[NFB-Science] Math query:
KENNEDY STOMBERG
kestomberg at coe.edu
Sun Nov 18 04:18:10 UTC 2018
I echow that sentiment! Well said, Oewton!
I also find that thinking of math as a sort of fun puzzle rather than something scary helps. That's sometimes easier said than done. :) Also, I find the following set of questions helpful when trying to solve difficult math problems.
1. What information do I know about the problem? Sometimes, I write down every thing the problem tells me, even if it seems irrevilant. Basically, I put the problem in my own words.
2. What do I need to know? What question am I trying to answer by doing this problem?
3. What do I need to get to the answer? Does the problem give me enough information to use a certain equation/formula? If not, does the problem give me enough information to find what I need to use a certain formula?
4. Okay, so at this point, you might be stuck. That's when it's good to find help. Relying on your classmates, tutors, and especially your professor will be great allies to you. At this point, you probably at least know what question you're trying to answer, and maybe a little bit of what you need to do to get there. So, formulate questions, and make them as specific as you can. (Again, easier said than done sometimes.)
5. Once you have the tools to solve the problem, and know how to maoipulate the equations, you can solve problems!
This approach helped me get through Physics, which was a lot of math. Keeping a growth mindset is also important.
Good luck!
Kennedy
Kennedy Stomberg
M.S. Program in Cognitive Neuroscience
The Graduate Center, City University of New York
365 5th Ave. New York, NY 10027
Phone: (218)295--2391
> On Nov 17, 2018, at 3:35 PM, John Gardner via NFB-Science <nfb-science at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>
> Newton, what a wonderful summary of what it takes to be a successful STEM student. Blind or Sighted, it is great advice.
>
> John
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: NFB-Science <nfb-science-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Newton Nguyen via NFB-Science
> Sent: Saturday, November 17, 2018 9:51 AM
> To: NFB Science and Engineering Division List <nfb-science at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: Newton Nguyen <newt.n94 at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [NFB-Science] Math query:
>
> Hi Kendra,
>
> I work in climate. Here are my answers to your questions:
>
> 1. With regards to the course sequences, definitely take math courses in sequence and without a break. Doing math is like a muscle. If you don't work it out, then it atrophies.
>
> 2. Burnout is pretty normal. Generally, it is recommended that you have a regular sleep and eating schedule, have friends to vent to, and take breaks during the day. I generally work in 2 hour increments. I think the most important thing is to ask questions when you don't understand something and continue to ask clarifying questions. It works because as you iterate through this process, the questions become more specific and you understand the concepts with more nuance. This saves a lot of time and as a student time efficiency is paramount.
>
> 3A. You asked about mindsets. It's important to be curious about the math. I find it easier to think of it as an opportunity to learn the underlying mechanics of the universe. One of my favorite quotes is "Scientists study the laws of God while mathematicians study the laws that God must follow." Replace God with universe and the quote makes more sense, at least to me LOL. Math is hard but very rewarding, and to be a climate scientist, you are going to need to use a lot of it.
>
> 3B. Circling back to mindset and burnout. I just talked about curiosity, but there are also other aspects about burnout and mindset that are important. Stress is helpful to get things done but too much stress over a long period of time can lead to mental health challenges. With regards to this, take care of yourself, some ways were enumerated in the second point.
>
> 3C. Check out the book Mindset by Carol Dweck. It talks about something called the growth mindset, which is something that a lot of successful science students exhibit. In summary, the growth mindset is being persistent in learning, believing challenges and difficulties are not scary but an opportunity to grow, and not being attached to the idea of being smart/not smart. The last point is super important in confidence and self-esteem because students believe that they are not smart enough to be good at math, avoid math, and the lack of practice makes them not good at math. I might have butchered the summary here but check out the book. It helped me when I was in my undergrad.
>
> 3D. Be kind to and patient with yourself. It's hard to be blind and it's hard to do math. It's hard to be blind and doing math. There will be many challenges. You will feel stupid a lot of the time, I did and still do. Sometimes, you will fail, and it's hard not to beat yourself up over it. I certainly did; there were many tears, Netflix marathons, and ice cream cones. Try your best and ask for help when you do.
>
> 4. Finally, enjoy the process. Math is fun and you're going to approach problem solving in a new way, and it's going to inform the way you do science. When things get tough, feel free to reach out to me for support.
>
> I hope this helps.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Newton
>
>
>> On Nov 16, 2018, at 6:31 PM, Kendra Schaber via NFB-Science <nfb-science at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>
>> Hi all!
>> How do you navigate your math courses, regarding your mind set?
>>
>>
>> Thank you for taking the time to read this E Mail!
>> Blessed be!!!
