I am needing help with one of my Algebra students. It is a class of almost 30 slighty low to average level students with a couple of high level students sprinkled in (at the math level at least). Algebra I is the lowest math class our high school offers. However, I have one student that is very, very low level. He/she was been tested and does not fall under special education. However, he/she has probably not truthfully/really passed a math class in years. He/she can not even do basic math things. Also, he/she is lazy and doesn't pay attention much or put much effort into the class. I know this probably stems from not understanding the materials and being "lost" for years now. However, I think this is where the problem first came from also. He/she failed first semester. My question is what can I do for/with him/her now? I am not sure how to get him/her to pass second semester, since there is so much that he/she does not know how to do.
Just some ideas that are springing to mind... could you give this student modified homework that includes both current algebra skills and remedial basic practice? How about recommending some websites/games for the student to use to practice math that may be more engaging than the grade level work he/she does not understand? Is there a peer tutoring group or something similar he/she could take part in? Hmm. I will keep this in mind.
I would suggest not letting him use a calculator at all. This only hurts. I would gauge his level of understanding. It might help to show him how math builds up from a set of axioms such as those found in an introduction to a basic analysis text, but keep it on his level. If this is an algebra course, maybe build up some simple algebra from the axioms for him, explain to him the order axioms and print the set of real numbers from one to two dimensions, then maybe show him some basic trigonemtric ideas like sin, cos, tan, and maybe pythagoreans theorem. Explain to him linear and polynomials in terms of this Cartesian Geometry. Then show him how those axioms apply to functions.
I would suggest not letting him use a calculator at all. This only hurts. I would gauge his level of understanding. It might help to show him how math builds up from a set of axioms such as those found in an introduction to a basic analysis text, but keep it on his level. If this is an algebra course, maybe build up some simple algebra from the axioms for him, explain to him the order axioms and print the set of real numbers from one to two dimensions, then maybe show him some basic trigonemtric ideas like sin, cos, tan, and maybe pythagoreans theorem. Explain to him linear and polynomials in terms of this Cartesian Geometry. Then show him how those axioms apply to functions.
I would suggest not letting him use a calculator at all. This only hurts. I would gauge his level of understanding. It might help to show him how math builds up from a set of axioms such as those found in an introduction to a basic analysis text, but keep it on his level. If this is an algebra course, maybe build up some simple algebra from the axioms for him, explain to him the order axioms and print the set of real numbers from one to two dimensions, then maybe show him some basic trigonemtric ideas like sin, cos, tan, and maybe pythagoreans theorem. Explain to him linear and polynomials in terms of this Cartesian Geometry. Then show him how those axioms apply to functions.
The kid doesn't understand why x + x = 2x and you want to show him axioms and trigonometric functions...?
If you showed him simple axioms like distribution, commutative, associative, etc. Then you couls show that x+x = (1*x)+(1*x) = x*(1+1)=x*(2)=2x
Explain to him what deduction is and what axioms and postulates are, and how we use them to prove theorems about math. For trig, just start with the basics, maybe show him how sin, cos, tan work for right triangle and how this applies to the slope of a line. And how the pythagorean theorem applies to the distance between two points. Then show him maybe how they botha pply to the unit circle. How that's related to trigonometry.
