So, you think you're bad at math...
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 2 июн 2024
- I've had a lot of conversations with students lately that start with disclaimers like "I'm sorry, I'm not really good at math, so..." and since it's not so easy to give a pep talk in-person with the whole pandemic and everything, I thought I'd give the pep talk here.
(Just keep in mind that I'm not a very good mathematician, so... KIDDING! I'm a perfectly capable mathematician!)
^-- If you felt like you wanted more about being stuck, click some of these --v
- Ben Orlin has a conversation with Andrew Wiles, one of the GOATs of mathematics, about being stuck: mathwithbaddrawings.com/2017/...
- Kate Poirier asks students to reflect on belonging in mathematics: openlab.citytech.cuny.edu/poi...
This is not really about maths... this is about self belief and being a sympathetic teacher.
as a girl who aspires to be an astrophysicist, this really resonated with me. my math teacher sent me this video and she knows that I really have a hard time with math. I do. but I want to be an astrophysicist, so it is okay to struggle. my math teacher told me that it is more important to be determined and want something bad enough than to be good at something and just breeze through it. that's what being a scientist is about. thank you
You're going to be a great astrophysicist, and knowing how to persist through struggle will be one of the skills that makes you one of the *best* astrophysicists.
@@courtneygibbons5138 thank you so much!
I also want to be astrophysicist😭😭
Weldone! great to hear other peoples achievements.
DYSCALCULIA, more awareness needed in schools to help children like myself, to excell in other areas 👍🏼
@@chiara6942 You will become if you are persistent and persevere ❤
I'm finishing up a PhD in math - my dissertation is mostly in geometric group theory - and for maybe the past decade, I've struggled extremely painfully with feeling pretty strongly like I'm... not *bad* at math, exactly, but nothing special, either.
Nothing noteworthy, not Terry Tao and certainly not Euler or Ramanujan or Grothendieck.
I beat myself up when I forget some basic fact or definition, and I almost constantly feel like I'm hopelessly behind.
But I do enjoy math. I love exploring, and the satisfying click of something new falling perfectly into place. I love getting to study new math, and make new math, too.
But I feel hopelessly lost so often, and I wonder what it is my advisor or his colleagues ever see in me. The strain of looking for a postdoc position doesn't help much, either.
Thank you for making this video. It cracked open some long-calcified scar stuck deep in me. Maybe I can't be a Fields medalist, but maybe making patient headway in my work can be enough.
I'm so left behind in classes, I legit don't know basic terms taught to us at apparently highschool and below, I really can't focus anymore and man, I just feel like I'm beyond being bad at math.. like I feel like I have the math knowledge of a 4th grade or lower... I should've taken classes more seriously in the past.. and now I'm suffering college and idk what will happen to me to be honest.. doesn't feel too good, I feel like shit for real.. I'm sad and stressed asf as to why I can't understand my lessons and I don't even have anyone to guide me and stuff
hey i feel you:(( whats your major?
@@ay8528 computer science hahaha.. but I originally wanted psych, I guess I was chasing money over my dreams. welp good news, hopefully by next sem, if all goes well I'm a psyche student hahahha, but I still have to survive first sem that has calculus..
I left engineering school as an undergrad because I didn't think I was good at math. I'd breezed through "advanced" math classes in middle and high school, so I'd never learned HOW to be stuck! I watched other people get it so much more effortlessly, and I took that as a sign I had reached my capacity. I wish I had seen this video back then.
Ironically, I followed a somewhat circuitous path to becoming a math teacher, and now I've been a middle school math teacher for the last 11 years! And I'm rediscovering my love of finding good math problems that get ME stuck! And I'm teaching my students that being stuck is a part of learning and doing math. I'm wondering how we can support students in getting comfortable with being uncomfortable at the not knowing.
I had to give up on maths after I realized that my brain is just not wired for it. In college, I would spend up to 8 hours everyday on fundamental concepts and I still ended up failing the test/homework assignments...
I do this currently in highschool. I'm scared of failing this subject and reapeating the year, it's very stressful. So stressful that some days I come home from school and just sit on my bed and look into nothingness, not even thinking, just like a soulless person for a couple of hours. And for some reason I'm better at reading or remembering hundreds of words in my native language class than solving the one simplest homework exercise in math. It's just sad..
