Why Remediation?
Most students get angry when they have to repeat something they have already taken before – once, twice, three times, or more. I would feel the same way. What purpose is there to repeat learning if you already learned it? The answer is simple – you didn't understand it well enough to progress to a higher level of the subject.
In English, if your vocabulary is missing, how can you make sentences? In math, if you have trouble with whole numbers, how can you expect to do fractions? What may seem like a punishment is an opportunity for you to prevent disaster in the future. The problem was someone allowing you to pass a course without mastery – or even proficiency.
When I am assigned to teach a remedial course, I know 80% of the class is already hating being there just walking in the door. So, I start the introduction with a bit of psychology: Forget about your current feelings about being upset about taking this class yet again. Stop thinking about your pride for a moment. Consider all the people counting on your ignorance of this very subject. During the rest of your lives, you will buy things vital to you. A car, a house, furniture, some carpet; With every purchase to be made, most salespeople know more about the simple math necessary to make the deal better for them than for you. Do you believe all of them to be honest, and fair?
They probably know more about the math necessary to sell their product and can do it so fast that you are confused – and your pride makes you accept the deal rather than admit confusion. Because of this, you might have paid a few hundred or thousands more than which you should.
So, you have a choice. Learn it now and learn it well enough to know the numbers scribbled in front of you – or trust every person you meet to treat you honestly. The alternative is to find a job that will pay you twice as much as you need to live because you will probably need it!
When you start a class from the beginning, think of the learning process as walking up a staircase following a person carrying a sack of money – with pieces of gold slowly dropping out on each stair. In learning, each stair is an objective, and each piece of gold is a bit of knowledge that will help you understand better. These are the gifts you missed when you took this class before. And the gold is what you will save over your lifetime by being smarter than others. Skipping any step could be fatal since the higher you climb, the more your prior learning is essential.
I end my introduction to students with a simple sentence – Let this be the last time you take this class by learning it well with real mastery of learning. Many students are happy with just passing, but little do they know how much they have missed until they reach the next class unprepared. Sadly, one of the most common questions I get is, "What's the minimum I need to pass this class to get a C?" The person who asks this question rarely passes and will almost certainly be back again next year, asking another teacher the same question.
Some teachers love to give everyone A's and B's. Who wouldn't? Think of all those classes in which you got good grades but were short of reaching the knowledge to back it up. But remember all those waiting for you to get out into the real world to separate you from your hard-earned money!