Conference rusure::math

    read 'Mindstorms' or better both of you read it.  The book is more or
    less a biography of the author and his ideas about learning math.
    It might seem a bit circuitous way of approaching such a problem, but
    the book hit me square-btwn-the-eyes.  good luck.
    
    .art.c.
    
    the author is S.Papert, i've been trying to remember that the whole
    time i was writing this :-}

	I would support the Pappert idea.   Another very human book is
"How to Solve It", by George Polya.   Take a look at it, and see how
appropriate it is.

	If it's sufficiently important to you, you could try to get a
one-on-one remedial teacher.   Individual attention could make a big
difference, but you want to check out the approach of the teacher.

Regards,
Andrew.

    I would recommend checking out the book:

	Overcoming Math Anxiety, by Sheila Tobias

    (I cannot recommend the book since I have not read it).  I just checked
    the Digital Library Network catalog and it is available for loan from
    three different sites.  From VMS say:

	$ VTX DLNCATALOG

    and follow the instructions to have it delivered to you by mail.  (Note
    due to some kind of screw up, the book is listed twice in the catalog
    with the first entry listing it as available from a single site, but
    MISSING.  The second entry contains the copies which are actually
    available).

    Hope this helps.

				    Topher

    Thanks to all of you. I will locate these books and consider the option
    of special assistance.
    
    Thanks again,
    MAC

    
    
Hi
    
    I have found that private tutors help students overcome their anxiety
quite often.  I have tutored a 9 year old and 15 year old this past year
in basic math and Algebra, respectively :-}.  Both students performed
exceptionally well is all other courses except MATH!!!. I found that
if you spend lots and lots of time with the student, requiring them to
spend more time in the math book, and make them take their time to work
and think about the problem, they make a small discovery......MATH
IS FUN and those PROBLEMS CAN BE SOLVED.  I required my students to work
the problem until is was correct and until they could tell me why is was
correct.  I then "made up" problems for them to work as a test, sometimes
they tend to memorize the answers and steps for those found in the text.
I also found that before the tutoring, both students "tried" to solve the
problems without writing down on paper each step required to complete
the problem.  Once I convinced them to write each and every step down
so that they could SEE what they were doing, Math became easier and
easier and easier.....  Both students went from D's to A's and B's.

I am all for reading the suggested books, but "ME" being a Math Major,
would recommend some quality time spent actually working out math
problems.  PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT!!!

Hope this helps,
Jackie
    

    I support .5 hav had same experince while at the university and
    tutoring 12 & 14 yr old girls. At that time I did not know why
    it worked, it was simply the approach of few teachers I had.
    
    Also consider the possible psychological part of the problem. I strongly
    suggest you (both)read two excellent articles:
    - Psychological bulletin,3/1990 (Janet Shibley Hyde, Elisabeth Fennema,
      Susan J. Lamon); and
    - Psychology today 1&2/1990 (Jacquelynne Eccles of U of Colorado).
    
    The articles are real eye openers on how subtle the girls are taught
    that they can not succeed in math. (If boy and girl have the same
    level, it is more common perception that the boy is bright and
    that the girl worked hard to get there. You indicate that your
    daughter is bright in other areas!) 
    On the contrary to the popular believes the recent research hints
    that females and male homosexuals are endowed with better links
    between the right and left brain-hemispheres...
    
    Good luck and share your experience,
    
    Josef.