@@guin4356 The thing for me is I can remember complex things in History and Science but Math is just not built for me. I spend hours studying but fail tests like I didn't even try.
The people who tell us they use to be bad at maths, they just needed someone to explain it better, but what about those of us who had it explain to us, but couldnt get pass the time table stage😂 and still struggle as an adult.🤔
YES! I was originally doing 4 A Levels (one of them being maths) and my mental health was being affected by it so much that I just dropped it. My grades have gotten so much better without it but it always haunts me and is always in the back of my mind "you couldn't make it through A Level maths" is like a curse and it's limited my future prospects so much. I'd spend so much time preparing for tests and the highest i ever achieved was a 31/100
@@julenemac3381 yes 😭a lot of people struggle w maths, thats okay to struggle, but some people downright can't do it (I'm one of those) and it's just so hard to feel like you're smart/intelligent without it
As a computer scientist by trade and an art historian by training, being good at being stuck is not just being good at math, but being good at… basically *any* intellectual pursuit that involves charting new territory (I have done some of that in both of those fields!). Also, I kinda wish I’d seen this video when I was in college… I narrowly escaped (or perhaps narrowly missed) a math minor or maybe a major because… I got stuck a lot. And I could have enjoyed that if I hadn’t been so dedicated to my other coursework, and I could probably have turned down the heat on my other courses if I’d known that being stuck and being bad were not the same thing. Thank you for this message, even if it is a bit late for me!
I am reminded of what Polya said, "Problem Solving is knowing what to do when you do not know what to do." Thank you for your take on this.
I'm going to be majoring in Psychology, not maths, but this is honestly something I needed to hear. This whole time I thought I was stupid and generally just a failure for consistently not getting it, but to hear you say that's normal and that even people who are good at math quit when they're stuck really ignited something in me. I don't know if I'll ever be as proficient at math as I want to be, but what I do know is that I won't have to look at equations anymore with dread and feeling like I'm alone. Thank you for this video.
I went my whole life being bad at math. Now I'm in a calculus course and I'm doing great work. I'm really enjoying it.
What changed? I admitted to myself that what I was doing was taking shortcuts or coping with anxiety. I wouldn't read thoroughly, I'd wait till class. I wouldn't practice every day. I would cram. I would play video games. I would cheat on exams. I was absolutely a terrible student... but then I decided to stop cheating myself. I'm doing well now. I feel like a new person.
Well done 👍👍❤. All the best for your wonderful journey ahead. May Almighty bless you with more goodness 🌺🤲
I always thought that you were supposed to read research papers and immediately understand the papers (as if you were reading anything else, like a newspaper or novel). This video made me realize that it's normal for it to struggle just to fully understand a paper. I feel a lot better about my grad school experience now. Currently working but recently started thinking about doing a PhD or doing research again (computer science).
This is great. Thank you so much for making your story available in this way.
Wow! I am a high school math teacher. I teach what most would refer to as struggling math learners. We talk every day about how great mistakes are and that I love having to "figure it out". I never really thought about it as math is about being stuck! I love getting stuck and I can't wait to share that with my students. I often tell them that learning is a process that involved effort, mistakes, reflection, and refinement of strategies... I am going to add to that... effort, getting stuck, making mistakes, trying again, reflecting on those mistakes, and refining the strategies. Thanks for this!
Yes! I think something that might get lost on students is that at the point you have an answer, you're finished doing the math. "Doing the math" is the work leading up to that moment of being done, and it's often a lot harder or more involved than the eventual answer would lead you to believe.
You can only do what you understand. And it makes zero sense to many people.
@@courtneygibbons5138 You have to understand what you're doing first. If you don't understand what you're doing, you can't do anything.
This hit home! I’m a handful of classes from my BS in mathematics and I *genuinely love* my geometric proofs class, despite the time it takes to work out examples, even if I have to constantly refine my proof writing abilities - I think that’s the coolest part! Thank you for the great video.☺️
Thank you these encouraging words. I needed them badly at this very moment.
Great conversation Courtney--so true!
This really resonated with me. I'm a 42yr old father of three that is going back to college and found when you called the problems little puzzles it made me giggle. I call them the same thing. I had a moment this semester in calculus for my evolutionary bio degree where I realized I liked the struggle. I saw all the people breezing through exactly as described and they would hit walls and give up immediately.
