugby on Saturday. I was experimenting with methods to get a six pack, and I wanted to ask out a girl I’d met the previous week.
One of the problems of education is that it is easy to become abstract. Learning abstract ideas can be interesting, but I needed to see a clear connection between what I’m learning and what I’m getting in the real world.
I think that in order to really motivate students it is important to continually share the vision of what they are learning and how it can impact their life. What is their pathway to university and how will these exams be important? But also, how will what you’re learning here be useful in life? Tying it into real projects is extremely important.
I also remember putting in lots of effort in writing university essays but feeling like it’s demotivating time because it is only going to be seen by 1-2 people.
That’s why I really preferred studying economics, because I’m learning about what is actually happening, and I can buy / trade stocks. That’s why I was more motivated to learn Chinese, because it can be used on my trip to China. I also liked art because I could see the result of my work, and I loved computers because I can see my work and use it.
I know that every person is different. The teacher may have been more introverted and enjoyed the intrinsic motivation of solving maths problems and so it was hard for them to connect it to reality, and not important for them to do that. But I think it’s important to appeal to all types of students.
How about if there was a computer program that taught me abstract maths and I could use that maths while developing? How much better would it be if those were shared on a blog? or it was connected to some actual project that real companies that are using?
In the future the line between learning and work / and project based learning can make learning easier for people like me.
The answer the teacher should have given is:
- Because it teaches you how to think, and being able to think clearly is a superpower. If you can solve challenging problems like this, then you will be able to solve simple problems much better. You will be able to think clearly and logically. Let’s look at this specific example in your life…
- Because advanced maths is fundamental to many careers such as engineering, computer science.
- Let’s take some examples of how this problem is used in real life in an engineering project, or computer science. Let’s go to a construction company and talk to the engineers who are building this bridge and look at the calculations they are making.
- Because you need to do well in an exam and going to a top university vs an average university can make a huge difference to your life and future career.
