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This pamphlet reads as if you’re a student sitting in my office. After reading, it’s likely that you will do better in your mathematics courses. I’m not going to provide you with research studies in mathematics education or expect any complex tasks from you. I am going to give simple advice as well as determining the likelihood that the advice will be followed.

Generally, students can begin in different places of the journey starting with the first course of developmental mathematics (Basic Mathematics) to the last course of developmental mathematics (Intermediate Algebra). Throughout this journey will be many occurrences of both joy and frustration. A challenge for these students is how they channel their frustration.

In the math courses that I teach, students are asked about their past and present mathematical experiences. This has allowed me to carefully analyze the decisions that have had the greatest impact on their journey in developmental math.  As community college students deal with many issues impacting their academic abilities, this pamphlet will in no way address every issue that students face. However, it will discuss the issues that are common with most developmental mathematics students.

As with any problem, it will probably require a significant amount of your time to solve. As you’re going through the pamphlet, analyze the decisions that you make as well as the consequences behind your actions.

Finally, if you’re serious about succeeding at this, believe in yourself! Let’s get to work!