I'm determined to get a masters degree in mathematics now. I really found my joy and I don't think I've ever intellectually had a thing like that before. I confessed it all to my calc prof during office hours who was very receptive to it and provided me with resources. I'm on the path of self learning Linear algebra and python so I can get deeper into geometric mathematics.
I will be showing this video to my kidos later today who also struggle a bit with the maths. 😊
SO well-said. Thank you!
This video makes me feel so relieved!
This was such a great video. Thank you so much for sharing.
this is so inspiring, thank you for sharing your story ❤
What a wonderful video! I'm so glad you posted it. (By the way, I'm also a math prof.)
Ever since I learned different subjects at school, I felt I could easily do it because I liked the ebb and flow of went through the details of it, and I always found the way to find the answers even though the subject was challenging for me. The point that I can take from your video is loving the math subject first and not be afraid to get stuck.
Thanks, your video is so inspiring.
Such a good video. I help college students with math, and am a math major myself. Math can be hard, but so is life, struggling isn't necessarily a bad thing. You do goo.
Thank you so much, this just made my day:)
i needed this i needed this badly
I feel that about saying you hate a subject and having it end up in your dissertation. I have a minor algebra-phobia (was planning to be an analyst), but I've been getting into low-dimensional topology lately and all this algebra is coming up and I find it really beautiful in conjunction with the topology.
Come to the algebra side! We have donuts-- oh no, wait, that's topology. 😅
This is so honest, so sweet and so green. You are the very best!!!
Alicia, thank you for the compliment. And you are also the best! I'm just trying to keep up!
Thank you, Prof. I'm stuck and stuck for too long, I need to do something to get un-stuck. Your video motivated to do something to get un-stuck. Your video was an awesome monologue. Many thanks again.
Thanks for this; I work in engineering and I think this concept is applicable there too. To be honest this is also applicable to me as a partner and parent in contexts totally outside of school or work. Recognizing that there are situations where you will be stuck and have to work out some kind of solution, even if it's an emotional one, has been helpful to me. Working through legitimately difficult mathematics problems and being able to explain my thinking has been a helpful exercise to recognize that I need to carefully explain what are the inputs and outputs to my emotions, etc.
Wow, that's exactly right. I'm better at math than emotions (which is a low bar 😅), and thinking about problem-solving applying beyond the math scratch pad has been a way of getting better at the rest of my life.
I know this is an old video, and I just happened to come across it... This is a perfect example of the kind of professors who facilitate not just the learning of a subject, but true growth as a person. I wouldn't trade the ones I had for anything in the world.
I had to study for math for the SAT recently and I quickly realized that every time I try to solve problems for math, even if it's basic and I have a lot of fundamental gaps in math, I find myself in a trance, trying to understand math.
It's a very interesting subject, I don't believe I want it to be my major, but I do want neuroscience and I saw in some of these majors math is required and I don't find myself complaining at all.
Thank you for this video!
i'm currently at that struggling-to-transition phase of my phd that Dr. Gibbons talked about and, uh. it's really something to hear a successful working mathematician describe the thesis writing process as reading research papers and getting stuck and learning how to admit when you don't know something. i feel like i took an espresso shot of hope and realistic expectations.
i can't thank you enough, Dr. Gibbons.
Inspiring af, thanks.
Thank you
I may not know you, I may be from halfway across the world in a different timezone, and I may not even be doing a degree that's too heavy on Maths, but I have a Maths exam in less than 24 hours, and this is the encouragement that I needed. Thank you!
Hi! This is one year later but I hope the exam went well for you
@@rior3611 Ahaha, thank you! Unfortunately, I kinda messed up that exam, but I'm still here and on my way to complete my last year of my Biomed Bachelor's! Failure is not the end~
Thank you for that I struggle with feeling behind because i took some time before deciding I wanted to be stuck all my life but this was an excellent video very thanks ♥️♥️
recently i always think that im not good with math anymore or im worst at math type of feelings bcs during my highschool im pretty sure that i were the best at this subject but since i enter into the university , i saw everybody was really good at math , they solve the problem faster than me , they get the correct answer while me spending a lot of time trying to solve one question and sometimes i still got the wrong answer. During quiz , i only got half of the mark and i cried a lot that day . i like math but i think im not good at it and it makes me sad :( im struggling at this moment and suddenly i came across to your video and watching u telling ur story . I felt relieved and i felt like there's still hope for me . I will try my best to not giving up in math :) 🥰
Don't give up! Speed is nice if you can develop it, but honestly? In my research work, my best results come when I'm slow and careful and ask a lot of questions. You are entitled to enjoy mathematics, and there's a place for you here!
