r/matheducation • u/Quiet_Committee5531 • 23h ago

How I’m using AI to learn basic maths

/r/Learnwitai/comments/1x93h0z/how_im_using_ai_to_learn_basic_maths/
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u/Just__Liberty 23h ago

If I was going to get books and use websites, I'd just get math books and use math websites/youtube channels and ignore the whole AI thing.

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u/Quiet_Committee5531 23h ago

That’s fair. For me, AI helps because I can ask questions about the exact step I don’t understand. It can explain it differently, check my attempt, and give me more practice where I’m struggling. I still find books and videos useful, but being able to ask follow-up questions makes a big difference.

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u/Kreizhn 22h ago

The concern here is that you'll jump to using AI too quickly, and that AI is bad about giving nuanced directions. If you can be disciplined with it, or set up the agent in the correct way, then great, it could help a lot.

So for example, suppose you get stuck on a problem. A major component of learning mathematics is **struggling** with a problem, and learning to overcome that barrier on your own. You need to spend time with a problem, and not just jump to asking an AI immediately. What's a good amount of time? It's hard to say. It could be 10 mins, it could be hours. It depends on the problem and your ability.

Of course, you sometimes need a push in the right direction. A human teacher might say "Okay, do you remember how to add fractions?" and when you show the teacher, they can see you've made a mistake and fix it **without solving the original problem**. Or a teacher could say "Let's take a break on this problem for a second. Can you solve this other, easier problem?"

In doing this, a teacher hasn't robbed you of your learning opportunity. Instead, they've diagnosed your issue, or set you on a path to discover what mistake you made and fix it yourself. This reinforcement is where a lot of learning happens.

An AI will generally just say "Here's what to do next and why you should do it." Then you read the answer and you say to yourself "Aha! I get it." You convince yourself that you understand what to do, but because you haven't actually done it yourself, you haven't learned anything. This will lead to frustration, since you're sure you've studied hard and that you understand the concepts, but you still can't solve any problems.

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u/Quiet_Committee5531 22h ago

That’s a helpful point, thank you. Understanding an explanation isn’t the same as being able to solve the problem myself. I’ll give myself time to try before asking AI, then ask for a small hint or an easier related question instead of the solution. Afterwards, I’ll try a similar problem without help to check what I’ve learned.

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u/AcademicOverAnalysis 22h ago

Turn off AI and let yourself struggle. That’s how to learn self reliance and how to learn.

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u/Quiet_Committee5531 22h ago

Thanks for the advice. I agree that learning to work through problems myself is important. I want AI to support my learning, and my goal is to solve problems confidently on my own.

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u/hosmosis 23h ago

Wow! Also, I am a dog who's learned to use computers.

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u/Quiet_Committee5531 23h ago

Then we’re both learning new skills

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u/Lazy-Ad-7236 23h ago

Why would you need ai for basic math lol

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u/Quiet_Committee5531 23h ago

It’s basic maths, but I’m still learning it 🙂 AI helps me work through examples, checks my answers, and explains steps I don’t understand. Being able to ask follow-up questions at my own pace really helps.

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u/Lazy-Ad-7236 22h ago

Khan academy has amazing videos, you should start there. Studies show that using ai makes you less intelligent. Your brain is a muscle, use it or lose it.

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u/Quiet_Committee5531 22h ago

Thanks. I could use Khan Academy videos alongside AI. Videos explain the topic, while AI lets me ask follow-up questions and get feedback on my attempts. I still solve the questions myself. Khan Academy even has its own AI tutor, Khanmigo 🙂

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u/thelostsummoner 22h ago

If they’re American or Canadian it IS basic math lol. Hate to tell you this, but proper English grammar and spelling can vary depending on the country you’re in.

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u/GreaTeacheRopke (19 year teacher and tutor) 22h ago

I think they were saying "yeah it may be basic to you, but it's still what I'm currently working on" rather than correcting grammar

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u/Quiet_Committee5531 22h ago

Sorry for the confusion! I wasn’t correcting anyone’s spelling. I use “maths” because I’m in the UK 🙂 I was just explaining how AI helps me learn.

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u/thelostsummoner 22h ago

Sorry, it came across as “it’s basic maths, not basic math” lol. Regardless, I’m studying to be a math teacher in college at the moment, but I try to avoid using generative AI whenever possible. To you, is the harm it causes worth the feedback? Why can’t you just go to tutoring sessions with your current math teacher? Is before or after school, or even lunch, tutoring not something that teachers typically offer in the UK?

It’s definitely something every teacher I’ve studied under has offered, as well as something that’s been offered to myself and all of my classmates throughout my time in school.