Algebra, Algebra, Why Algebra?

I was reading through the daily news relating to education, specifically concerning Algebra. It seems Algebra has become a major hurdle to college students even though it is considered to be developmental math. Students are struggling to understand the basic concepts and arithmetic necessary for the mastery of Algebra.

I am in no way a math major. I struggled some with math in college, mainly with Pre-Calculus. Honestly the first time I took the course I made a "D" by the skin of my teeth. I immediately re-took the course during summer school. It was a five-credit course that met during both summer terms. It was all I did that summer. I slept, ate, and lived math that summer. I would work problems late into the night, wake up and go to the study lab and continue to work problems until class started. By the end of the summer I had earned an "A" in the class. The other students thought I was a math genius, which I wasn't, I just worked hard and practiced that summer, it required time.

The following article excerpt written from the perspective of a community college math instructor, sheds some light on the problem in that we are not allowing students the time to digest and understand the concepts. A student’s time can be fragmented with extracurricular activities or even work leaving little practice time to understand the concepts and become proficient. Again, I am not a math guru but I did learn one thing that summer, math requires practice just like anything else.

Math anxiety plus overbooked kids equals no solution
The Free Lance-Star, Date published: 9/18/2005
What is important to understand is that mastery of algebra is critical to advancement--in both math and the sciences.

At the same time, syllabi in Algebra I and II--and other courses--are overburdened with extraneous material that is simply not essential to the next level. America's math textbooks are much too fat. Although teachers may admit that there is much in their textbooks they do not cover, many--in the attempt to keep pace with a required curriculum--feel rushed.

As a result, they talk fast and expect students to learn fast. A lot of impatience gets conveyed, resulting in frustrated students with unanswered questions.

What is being ignored in the attempt to cover material is that concept-laden mathematics needs time to be digested--time no one seems to acknowledge.

The problem, however, does not lie only with syllabi and teachers. Parents and students must bear their share of the problem. Students are overscheduled, and have been for at least one generation. Extracurricular activities have significantly diminished study time and personal time.

Many of today's students lack both the time and commitment to make math happen. Band practice, sports practice, and after-school jobs often absorb up to three to four hours of after-school time.

Unfortunately, this leaves fewer and fewer hours to make sense of those simultaneous linear equations, logarithms, and proofs. (Copyright 2005 The Free Lance-Star Publishing Company.)

It's this struggle student's have with Algebra that motivated us at college-cram.com to complete the College Algebra library first. We honestly want to help students to become successful in their academic endeavors.