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INTP's that don't like math... read this

Turniphead

Death is coming
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I wanted to like math when I was in school, but I always ended up falling behind... creating a snowball effect that made catching up so much harder. The problem was probably the lack of understanding of the why. We only ever learned the how.

If I had been taught with the perspective shared here:

http://www.maa.org/devlin/lockhartslament.pdf

I probably would have been really excited about it.
 

Happy

sorry for english
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I too am a victim of reading this piece post-school.
 

Wolf18

a who
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Fantastic article. As a student, it has actually changed my outlook on maths. Thanks for sharing!

SW
 

Magus

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Eurgh, couldn't you have sent this to me like 4 1/2 years ago?

I'm thinking this should be required reading, a very nice find. :cool:
 

r4ch3l

conc/ptu/||/
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I accidentally became a philosophy major because my high school and law school encouraging parents encouraged me to pursue writing/humanities/COLLEGE-AT-ALL in a time of intense turmoil (randomly/suddenly dropping out of high school senior year because of an abusive relationship) and confusion and then I immediately got disillusioned with the "progressive" model of "learning" how to make a "viral" video circa 2006 (journalism major for one semester).

I have massive insecurities about math because I had flawless grades through middle school yet always felt like I was memorizing the material akin to how I prepped for a history test -- yeah, I vaguely understood it but because nobody could ever answer *¡¡¡WHY!!!* it made me extremely uncomfortable and was the only subject I actively had to compensate or study for.

Anywahhh...my style of learning is very opposite to school despite my early record of obsessively flawless grades. My learning style is strongly iconic; thought experiments & diagrams specifically: http://s1077.photobucket.com/user/r...shot2012-12-28at103319PM_zps5765646d.png.html

So yeah...very much relate to being diametrically opposed to dominant teaching methods and losing out on the information I crave because of it. Philosophy majors = closet mathematicians.
 

kvothe27

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I despised mathematics in jr high and high school and ended up doing poorly. It wasn't until I had been out of school for a while that I realized how enjoyable it could be. I've greatly enjoyed calculus through differential equations in college. I even enjoyed learning how to prove math theorems in discrete math. Of course, part of my enjoyment was the result of not having to rely on my professors. I don't even really have to go to class. I can rely on internet lectures and make use of all kinds of resources that can make the experience much more enjoyable. My grades have been much better as a result.

It can be fun when it isn't just about memorization that all the many sensor teachers in grade school stress. The same can go for other fields though. A professor or teacher can ruin a subject for someone via uninspiring lectures and boring assignments. I almost considered dropping out of my CS degree because of one professor this past semester, but once I started programming on my own again for fun within the past couple weeks, my interest in attaining the degree has been renewed.

I'm of the opinion that professors and the school system can ruin just about any subject, no matter how interesting it actually is. Actually, the presence of other people can ruin just about everything.
 

Valentas

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Reason I despised how maths are taught are my maths teachers. They never ever managed to answer us, students, where the hell I can use mathematics. I took physics so I had vague idea what is the use of maths is for that science but I found it in physics class not in maths class.(the tension was intensified by English teacher who claimed that she never used anything else than proportion in real life...oh well, that ruined some people and made them to forget learning useless subject.)

Also, another boredom cause is textbooks. What is a typical high school textbook? It's a thick, boring book with some theory and some boring exercises number 1-1000.... I sat reading that crap and thought where can I use this shit in real life? Why don't you create problems and explain why it is useful here and there? Also, high school maths is so ugly and boring. They just repetition, playing with numbers. Nothing else.

This article is truly excellent and I found myself in pity that I read it after high school.

Thank you for a share.
 

Milo

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Rant warning: Story of my downfall

Interestingly, in third grade my school introduced math and I was diagnosed with cancer that year. I did homework in the hospital for half of a year with no instructor. Only the assignments in the back of the book. I had to figure it all out on my own. I became very interested in it and progressed quickly. When I returned to school at the end of the year the teacher told me I was doing things above my grade level. I wizzed through the required tests and math became instantly easy for me because I was able to configure how it works myself.

I aced the state test and my teacher held me back from recess and told me about it. I just shrugged it off because I didn't care all that much.

When high school began, I continued to be at the top of my math class. But, then when I started college and was in Calculus II my freshman year they taught a much different way. Just like in the story. I became bored and the pressure was immense. The teacher did nothing but write random equations on the board and explained them really fast. The tests were all on concepts that I had no idea of the application.

Sad to say I hated math from then on. I got a C in that coarse and went into a state of high anxiety because of all the rules, the stress of my own standards being compromised, and being in a new place all by myself with no one I knew (I was fairly shy when meeting new people).

That is also the time that I was educated on the nonexistance of God and introduced to philosophy. To which I then became mad with thoughts going every which way in my mind about everything. In the end, I dropped out of college and I fell into existential nihilism for two years with only my thoughts and more philosophy to save me.

The verbatim education only caused me to have to throw it all into my belief system without processing it through creativity. I'm sure that is what opened my mind to suck up all the information it could find. I became someone else.

Now I have finally gotten myself back on track. But, only by reactivating my creative side and destroying the rules the verbatim has allowed to stick in my brain. The rules that give me anxiety when I think about breaking them even when they are irrational fears. The same thing is happening with society with all the laws--too many at once. At least in America. Perfection minds everywhere always judging everyone else for breaking some trivial rules just because its not fair that they can't do it too. We'll I say dumb rules deserve breaking. Especially when they are not practical in every circumstance--pretty much none are.
 

walfin

Democrazy
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I hated maths until matrices.

Then I was like, hey! I know this stuff, I actually use it for 3D programming!

I used to not do any homework, except for the Interesting Questions which sometimes appeared at the back. Looking back, it seems that was the right way to go, because I still have some interest in pure maths though I no longer get to do it.
 
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