It would be like trying to take French III without taking French I and French
II.
If you are enrolled in a mathematics course now, have you completed the
prerequisite courses? If you are planning to take a mathematics course, did
you check the college catalog to see if you have completed the prerequisite
courses?REASON 7: THE NATURE OF MATHEMATICS
Mathematics is unlike any other course in that it requires more skills than
just memorization. Mathematics requires you to use analytical reasoning
skills, problem solving skills, and critical thinking skills. It is also abstract
in nature since it uses symbols. In other words, you have to do much more
than just memorize a bunch of rules and formulas to be successful in mathe-
matics.
Many students view mathematics with the attitude of, ‘‘Tell me what I
have to memorize in order to pass the test.’’ If this is the way you think about
mathematics, you are on the road to failure. It is time to change your way of
thinking about mathematics. From now on, realize that you have to do far
more than just memorize.
How do you view mathematics?Of course, there are many other factors that can cause math anxiety and
lead to poor performance in mathematics. Each person has his or her own
reasons for math anxiety. Perhaps you would like to add your own personal
reasons for your math anxiety.Part II Overcoming Math Anxiety
Now that we have explained the nature of math anxiety and some of the
possible causes of it, let us move to the next part of this program: How You
Can Overcome Math Anxiety. The plan for overcoming math anxiety con-
sists of two parts.First, you need to develop apositive attitudetowards
mathematics;second, you need to learn somecalmingandrelaxation skills
to use in the classroom, when you are doing your homework, and especially
when you are taking a math test.276 SUPPLEMENT Overcoming Math Anxiety