Stuck is a normal working condition in mathematics â being stuck WELL is a skill this course deliberately teaches (see Getting Unstuck). But there is a difference between productive struggle and spinning, so here is the order to try things in:
- Read the problem again, out loud if you can. A surprising fraction of stuck is really âanswered a different questionâ.
- Check the site. The class page says what we did; the concept pages explain every idea we use; every practice set has worked answers folded below it.
- Ask your table. Explaining where exactly you got lost is half the diagnosis â and remember the norm: helpers ask questions, they donât hand over answers.
- Ask me in class. Work time is what it is for. Problems raised during work time are usually fixed in minutes.
- Come to a help session. Times are on Help Sessions. Bring the specific thing â âChapter everythingâ is hard to help with; one half-finished problem is easy.
Name where it broke
âI canât do exponentsâ is hard to help. âI can simplify but I donât see why isnât negativeâ â that one is fixed in five minutes. The habit of locating the exact broken step is Showing Your Thinking pointed at yourself.
One more thing: if the trouble is bigger than mathematics â time, workload, something at home â tell me straight away, in whatever way is easiest. Marks can wait; see Our Classroom Norms for the room this class tries to be.