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Maths-phobia
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Mid-semester
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Final Exam
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Maths Phobia
Maths-phobia is a fear of maths. More than most subjects
at school, when you fall behind at Maths, it can become very difficult to
understand much of what is going on. For this reason, some students lose
confidence in their mathematical ability and spend the rest of their lives
cowering in a state of maths-phobia, haunted by memories of Maths teachers
spouting unintelligible rubbish. Probably, many of you thought when you left
school that you would never have to think of maths again, only to find you
needed to take this course as a prerequisite. Others may have not done Maths
for a long time.
Mathematics is a bit like a foreign language – it has its own set of
symbols and letters that are impossible to understand if you have never seen
them before. When learning a language, at first we just hear a jumble of
sound that makes no sense. Over time, some of the jumble begins to sound
familiar, even if we can’t quite grasp the overall meaning. Finally,
after much practice, we understand words and complete sentences. Similarly
with mathematics, there is a gradual process of familiarity and
understanding. Do not panic if you find you feel lost initially when we
introduce a new topic. Keep in mind that every student of mathematics goes through
this process, regardless of their ability.
The great thing about MATH1040 is that we recognise that people find
mathematics hard, so we teach the course accordingly. We provide you with an
opportunity to start from the very beginning, we are keen to help you at
every step, and no-one will laugh at you or call you stupid if you find it
hard. The only background assumed is basic arithmetic. So this is a chance
to go back to a point where you were more confident at mathematics, relearn
some of the maths you might not have learned well the first time and go on
to learn maths you have never learnt before.
Maths is not easy and this course is hard work. However, if you attend
lectures and tutorials, do preparation, assignments and assessments and
above all, ASK QUESTIONS when you are lost or don’t understand, you will provide yourself with a great opportunity to
do well in this subject. Many students find, to their surprise, they are
much less maths-phobic at the end of the course than when they started.
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