>> Kendra Schaber,
>> Chemeketa Community College,
>> 350 Org,
>> Citizen’s Climate Lobby,
>> National Federation of the Blind of Oregon, Capitol Chapter, Salem,
>> Oregon.
>> Home email:
>> Redwing731 at gmail.com
>> Chemeketa Community College Email:
>> Kschaber at my.Chemeketa.edu
>> Phone:
>> 971-599-9991
>> "When the student is ready, the teacher will appear" Author Unknown.
>> Sent From My iPhone SE.
>> Sent from My Gmail Email.
>> Get Outlook Express for IOS.
>>
>>
>>> On Nov 14, 2018, at 19:44, Mariya Vasileva via NFB-Science <nfb-science at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>>
>>> Hey, I would say take them back to back, this is because it will stay in your mind a lot longer as you figure out how things put together toward your field. I have to take six math courses not including the two prerequisite for them, for my astronomy and astrophysics degree. Also, I can totally relate to being damn good at the science but not at the math, considering the fact that it just doesn’t come easy no matter what format you put it in as far as accessibility goes. This, requires you to have a certain brain or mine set, or you have to figure out other ways as to how it clicks in a different way other than just the language itself. Obviously, you have to put that to practice, there is no way around that. But, it makes sense because your brain gets that opportunity to figure out how it works to an extent, whether you needed extra push or explanation as to how something works or not, depending on which concepts your brain is like oh yeah this makes logical sense to where I can decode it in every way as meeded.
>>>
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>>
>>>> On Nov 14, 2018, at 21:25, Kendra Schaber via NFB-Science <nfb-science at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> Hi all!
>>>> I have to double check but I think my degree requires more like ten math classes. with that said, would you want me to take them back to back or actually take a break?
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Thank you for taking the time to read this E Mail!
>>>> Blessed be!!!
>>>> Kendra Schaber,
>>>> Chemeketa Community College,
>>>> 350 Org,
>>>> Citizen’s Climate Lobby,
>>>> National Federation of the Blind of Oregon, Capitol Chapter, Salem,
>>>> Oregon.
>>>> Home email:
>>>> Redwing731 at gmail.com
>>>> Chemeketa Community College Email:
>>>> Kschaber at my.Chemeketa.edu
>>>> Phone:
>>>> 971-599-9991
>>>> "When the student is ready, the teacher will appear" Author Unknown.
>>>> Sent From My iPhone SE.
>>>> Sent from My Gmail Email.
>>>> Get Outlook Express for IOS.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> On Nov 14, 2018, at 15:21, KENNEDY STOMBERG <kestomberg at coe.edu> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>> Hello, Kendra,
>>>>>
>>>>> Here is what I suggest.
>>>>> First, find out how much math is actually required. Are you required to take three math classes, or just two? If math isn't your thing, then only take what you need to.
>>>>> SECOND, whatever happens, try to take your math back-to-back. If you struggle with math, taking a break could mean that you risk forgetting what you've already learned.
>>>>> As for avoiding burn-out, that's a tough one. I'm currently inrolled in a graduate level Statistics course, and I too struggle with this. Two important things to remember:
>>>>> A. You are not the only one. Your classmates are probablz struggling too. Don't be afraid to reach out, collaborate and form study groups! You may find that you bring something unique to the table, while your classmates are able to help you with lroblems that you are struggling with.
>>>>> B. Remember why you're doing it. Remember why it's an important step towards achieving your Climatolgy degree.
>>>>> Feel free to contact me outside of this list if you need help.
>>>>>
>>>>> Good luck!
>>>>> Kennedy
>>>>>
>>>>> Kennedy Stomberg
>>>>> M.S. Program in Cognitive Neuroscience The Graduate Center, City
>>>>> University of New York
>>>>>
>>>>> 365 5th Ave. New York, NY 10027
>>>>> Phone: (218)295--2391
>>>>>
>>>>>> On Nov 14, 2018, at 2:38 AM, Kendra Schaber via NFB-Science <nfb-science at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Hi all!
