Hi everyone. In this post, I cover the concept of remedial math. I have heard about remedial math in the past but I wanted to take a look into this.
What Is Remedial Mathematics?
According to this Spinger website, remedial mathematics is defined as the intention to correct or improve one’s skill in mathematics. Mathematics is one of those subjects where many of the later topics build upon previous topics. It is not one of those subjects where you can cram for a test, pass the test and be relieved that it would not show up again. Many topics do show up more than once until the student/individual stops learning math or stops applying it in their lives.
From North Tonawanda Intermediate School, the goal of remedial math is to reduce the number of students who have difficulty mastering concepts & skills with mathematics. Remedial math teachers are experts who work closely with students to meet their needs. Students are released from remedial math once they meet grade level expectations.
Improving On Math Fundemantals
Reasons can vary when it comes to someone not knowing math fundamentals or having weak math fundamentals. Here are some reasons from the top of my head:
- Bad Experiences With Math Teachers In The Past
- Teacher Or Course Did Not Cover Certain Math Concepts
- Memory Issues
- Barely Passing Math Courses
- Slow Speed
- Having Taken Math A Very Long Time Ago (This one is understandable)
- Learning Disabilities
- Math Anxiety
- Laziness, Not Doing Enough Homework
- Low Confidence
- Low Motivation
The concept of fundamentals is a bit subjective. In the mathematics framework, fundamental math topics can vary depending on who you ask and with different school boards. In my view, math fundamental topics includes:
- Arithmetic (Add, Subtract, Multiply, Divide)
- Negative Numbers (Concepts & Add, Subtract, Multiply, Divide)
- Concept of Fractions (Part Of A Whole)
- Algebra
- Measurement, Area, Perimeter
- Concept Of Percents
- Concept Of Decimals
- Basic Statistics / Data Management (Bar Graph, Line Graph, Sample Size, Biases)
Depending on who you talk to more advanced fundamental topics can include items like:
- Graphing Functions
- Trigonometry
- Pre-Calculus
- Introductory Calculus
- Basic Probability (with Normal Distribution)
There are instances where people (including me) are very knowledgable and skilled with some advanced math concepts but lack fundamentals in some other more basic math concepts. As an example my calculus, probability and statistics is pretty good overall but my linear algebra, geometry and hypothesis testing basic knowledge from statistics is rusty. It is because I forget concepts that I do not really use or practice. I once had an older math acquaintance who mentioned that the more math she learned her calculation skills got a bit slower. She got used used to learning more about concepts in math and not so much on calculations.
From my teaching assistant days I did have a few students who do understand concepts and have an idea how to solve math questions but the algebra skill was not there to solve questions. This is comparable to knowing how to build a house in theory but not being able to do it when it comes with the actual labour. Algebra in mathematics can be viewed as techniques with different use cases for solving problems and obtaining solutions.
Concepts Covered In Remedial Math
I found it a little bit difficult to find remedial math course outlines on the internet. Here are a few findings.
Dawson College
Link: https://www.dawsoncollege.qc.ca/mathematics/wp-content/uploads/sites/113/201-015-RE.pdf
In this Dawson College course, the course outline mentions review of important concepts of algebra and to ensure competency in algebra. Math topics include:
- Exponents
- Polynomials
- Factoring
- Roots, Radicals
- Solving Linear & Quadratic Equations
- Functions
- Exponential & Logarithmic Functions
- Inverse Functions
- Trigonometry
- Geometry (Vectors)
Apex Learning Website
Link: https://www.apexlearning.com/course/1261
Pdf Link: https://cdn.apexlearning.com/course_pdfs/1261.pdf?1533917015
According to Apex Learning, remedial math mentions basic number concepts like whole numbers, counting, place value, exponents. The .pdf link is the course outline for two semesters. It is quite long, detailed and comprehensive. It covers math from the basics (around Kindergarten/Grade 1) to Fractions, Decimals, Percents, Shapes, Geometry Basics (around Grade 5-6).
Remedial Math Workbooks
Link: https://www.learninghouse.ca/products/818/TLH/remedial-math.html
Workbooks are good for those who want to work at their own pace and do not wish to attend classes. From searching around I have found this website Learning House which appears to have some practical math workbooks. As much I like calculus, probability and stats I do think that math related to bank accounts, budgeting, credit cards and personal finance is quite useful. The math related to personal finance is not so advanced compared to caclulus. Some links below.
Topics in remedial math can vary depending on the level, timeframe and audience. People would have different views on which math topics are fundamental, which ones are advanced. With remedial math, the topics and difficulty do vary. Regardless of the remedial math education versions, many efforts are made to help those get through mathematics.
Interesting. Math is not something I use on a daily basis so basic math is all I can do. I never got the point of the intermediate and advanced math concepts but would love to learn.
There is a lot of math educational content out there (i.e. Youtube) so you can learn at your own pace.
I do spend a lot of time on YouTube but I also use Khan academy.