I had always loved math. The logic that was applied to the real world made sense, and it was fun to find patterns and work with interesting numbers. When I started becoming stressed out with my high school classes (especially those that in hindsight I had no reason to take), my love for the field diminished. However, I began to love math again after watching PatrickJMT's YouTube Channel videos regarding studying mathematics.
Recently re-discovered because I am studying for the GRE, I had forgotten the power of Patrick's style of teaching and how I learned concepts on a much deeper level because of it. I know that there is another article here on Odyssey that speaks about Patrick's awesomeness. But, I wanted to tell a bit of my story and why you should want to take a look.
I learned differently from some of my other peers taking my AP Calculus and college-level Physics with me in high school and college. I still do. In order for me to understand a concept, I needed to understand why it existed and why it was important. That's why I worked so well in English, history, and most science classes because I learned it all as a story, with a deeper understanding. However, math was so rarely ever taught that way from most sources that I explored. I was desperate to understand why an equation or formula worked, and how. Not just remember a nifty jingle or acrostic to help me remember.
This is where PatrickJMT came in. While searching for math videos on YouTube, the results showed one of his videos. After I watched a couple, I was hooked. Onto math videos, of all things. I loved the use of the whiteboards or large, white papers with large, black felt-tip pens. I felt how I know do as a teacher of elementary school students -- excited to learn because I was enjoying the concept that I was learned. I also felt like I was in a relaxed state while learning because of how understanding his tone was while teaching. I could even pause and play the video whenever I needed to really understand a concept.
The whole experience changed the way I approached math, and even learning overall, in all of my logic-based classes. I enjoyed applying math to the real world again, and I took more time to complete my homework. I am thankful for the discovery of this amazing channel, and I highly recommend that you take a look, as well.
