One of my areas of particular interest is math anxiety. In fact, I did my masters thesis on math anxiety in 1978. I am continuing my research in this area. Over my years of teaching, I have discovered some skills that are important for all students to know. I have learned that much of what I state is not as obvious to all as I had first suspected. I share this information with you because I want every last one of you to succeed.

First of all , I would like to share with you some opinions that many students have. I would like to clear up any misperceptions that you might have. Along the way, I will be sharing with you my bias about the learning of higher mathematics.

IDEAS THOUGHTS

Math As a Second Language Okay, learning math is like learnning a foreign language. Practice is as important in math as it is in learning a foreign language.

Missing Link Sometimes the difficulty that students have in higher level courses is having not learned the essential skills in elementary school: fractions and decimals, for example. The higher level material comes easily, provided the student has a good grasp of the basics.

Fear of Being Too....Smart or Not Some students don't want to stand out in the class. They do not want to be the class smarty, nor do they want others to know that they have many questions.

Distrust of Intuition Many students have skills that they do not know that they have. Students need to trust their intuition.

Exact Answers Although exact answers are important in reality, the process is what I believe is truly important. That is why I expect to see as much work as possible on all exercises.

Defeating Self-Talk Why do students have an easier time criticizingf themselves rather than complimenting themselves? If we get into the habit of talking ourselves down, we will convince ourselves that we cannot do it. If we use positive self-talk, we can brainwash ourselves into believing that we CAN do it!

Sex: You are dreaming! Sex is NOT a factor in math learning. Although others disagree with me, I teach with the belief that EVERYONE can learn math. Some people just need more time or different types of instruction.

IDEAS	THOUGHTS
Math As a Second Language	Okay, learning math is like learnning a foreign language. Practice is as important in math as it is in learning a foreign language.
Missing Link	Sometimes the difficulty that students have in higher level courses is having not learned the essential skills in elementary school: fractions and decimals, for example. The higher level material comes easily, provided the student has a good grasp of the basics.
Fear of Being Too....Smart or Not	Some students don't want to stand out in the class. They do not want to be the class smarty, nor do they want others to know that they have many questions.
Distrust of Intuition	Many students have skills that they do not know that they have. Students need to trust their intuition.
Exact Answers	Although exact answers are important in reality, the process is what I believe is truly important. That is why I expect to see as much work as possible on all exercises.
Defeating Self-Talk	Why do students have an easier time criticizingf themselves rather than complimenting themselves? If we get into the habit of talking ourselves down, we will convince ourselves that we cannot do it. If we use positive self-talk, we can brainwash ourselves into believing that we CAN do it!
Sex: You are dreaming!	Sex is NOT a factor in math learning. Although others disagree with me, I teach with the belief that EVERYONE can learn math. Some people just need more time or different types of instruction.