I am pursuing my PhD in cryptography and I am really scared of the maths involved in it since I am a CS major. Your video really inspired a lot. Getting stuck, struggling your way through and then finally cracking the problem is an amazing feeling.
This is it right here. After Calculus 1, 2, 3 and Ordinary Differential Equations course, I slowly began to realize that this is what its all about - just starting, studying and trying different techniques every time you fail until you get it and it clicks and its the best feeling in the world!
Now I am in the field of Computer Science and although its difficult at first, I can say that taking lots of Applied and Pure Mathematics courses throughout my college career definitely helped me become a good creative problem solver and Software Engineer.
This video is a great representation of this!
Your brilliance is on your own and you know that.
thankyou so much
Wonderfully said and very relatable. I am sharing this :)
Thanks for that! How are you? Are you surviving okay? It would be great to catch up with you some time (I know the math department would love to hear how things are going, too!).
@@courtneygibbons5138 I am doing well. Surviving yes and learning to teach :). It's my second semester as a post-doc and I am enjoying it so far.
It would certainly be great to catch up!!
I came across you via my stuck journey. You have planted a seed in an old timers head that it's ok to be the tortoise and not the hare. More importantly my Masters is back on my bucket list 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
Hi Dr. Gibbons, thank you for the motivational video. I am a self learner in physics for fun and I have been being stuck everyday for several years now. 🤣 My current read is now Peter Woit‘s book on quantum theory.
Oof -- it took tenure for me and a good friend working in the physics faculty for me to work up the courage to be stuck on physics. Quantum is mindblowing! Good luck, and I hope you find some moments of ease in between the moments of stuck!
Thank you.
Thank you!!!!! :')
You rock!
Another important thing I have discovered is worth pointing out to the younger kids who don't think they're good at math is that MATH IS SO MUCH MORE THAN ARITHMETIC. Very few people I know enjoy pages and pages and pages of long division. You aren't able to get to the good stuff in math until you've done quite a few classes...
Thank you That was helpful 😁
Name a better teaching duo than Gibbons and Sophie... you can’t
Thanks.
Hello, I am school student and I was trying to have some insight into some advanced math(not necessarily trying to understand everything, just trying to have my mind blown) and I was wondering what I learn before watching(by this I mean, binge watching) your videos to at least have an idea of what is going on?
Thank you so much.
Hi Muskaan, my videos are usually only part of a class that I'm teaching, so they're kind of disconnected snapshots of what's going on in a course (like linear algebra or modern algebra). I would recommend looking for videos that cover an entire course, and then taking a peek at videos that supplement those (like some of my videos and others' videos). A great channel for beautiful and mind-blowing math that *isn't* tied to traditional courses: ruclips.net/channel/UCYO_jab_esuFRV4b17AJtAw
@@courtneygibbons5138 thank you so much ma’am
I'm too literal for math. I've tried numerous times and just can't believe in it.
I am trying to get admitted into phd in mathematics (its a whole process in India with entrance exam and more entrance and then interviews)
I am.also good with algebra but i struggle.with real analysis this video felt like a warm.hug m getting emotional
That is impressive you improve in math. Calculus 2 was challenging and pandemic statted.
Wonder any tips who fan of math but want to practice it as a hobby.
I’m sitting here genuinely wondering if I’m too stupid for the degree I’m going for since I can’t even pass statistics much less the pre calc and trig I’m taking this semester
Research also involves Courtney. I don't know how I found you but I'm glad I did. You are beautiful.
How can We connect with you to talk more about the topic in the video and also some motivation words for students of mathematics ?
You can find me at cgibbons at hamilton dot edu if you want to talk further.
Made me a math major
I would like to have a mathematical discussion on measurements and time integers if your so inclined my lady.
she's cool!
this video helped me get out of bed and continue my major in math.
