Why does temple struggle with algebra?

Answer 1

Let's assume that 'Temple' is a person. Is this true?

The ability to learn the later part of any subject may depend on things one did not understand earlier in that subject. If one did not understand how to 'multiply', then it is reasonable to assume one would then struggle with any later study that required one to understand 'multiplication' to learn it. Right?

Also, if one then clarified the earlier thing, and restudied the material up to the current part they were struggling with it is very likely they would have to struggle less with the subject. Right?

Here is an example from my tutoring experience: An eighth-grade girl is struggling with Pre-Algebra and has been failing at math for several years. I clariefied several things in her current assignment with her, but noticed she was struggling with 'multiplication'.

So I went back to second-grade 'multiplication' to clarify that, and found she was struggling with that and always had been. So I looked for the earliest thing I could find she didn't get, and found 'Number'. I defined 'Number' from a very good 1872 math book and found she was now very happy and good at math and had a renewed vigor towards math.

What the 1872 definition of 'Number' contained was the word or concept of 'Unit'. When she recognized this, the struggling with Math vanished. I had her define the word 'Unit' from that textbook. Unit is what you are talking about with numbers. If we say '3 eggs', then one 'egg' is the unit. If we say 3 feet, then a 'foot' is the unit. That textbook then defined a 'Number' as a quantity and a unit. When this was clarified with her she could then understand 'Number', it made sense now, and move forward in the subject of math.

We then clarified 'multiply' and 'multiplication' and she could now do multiplication without a calculator and told me she could only do 'Calculator Math' before, but didn't understand what they were talking about.

We then went back to her current study of 'Pre-Algebra and she was flying and had no trouble learning and clarifying what she needed to in the current homework. No more struggling. At school she moved from failing to straight A's in math.

The moral is 'Do not go past a word in a subject that you do not understand.' I guess that includes the one's the teacher left out, because when I checked with a retired teacher group on-line. The concept of 'Unit' has been deleted from Elementary Education in America and they said they first encountered the concept in 'Earth Sciences' in the 7th-grade.

Good luck. I hope 'Temple' can use this information to end their struggle with algebra and all other subjects for that matter. - 411 Leon

I researched this a little and now believe 'Temple' in this question refers to 'Dr. Temple Grandin' a spokesperson for Autism that could not pass Algebra and then was not allowed to take Geometry and Trionometry which she feels she can learn. I would be glad to tutor the first 10 autistic people that apply to me for free, to see if the above technique works as well for them in Algebra as it does for my students. This includes Dr. Grandin and her Algebra teacher.