Algebra 2 stands as the most challenging subject for many high school students. The subject creates two problems. One, kids are expected to remember material they were taught years before, and two, teachers have to fit a lot of material into nine months, which causes them to speed up lessons.
The difficulty of Algebra 2 arises because it requires students to master all previous classes and knowledge. The study of fractions, negative numbers, and basic equation solving from earlier grades is the necessary foundation for students to understand Algebra 2 material.
The class expects students to already know these skills. It doesn’t slow down to review them. Learning gaps can make students lose their way because they need to learn all material. Algebra 2 presents difficulties through its introduction of challenging new concepts which students must learn to understand. In earlier math classes, students usually work with clear numbers they can see and count. The Algebra 2 program introduces students to imaginary numbers, exponential growth, and logarithmic functions. These concepts create a perception of strangeness. Students learn for several years that square roots of negative numbers do not exist until they discover that a solution exists through the use of the imaginary unit, “i.” This situation creates confusion which becomes an unfair burden to the students…