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If you're having trouble with algebra, then I suggest that you get a tutor and try harder. You're saying that you can't even get through middle school level math.
It has nothing to do with trying harder. Some people just aren't good in math. My daughter had a tutor since third grade but she just couldn't retain the info. She's an adult now and math is still a struggle for her.
"Some individuals with brain injuries have extreme difficulty processing and remembering complex information. Academic tasks, such as the precise sequencing of steps required in a chemistry experiment or applying theoretical math formulas to solve word problems, can prove very challenging"
"It has become increasingly apparent that complex brain functions -- such as coordinated movement, memory, language, or mathematical thinking -- depend critically on dynamic interactions between brain areas. This is the concept of “functional connectivity networks” — distributed brain regions transiently interacting to perform a particular neural function."
"It has been known for some time that the parietal cortex, the top/middle region of the brain, plays a central role in so-called numerical cognition--our ability to process numerical information. Previous brain imaging studies have shown that the right parietal region is primarily involved in basic quantity processing (like gauging relative amounts of fruit in baskets), while the left parietal region is involved in more precise numerical operations like addition and subtraction."
"More of the study results: One in three children born extremely prematurely found reading difficult, while almost half (44 percent) battled with mathematics. These children also found simultaneous processing of complex information especially difficult."
Brain damage (either traumatic, acquired, birth related, etc) can have a wide variety of long lasting effects. I know a guy who suffered severe brain damage as a result of a tumor and months of seizure activity, brain surgery that removed part of the brain, etc. I don't pretend to know all the details but suffice it to say he had a whole lot going on up there, and at one point in his life he was declared to be incurable, the damage to his brain was considered to be so severe that docs said he wouldn't walk/talk again.
Well, he did all those things and if you met him today you would not know he has lasting brain damage, BUT there are certainly still several issues that he struggles with daily and privately, and he is prone to frightening rages. He can hold a conversation with you like any "normal" guy but he cannot write a grocery list without help.
On a similar note, my oldest son suffered oxygen deprivation at birth (hypoxia) due to complete placental abruption. He is 20. You would never guess him to be "brain damaged" but he is. He seems very bright, he is extraordinarily gifted in art and music. He can play any song he has only heard once, perfectly, on the guitar or other instruments, without effort. He is brilliant in language arts as well, from essays and research papers to creative writing. He is also very mechanically inclined and can fix or build all sorts of things. He's the guy I go to when I need to make something work, or make something fit, or put something together.
He also suffers from a diagnosed learning disability in math, and has other cognitive struggles that he tries very hard to conceal. He cannot tell time. He cannot follow directions with several steps unless he is given each step verbally at the time he has to do it.
Point is, you just never know, it's very real and the results of brain injury can show up in various ways depending on the exact circumstances.
Last edited by Sally_Sparrow; 02-04-2013 at 08:43 PM..
The two extremes are always rare: born to be absolutely incapable or extremely capable.
Therefore, for most people, it is not a good strategy to blame the genes or the way your brain is wired. Save the time and energy to improve yourself!
The two extremes are always rare: born to be absolutely incapable or extremely capable.
Therefore, for most people, it is not a good strategy to blame the genes or the way your brain is wired. Save the time and energy to improve yourself!
We aren't talking about "most people". The OP said he had a brain injury. People came along with comments that indicated they were doubtful of how brain injury can affect math ability. What, I must ask, is your solution for those people out there who DO have an extreme difficulty that is not simply solved by "applying yourself"?
We aren't talking about "most people". The OP said he had a brain injury. People came along with comments that indicated they were doubtful of how brain injury can affect math ability. What, I must ask, is your solution for those people out there who DO have an extreme difficulty that is not simply solved by "applying yourself"?
Go read "Three Days to See".
Those individuals still need to try their best. Just don't set impractical goals.
If you're having trouble with algebra, then I suggest that you get a tutor and try harder. You're saying that you can't even get through middle school level math.
It annoys me a little that people continue to tell people who have very real issues with algebra, to "just try harder" there are very smart people, people with superior intellects who just can not understand algebra, and most likely will never learn it. The find themselves in colleges that cut little or no slack, and leave school defeated, their self esteems destroyed, because they can not perform algebra! ALGEBRA! It's one course! One class, that is not needed for many well respected professions, and yet there are people without college degrees because of that one class!
In the span of two days there have been no less than three posters who have made this claim. I happen to believe them.
Interestingly, do you know exactly how many math credits it takes to graduate from Harvard?
What is your guess five, two or four or more?
Number of mathematics classes of any sort required to graduate from Harvard with a degree that is not in mathematics or science?
NONE. Not one. And Harvard is not the only school that does not require algebra. It's the only one I can think of right now and quite possibly the best example.
In the seventies and early eighties this was not uncommon at many above average colleges. There are still more schools but the student/ consumer needs to look.
Anyone with extreme difficulty with math, and more often than not, algebra is the offending subject, should take the test at the following website dycalculia.com
An exemption or substitution may be available under the Americans With Disabilities Act.
It annoys me a little that people continue to tell people who have very real issues with algebra, to "just try harder" there are very smart people, people with superior intellects who just can not understand algebra, and most likely will never learn it. The find themselves in colleges that cut little or no slack, and leave school defeated, their self esteems destroyed, because they can not perform algebra! ALGEBRA! It's one course! One class, that is not needed for many well respected professions, and yet there are people without college degrees because of that one class!
In the span of two days there have been no less than three posters who have made this claim. I happen to believe them.
Interestingly, do you know exactly how many math credits it takes to graduate from Harvard?
What is your guess five, two or four or more?
Number of mathematics classes of any sort required to graduate from Harvard with a degree that is not in mathematics or science?
NONE. Not one. And Harvard is not the only school that does not require algebra. It's the only one I can think of right now and quite possibly the best example.
In the seventies and early eighties this was not uncommon at many above average colleges. There are still more schools but the student/ consumer needs to look.
Anyone with extreme difficulty with math, and more often than not, algebra is the offending subject, should take the test at the following website dycalculia.com
An exemption or substitution may be available under the Americans With Disabilities Act.
Wait, are you saying algebra ISN'T necessary in a LOT of jobs?
I was born prematurely, and I didn't get enough oxygen. It damaged the math part of my brain.
Really, I'd say math is my only weak subject.
I see. I'm not knowledgeable in this area so I have nothing concrete to add. All I can say is that you must find a tutor who has experience teaching Math to students who have a condition similar to your condition.
Math, whether you like it or not, is used in almost all day-to-day dealings so you need to master the basics to be successful. Good luck!
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