>>>>>> I have a math query that I’m trying to solve. Starting in the winter, I’m going to start my climatology degree. The degree requires a lot of math and a lot of science. There are several factors in this one but I’m asking all over the map for advise. I’m also not planning on taking courses in the coming summer because of a good chance of attending the NFB National Convention. I was informed that the summer classes are short anyway. I have been advised against it by everyone who I discussed summer to so far. Because of this thing regarding summer, this gives me another much bigger. query that I’m on a quest to solve. Before I get to the query itself, I need to put some factors on the table first. I might not get all of them but that’s all right because I have plans to delve deeper into factors that I’m not even aware of at this time. I’ll lay out the ones that I am aware of here because I want the best advise I can get from you all giving the information that I include here. My first class is Math111 which is an Algebra class. I only go up from there. I have to take more algebra classes, calcus, statistics and the like. I might even have to go higher than that in math. I have always either struggled in math or felt as though I have struggled in math. I have even used a math tutor in past math classes. That’s even taking into account of accessable technology at the time and my math skills to begin with. One problem that I have ran into when taking math classes in the past which includes the best tech avalible at the time and a math tutor is shear burn out. I simply want to avoid as much of that as possible. But I also want to keep the degree moving along the way the whole time I’m in school. I don’t know how Math112 will look in terms of studdying hours, homework and so fforth. But for now, I’ll use Math111 for example. I got my updated cylabus today and it calculated that on averige, a student requires around 2 to 3 hours of homework each hour of class. Since I have to take this class for one hour each week day, that means that I have to put in around 3 to 4 hours of my day devoted to math, including the classroom itself. I’m not including for unforseen factors of course. I’m just going off of the numbers the cylabus gave me in print. I might be faster, I might be slower. I might even change speed depending on when I run into parts that I master quickly and then run into parts that I struggle with the whole time I’m working. But that last factor is totally unperdictable. But I have the best technology I know of and I’m trying to sort out if I’m going to run into something that is totally inaccessible before I dare attempt at trying it in the class room. I think that if it’s totally inaccessible, that it’s too late to work around it except for compleetly unforseen surprises that are also unperdictable. I’m trying to sort out as many problems ahead of time as possible so that college will be a bit smoother. One factor that I don’t know anything about yet is how my writing class will look like. I don’t know what it’s homework load will look like. I also don’t know my schedule for my writing class will be like either. In fact, I know nothing about my writing class except for the fact that it’s called Writing90. That’s it!!! In any case, I also need to sort out my spring schedule followed up by my fall of 2019 schedule so that I can get my financial aid sorted out. On top of that, there are some classes that if I don’t take in the fall, I have to wait a whole year before I can make another attempt. I have to pick my advisor at the Counseling Center to sort that factor out. I have already scheduled that appointment. But I also have classes that are shorter and only take one term to cover. I’m not sure what those classes are without looking at my degree first. I do know this, I also have a writing class that I’m taking in the winter. I also have another writing class that I’m taking in the spring term. I have the option of taking another math class in the spring term as well. I also have the option of taking a math class in the fall term as well. I also have the option of taking a math class in the spring and another math class in the fall. I also have the option of taking my writing class along with something else that is not math in the spring term and then saving the next math class in the fall term. Mind you, no mater the options I have listed, the writing class is a constant class in the winter term and the spring term. But not nessearily in the fall term. I could take a science class in the fall term along with a math class. I personally would like to take a math class in the winter along with the writing class and follow that up with my writing class and something else other than math in the spring term. But I’m getting mixed and unsertain feedback on which route to take. Some have suggested that I keep up with the math class but explore all of my options. Others were simply, unsure. Still others said to get a math tutor. Someone else suggested that I take something that I’m good at in the spring and go back to math in the following fall. I even got someone who is totally unsure which route to take. I’m going to now give this one to you guys to look over and tell me what you think. Which route do you think is best for me to avoid burn out and also keep my degree moving?
>>>>>> One: Math and writing in the winter followed by a second math class along with a writing class in the spring term and then taking a third math class in the fall term?
>>>>>> Two: Math and writing in the winter followed up by a writing class and something else in the spring and then resuming math class in the following fall term?
>>>>>> I have heard both sides of the argument on which route will be best for me. Some people have reported that they do better when they get all of their math classes done at once. Others argued that they favore the break in between classes. I want the best inclusive feedback on this issue. What are your experiences? What do you think of all of this? Also, what is your advise on this cross road?
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Thank you for taking the time to read this E Mail!
>>>>>> Blessed be!!!
>>>>>> Kendra Schaber,
>>>>>> Chemeketa Community College,
>>>>>> 350 Org,
>>>>>> Citizen’s Climate Lobby,
>>>>>> National Federation of the Blind of Oregon, Capitol Chapter,
>>>>>> Salem, Oregon.
>>>>>> Home email:
>>>>>> Redwing731 at gmail.com
>>>>>> Chemeketa Community College Email:
>>>>>> Kschaber at my.Chemeketa.edu
>>>>>> Phone:
>>>>>> 971-599-9991
>>>>>> "When the student is ready, the teacher will appear" Author Unknown.
>>>>>> Sent From My iPhone SE.
>>>>>> Sent from My Gmail Email.
>>>>>> Get Outlook Express for IOS.
>>>>>>
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