Tips for Students
11 TIPS TO MATH SUCCESS
1. Complete ALL of the assigned homework every night.
2. Neatness not only counts, it is essential.
Keep your notebook up-to-date and organized. Develop the habit of neatness
in your notes and homework. This will help you in other subjects as well as
mathematics.
3. Problems must be solved in pencil.
4. Even if you're an Einstein, you must show all your work. No skipping
steps! Small calculations may be done on scratch paper or worked in the
left margin. Steps are written one under the other, not to the side.
5. Box or highlight your answers so they may be easily seen and read.
6. Division problems are written as fractions.
7. Multiplication problems are written with parentheses.
Avoid using a raised dot (•) or the elementary multiplication sign (X) .
8. Ask questions in class!
There are other students sitting in the classroom with the same questions
you have. Get used to working problems on the board. Yes, others will be
watching you. That's great! You'll be helping them while you help
yourself. So, the moment you realize you don't know, ask.
9. Work on developing a positive attitude.
Even if you hate math, stop walking around announcing it like it's front
page news. Instead, try to realize that most likely, it's not the subject
you dislike, but rather the NOT UNDERSTANDING that's getting you down. So
vow to fight it and come out a winner.
The mathematician and teacher Paul R. Halmos said,
"Don't just read it; fight it!
Ask your own questions,
look for your own examples,
discover your own proofs."
It won't be easy, but you can do it!
10. Start taking responsibility for your own success or failure when trying
to master a new concept.
Remember, there is no "easy way" to learn math. It's HARD WORK.
11. Get help the same day you do not understand.
Like most anything else, the more you practice, the better you'll do.
HOW TO STUDY FOR TESTS
****Studying for a math exam is different than studying for other subjects***
***********Math is learning by DOING*********
so...
1. Do ALL your homework every night, without fail.
This is the #1, most important action you can take to prepare for each exam.
Homework is first and foremost a means of learning fundamental ideas and
processes in mathematics, and of developing habits of neatness and accuracy.
If you get stuck, don't just give up! Look back at the book and your notes
for ideas related to the problem. If you still can't clear your thinking, ask
the teacher about the problems as soon as possible.
2. Correct your homework errors the following evening.
Remember, don't just change the answers. Strive to understand HOW you made
your errors and what you need to do to avoid making those errors again. If
you are wise, you will make those errors teach you something. Here's what you
can do:
Analyze the error to see if you can find what you did wrong. If you can't
find where your error is, ask the teacher or a classmate to help you.
3. Make a list of specific objectives that will be on the test.
4. Find examples and problems for each objective you have listed. Work them!
5. Look for and try to recall general patterns. Study previous quizzes.
Look in particular at problems that you did incorrectly.
6. Select problems from past homework assignments (not just the easy ones).
Rework these, then compare to your original homework results.
7. Don't just scan your homework and previous tests. Instead, pick up a
pencil and DO them again!
8. Concentrate on objectives that gave you trouble on previous tests. Work
problems that you did incorrectly the first time.
9. Concentrate!
Ask questions when you do not understand. Listen to the questions and
answers of others in the class and take part in the class discussion.
Do not write at the wrong time. When you are taking notes, be sure you do not
miss anything that is said while you are doing so. When taking notes, there
are two conflicting things you must try to do. One is to make your notes
complete and accurate enough to be valuable to you later. The other is to
make your notes brief enough so that you can continue to listen to what is
being said in class. As I teach each lesson, I will try to help you by
suggesting what and when to write.
10. Use this website's tutorial pages to review the concepts.
When you review a topic, read it aloud. Yes, I know this can be
embarrassing, but it actually improves your chances of understanding a
concept and retaining any new information you might come across.
11. Teach the topic you are tryng to learn!
See if you can explain it to your mom or dad. If you can explain it well
enough for someone else to understand, you know it well enough to pass with
high marks. Also, it is often helpful to call upon a classmate when you do
not understand a problem. Often, they are able to explain the concept to you
as well as (if not better than) the teacher.
12. Make use of after-school tutoring program.
13. When the test is handed to you, remember these pointers.
1. Do the problems in the order that suits you! Start with the problems
you know for sure.
2. Work quickly and continuously. If you get stuck on a problem, move on
to another one.
3. Show all your work and make it as easy as possible for the teacher to
see how much you do know.
4. Erase as little as possible. Draw a nice, neat line (Never scribble)
through the work you want to ignore and move on.
5. Make sure you read the questions carefully and do all parts of each
problem. Does each answer make sense?
6. If you finish early, check every problem. Rework everything from
scratch!
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A WORD ABOUT WORD PROBLEMS
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1. They're supposed to be hard!
If word problems weren't hard, then you wouldn't need to think! And
thinking is what math is all about.
Understand that these problems will take time. There's a reason you are
given fewer word problems than computation problems for homework. It's
because word problems TAKE LONGER TO FIGURE OUT. Don't give up just
because the answers don't come to you immediately. They're specifically
designed to make you STOP AND THINK.
Math trains your brain. The more you practice thinking, the better you'll
be at it. And the better you become at thinking, the better you will do in
ALL subjects.
2. Talk to yourself. What do you already know?
Let your brain help you out! Don't just use the math parts of your brain.
Drawing and talking use additional parts of your brain, so write it down
and talk it out. Shrugging your shoulders and complaining that you don't
know what to do is pointless.
Try explaining the problem to another person. This can help break that
mental block. Talk about the things you DO know. Did the problem tell you:
how fast one man can paint the side of a barn . . . or
the height of a flagpole . . . or
the number of cards in a collection . . . or
the distance to the next town?
Undoubtedly, it gave you some information. Think about that information.
If necessary, make a list.
3. Think about what the problem is asking. Try defining a variable.
In an Algebra I class, the unknown quantity in the equation for
which you are searching, will most likely be the quantity asked for in the
question. For example:
If the question asks, "What are the two integers?" then you should
consider defining x as "the smaller integer."
If the question asks, "How old is Mark?" then you should consider defining
x as "Mark's age."
If the question asks, "How much acid would be added to the solution?" you
should consider defining x as "the amount of acid needed to make the new
solution."
... and so on.
4. Never, and I mean NEVER, return to class with nothing to show for an
assigned word problem.
"I didn't get it" is no longer a valid excuse for incomplete homework.
That's the same as saying, "I really didn't feel like thinking."
You need to think. You need to think hard. You need to think hard for a
long time.
As long as you show some evidence of having thought about the problem, you
will get some credit for the assignment. And, more importantly, you will
be training your mind to think. Your brain will be strengthened.
Write your thoughts down on paper. Try something. Try anything!
You might want to use the suggested steps found in one of the tutorials
about problem-solving. These are not meant to be a "straight path" to a
solution, but they may get your brain out of first gear.
5. Above all, DON'T GIVE UP.
When you play soccer or basketball or tennis, you may end up losing even
though you played your best. There's no shame in that. At least you tried.
At least you played. Every time you play, you gain experience and sharpen
skills for the next game. The same goes for word problems. You may not
arrive at the correct solution, but for heaven's sake, get in the game!