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swimcatsmom writes: My D also struggles with Calc though has always been good at math. Her school they have to do through Calc2 so she has another semester - ugh. And, like irishmom's D, she has to spend so much time on it that it affects her other grades.
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A lot of kids have trouble with calculus. Part of it may be due to a poor teacher. But I think a lot is due to the material and the way books present it. Often there's a proof of some theorem filled with symbols and hard to follow for someone new to calculus, then a brief example or two before the problem sets. The problems seem to have nothing to do with the proof or any examples to be found. </p>
<p>Once you get the hang of it they become easy, even fun if you enjoy these types of puzzles. You'll see the theorem underlies what you're doing, and the potpourri of symbols a convenient shorthand for the steps involved in proving or applying the theorems. Unfortunately until that "aha!" moment occurs calculus can be as much fun as taking a class in some language you don't speak. Too many kids get discouraged and throw in the towel before "aha!' comes or keep struggling at a miserable task without ever getting real comprehension of the subject. </p>
<p>Fortunately there's help. For many subjects, including calculus, there are workbooks such as the "Calculus Problem Solver". These are incredible tools and I don't know why schools don't pass them out along with the textbook. In the calculus ones you'll find chapters that correspond to the topics covered in a calculus textbook. The chapters have worked problems, hundreds of them. The way to use the book is to try the 1st problem with the answer covered, then check your answer. If you don't get it right or are completely lost, then look at their detailed explanation of how to solve it. Repeat until you get the hang of that type of problem, then go on to the next. There are similar books for subjects such as chem, physics, stats, econ, etc.</p>
<p>I'm not going to say it is magical or quick, but I will say it is effective. Time spent becomes time spent productively, and then if the student goes back and reviews the text after learning to solve the problems they often will say, like I did, "so that's what this is about!"</p>
<p>You can find these books in any college bookstore or online, and they're not too expensive either. Since this is December a lot of kids are so lost by now in class they've given up and no book will help, but for those still fighting thru a book like this can be a real godsend.</p>