I want to improve

[Ayeong]

I recently failed my first 3/4 Methods sac. (38%)

Some background information:
- I have a very bad relationship with maths due to some really bad teachers in the past.
- All of my friends are really good at mathematics
- I have always been struggling with maths (barely passing) but I chose to do maths methods instead of further maths because personally it was more interesting and fun.

I feel like my problem with maths is mostly associated with my anxiety towards the subject.
I really want to improve.
In the past I would do all of the textbook questions that are set but skip the ones that I don’t understand.
At this point, I really just want to improve and feel better whenever I walk into my methods class without feeling like I’m on the verge of crying.
Can somebody please give me some advice on how to improve? It’s the only subject that really bothers me and even though I know I’m bad at it, I want to pass my next SAC with more confidence in myself...

[JerryMouse2019]

I recently failed my first 3/4 Methods sac. (38%)

Some background information:
- I have a very bad relationship with maths due to some really bad teachers in the past.
- All of my friends are really good at mathematics
- I have always been struggling with maths (barely passing) but I chose to do maths methods instead of further maths because personally it was more interesting and fun.

I feel like my problem with maths is mostly associated with my anxiety towards the subject.
I really want to improve.
In the past I would do all of the textbook questions that are set but skip the ones that I don’t understand.
At this point, I really just want to improve and feel better whenever I walk into my methods class without feeling like I’m on the verge of crying.
Can somebody please give me some advice on how to improve? It’s the only subject that really bothers me and even though I know I’m bad at it, I want to pass my next SAC with more confidence in myself...

I know what it's like to struggle with Maths. I've struggled with it throughout my schooling life. I've always left my Maths preparation to the last minute when it comes to exams. Whenever I've just barely passed or even failed I've grown more anxious and more full of doubt. My self-esteem and resilience has taken a hit multiple times. Even now when I'm doing General Maths (the equivalent of Further Maths in Qld), I don't struggle with understanding the content but I do struggle with practising the content and having the will to do so. I guess procrastination and laziness play a role in that.

My advice to you would be to not lose hope. Try to do the best that you can do. Always remember that there are other pathways to get to where you want to get (even if you don't know what you want to do yet). Whatever happens in Year 12 won't define your life.

For Maths, remaining patient is the best way to maintain hope and to create confidence in my opinion.

Here are some resources that you could use to improve:

Eddie Woo's Maths videos structured according to your state's curriculum --> https://wootube.mathspace.co/   

Khan Academy --> https://www.khanacademy.org/

For Practising Mindfulness (this can help with your anxiety) --> https://www.smilingmind.com.au/

All the best

[colline]

Hey! I would suggest taking a step back and seeing exactly what exactly are the area/s you're struggling with - eg. is it a certain concept itself that you do not understand, or is it that you struggle with application problems, or is it something else entirely?

I struggled with methods 1/2 a lot and failed my circular functions SAC really badly. When circular functions came up again in 3/4 I started at the beginning of the chapter and basically went through every single repetitive exercise, even when I felt like they were getting easy, then did all the application problems, followed by SAC/exam-style questions and spent about a week just grinding nothing but circular functions questions. It was very time consuming but definitely paid off in 3/4. If you struggle with conceptual stuff then I think this is honestly the best way to approach it (theory/notes if you need, then textbook exercises, then simple worded problems, and finally SAC questions and past VCAA questions).

You said that your friends are quite good at maths - you should definitelly approach them about any issues you may encounter! Don't try to do it alone. I swear the only reason I got a decent score in chem was because I joined all of my chem friends' discord study calls.

Good luck!!