I feel like this is correct, but possibly not correct in all cases? I can see how being good at being stuck is absolutely a great tool for research, but finding solutions to known problems can also be a good skill.
Being a professional programmer with little mathematical background, I definitely wish I didn't struggle so much with some problems that would come easily to me if I studied a bit more math (or was "good" at it).
I think it's up to you to decide how much stuckness you can handle; the video is in response to the idea that you should never be stuck if you want to be good at math. It's impossible to never be stuck: being stuck is the ground state of any math problem!
YOU ARE NOT HELPING!
I don't understand math. It's not about effort, or attitude. And if you're unable to accept thst some people DO NOT understand it, thst is _your_ damn problem.
Can you talk more about your Ph.D. experience and your research journey?
Can I ever! I'll see if I can marshall my thoughts into something coherent, but the short version is:
-it was messy,
-it felt really hard at the time,
-I benefited a lot from a community of other grad students in my research area holding regular seminars just for each other, and
-at the same time as I was making the transition to research, I was going through a divorce.
I don't think I can untangle any of those threads to talk about just one of them, but if you'll permit me to give advice: find people who support you, who are working toward similar goals, and who deeply believe that *your* success is also *their* success.
and of course we can find a time to talk on Zoom if you want to talk more about research in math!
@@courtneygibbons5138 is this zoom offer available for anyone who wants to get into research in mathematics ? 😅
@@abhishekkale3465 If I had a couple extra of me to use... What would be useful to know? I can try to make a short follow-up!
@@courtneygibbons5138 Probably, how different is it to do research in mathematics than doing an undergrad ? How to get involve in research ? Opportunities for undergrad students ? What math courses one should take before going to graduate school ? Things (books/resources) which helped you to get better at Math ? And What are more important questions that should be asking ?
Lol most math teachers even at my school would just ignore this topic and move on😔
When you reach the level of of math us the next question about math is but a mere sidestep into the hierarchy if you have a penny to your name
Holy geek. I luv ir
I really love technology and I want to devote my like to it in my collage major but I just can’t do math and I don’t know what to do with my life
what math level you in. I am calculus 2 level.
@@SimicChameleon I’m in 11th grade and I’m algebra2
@@zelkum742 Try to buy the calculus for dummies, steward calculus textbook, linear algebra, differential equation, and math sorcerers.
I am not good at math I just need help I barely can do basic and I need that for like the real world 🥺.
Sabra, reach for the stars. Xyz
I know I'm really bad in math. I may have discolouration
Have you ever been compelled to turn away from certain types of research?
i have dyscalculia....
i don’t think i’m not good at math i’m not good at all
This didn't help. Maybe if I had infinite time to practice this would be ok. But getting stuck when everything is paced so quickly is not ok. Getting stuck is the difference of passing or failing. Failure isn't acceptable when it starts to impact my gpa. So I can't just learn to be ok with being stuck.
I hear what you're saying. Sometimes even just being okay with being stuck for a few minutes is hard under that kind of pressure. My advice is still to try to find ways to be okay with being stuck (even if only for a few minutes) if you want to pursue math in the future. That's the skill that isn't taught but can make the difference.
I don't mean to distract from your excellent points about pace and gpa. There are big changes that need to be made systemically.
Hi
Am bad at maths lingo and science lingo they don't use the words we use in real life
TEAHER
how did i get this in my recommended
May I offer you my pen. My lady?
Look, everybody is bad at maths and you are no different to anybody else. I love maths and find it extremely difficult. If you are reading some maths that you are finding easy, then you are doing something wrong, not least on the grounds that it is not easy. Maths is not here to do anyone a favor. It is here to stretch ones wits.
0:12 Ha-ha if the things your students say are:
1) I know I'm not good at maths but *I do this for fun* (a sign that they enjoy the subject so much *they don't need an academic reason to study maths* 🎓🎓🎓🎓🎓🎓👨🎓👩🎓
2) I don't know if I'm *good enough to be a math major*
then your students have a *higher level of understanding of Maths than the average youtube viewer or the average person on the street* ... so just tell them to *stop moaning* because they *ARE good at maths* and someone with an above average knowledge should not be so dramatic. 😭🤪🎭