Academic Success Proposal: Final Draft

    This assignment was about ways to overcome academic issues that might hold us back from achieving our goals. In my case, I wrote about my struggle with math and researched ways to improve math skills. I also used credible sources as evidence. My intended audiences were my peers and my instructor. 

Jesus Arevalo Merino

Deana Nall

English Composition II

09 February 2021

How Practice Will Help You Succeed in Math

Ever since I was in high school, I struggled with math. I could not fully understand my teachers. When I asked for help, I still was not able to comprehend the material. I passed all of my math classes with D’s. Last semester, I had a math teacher who I understood completely. He is probably the best math teacher I have had so far. I passed that class with an A. However, I have a new math teacher this semester and I am having the same issues I had back in High School.

            I am not the only one struggling with math, though. According to U.S. News & World Report, the results from the 2017 National Assessment of Educational Progress show that only 33% of eighth-grade students are proficient in math; Which means 67% of eighth-graders are not proficient in math and will most likely struggle with the said subject when they go on to higher education (Venezky).

            Practicing and working on additional exercises are great ways to get better at math. Learning math is often compared to learning a new language; the more you practice, the more fluent you become. We all learn differently; that is why if you are struggling with math, you have to find a practice method that works best for you. According to Kim Greene, who is a former math teacher, cumulative practice, visual representation practice, and peer interaction practice are practice methods that help students a lot when they are struggling with mathematics (Greene).

Practicing and improving basic math skills will help you understand more advanced math problems in the future (Russell). When I was learning to multiply, my sister gave me ten exercises every day and I had to work on them until I was able to get them all correct. She did that until I finally got the ten exercises right on the first try, three days in a row. That helped my math skills a lot until I got to High School. “Doing some extra practice questions only helps students to grasp the concept more readily,” said Deb Russell who is a math educator, textbook contributor, and collaborated with the Canadian government on mathematics resources.

            The next step for students who are struggling with math would be going to tutoring. Students who do not understand an exercise, problem, or concept should reach out for help whenever they need it and keep going to tutoring until they fully comprehend what they need help with. Although most schools offer free tutoring, a lot of students who are struggling with a specific subject do not go. Students should be motivated to reach out for help instead of feeling stuck and lost (Russell). “Most people need help some of the time, but if students let that need go too long, they will discover that math will only become more frustrating,” said Russell.

I must admit I do not do any of the things I mentioned above, but I probably should start doing them if I want to accomplish my academic goals. By practicing, working on additional exercises, and going to tutoring, I will be able to understand math better, get good grades, be successful in my future math classes, and therefore, graduate college.

 

 

Works Cited

Greene, Kim. “Evidence-Based Math Instruction: What You Need to Know.” Understood, 5 February. 2021, www.understood.org/en/school-learning/for-educators/teaching-strategies/evidence-based-math-instruction-for-struggling-students. Accessed 11 February 2021.

Russell, Deb. “7 Steps to Helping Your Student Get Better Grades in Math.” ThoughtCo, 12 July. 2019, www.thoughtco.com/steps-to-doing-well-in-math-2312095. Accessed 7 February 2021.

Venezky, Elie. “Here's Why the United States Is so Bad at Math.” U.S. News & World Report, 4 May. 2018, www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/articles/2018-05-04/commentary-heres-why-the-united-states-is-so-bad-at-math. Accessed 7 February 2021.

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