ktgrok Posted December 2, 2010 Share Posted December 2, 2010 (edited) My best friend, who is very bright, has a mental block regarding math. She can memorize credit card numbers an such easily but has failed college algebra 3 times. She now wants to teach herself an take the clep exam, as they charge out of state tuition to retake it after the first three times. What is the best resource? Maybe start with something like Key to Algebra, then move on to a more advanced course? Edited December 2, 2010 by ktgrok Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted December 2, 2010 Author Share Posted December 2, 2010 also, I'm wondering if she has some form of discalculia...she is VERY smart, and does well in all her other classes. But math just is soooo confusing for her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted December 2, 2010 Share Posted December 2, 2010 Before she picks up a college algebra program, she needs to evaluate why she was not successful. It can be that she has trouble grasping the underlying algebra concepts - but it also may be that her prealgebra is not rock solid and that she has not mastered arithmetic with fractions. If the latter is the case, working on algebra is futile until these basic skills have been established. If she suspects a learning disability, she should have that tested professionally before she makes another attempt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MBM Posted December 2, 2010 Share Posted December 2, 2010 :iagree: What regentrude said. If it's not a learning disability, your friend might have to go back further. It would be best if she could find someone to help her figure out her weak areas. Otherwise, has she tried working through problems in Singapore 6 or other sources? Good luck to your friend! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted December 2, 2010 Author Share Posted December 2, 2010 :iagree: What regentrude said. If it's not a learning disability, your friend might have to go back further. It would be best if she could find someone to help her figure out her weak areas. Otherwise, has she tried working through problems in Singapore 6 or other sources? Good luck to your friend! No, she actually hasn't done any math in several years. She's in her twenties and in Nursing School now. She says that in the past she could do the problems if she was at the math lab, with someone helping her, but was lost if she had to do it on her own. So i'm thinking self teaching may help. Do you think Singapore would be a good choice, or Saxon, or??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MBM Posted December 2, 2010 Share Posted December 2, 2010 I would start with Singapore because it's not repetitious or time-consuming, but other curricula might work just as well or even better. I really admire your friend's perseverance. With that kind of attitude, she can't help but to eventually succeed. That's the kind of nurse I'd want for myself. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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