This week, I was able to draw the connection between two different math classes. My friend was working on business calculus homework last night, while I was working on college algebra. I have never stepped into a calculus class in my life, but she was stuck on a problem and asked if I would try to help her. I looked at her like she was crazy, but with a little faith, trust and pixie dust I decided that I maybe able to help her. As I was looking at the example problem and how she was solving the problem, I realized that a lot of basic college algebra rules and equations were within this single math problem. While I knew that some maths were based off one another, I never realized how important it was to have a good base understanding of simple solving and rules of equations. In fact, where my friend was making her mistake was in the manner of which she was trying to simplify her equation. Luckily for her, this is the one section of college algebra that doesn’t make me want to have a mental breakdown. I will never understand why it is important for me to find an answer to something with letters and numbers, I now know that it is important to have a good basic knowledge before I attempt upper-level math.
This connection moment was really beneficial for me later in my math class. I was in the middle of my test and came to a question I didn’t know how to solve. I thought back to how I was able to solve the upper level math problem and considered all the basic rules of solving equations. Sure enough, there was a way I learned in high school that I suddenly recalled that my college professor did not use. I was able to solve the math problem and get a 100 on the test. Not only did I draw the connection between this past instant, but I was able to connect back to my high school years in algebra in order to problem solve.