Helping Unprepared Students: The Ironies and Challenges

[Mark44]

Yes, students who are totally unprepared for the classes they are in are a problem. It should be the school's problem, but it winds up in our laps when the student asks for help. It is hard to know what to tell them. "Drop this class and study h.s. algebra" does not seem appropriate, although it might be the most accurate.

During the 18 years that I taught math in a community college (a two-year college), I had a handful of students who were so woefully unprepared for the class they were in that I advised them to drop the class and take one of the prereq classes. When I have come across similarly unprepared students here at PF, I didn't advise them to drop the class, but I did recommend that they allot some time reviewing the parts of algebra or whatever where they were having problems.

 

[brmath]

During the 18 years that I taught math in a community college (a two-year college), I had a handful of students who were so woefully unprepared for the class they were in that I advised them to drop the class and take one of the prereq classes. When I have come across similarly unprepared students here at PF, I didn't advise them to drop the class, but I did recommend that they allot some time reviewing the parts of algebra or whatever where they were having problems.

A very sensible message. I wonder how many of them took your advice.