Transcript MATH STUDY SKILLS Presented by Janice Levasseur

MATH STUDY SKILLS
Created by
Janice Levasseur
Presented by
Theresa Hert
MSJC ~ San Jacinto Campus
Math Center Workshop Series
Welcome to Math Study Skills
• Congratulations for taking a math
class
• Studying for a math class is different
– You will use all math concepts learned in
previous math classes
– You need to memorize and apply what you
learn
– You must use the information learned to solve
new types of problems
Therefore, you need to design a plan to
improve your math study skills
Before we start . . .
• “My Personal Math Study-Skills
Inventory”
Source: Conquering Math Anxiety, 2nd Ed by Cynthia Arem, 2003
Math Study Skills Inventory
√ “I attend all my math classes”
√ “I review my class notes as soon after class
as possible”
√ “I do weekly & monthly reviews of all my class
and textbook notes”
√ “I take notes on my text and review them
often”
√ “I work to ‘overlearn’ and thoroughly master
my material”
4 Keys to Better Study Skills
• Motivation/Goal Setting
• Time Management
• Planning
• Organization
Motivation/Goal Setting
• Set realistic goals
• Use attaining the goal as motivation
Time Management
• Unlike High School, you (in college)
manage your time
• You take responsibility for what you do
and don’t do, as well as the
consequences of your decisions
Planning
• Weekly Schedule
– Set aside time to study
– Prioritize by importance, avoid urgency
• Monthly Calendar
– Test date
– Major projects/assignments due dates
Organization
• 3-Ring Binder (one for each class)
Monthly Calendar
Class Schedule
Class notes
Handouts
Homework
Exams
Extra Binder Paper
Studying in College
• 2 – 3 hours each week for every 1 hour
(unit) in class
– Ex: 3 units class = 3 class hours  6 – 9
hours doing “homework” each week
• “Homework”:
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Read the text
Practice problems
Review lecture notes
Complete homework assignments on time
Read the Math Textbook
• Read your textbook
– First pass, skim the sections
– Second pass, read in depth – slowly, carefully
• Take notes on definitions & theorems
• Mark up your book – highlights,
underlines, scribbles in the margins
• Create a summary sheet of the sections
• Refer to the section lessons when stuck
on a homework problem
Practice Problems
• Study math everyday -- Practice DAILY!
• Work through example problems in the
lesson sections & work the “try it yourself”
problems
• Do additional problems not assigned
(odd to check answers in the back)
• “Own the material, don’t rent it!”
Review Lecture Notes
• Recopy your class notes
– Fill in any gaps
– Work thru things you didn’t understand during
the class lecture
• Summary Sheets
– Summarize the lecture
– Create flashcards (vocabulary, properties,
theorems, proofs, formulas, algorithms,
procedures)
Complete Homework
Assignments
• Do the homework as soon as possible
– It will take less time
– It will be easier to remember what was
covered during the class lecture
• Check your answers
– The answers to odd problems are in the back
of your textbook
– You learn what you do, so do it right!
Why Planning?
• The “Magic of Now” Improves Memory
– Review immediately & again 8 hours later
– Do your HW the same day it is assigned
Hermann Ebbinghouse
German psychologist that researched the
rate of forgetting
After 20 minutes, nearly 50% of what
had been learned is forgotten
After 1 day, nearly 66% is lost
After 2 days, 69% is lost
After 15 days, 75% is lost
After 31 days, 78% is lost
H.F. Spitzer’s study
on retention showed that
Students who reviewed the material
immediately after learning it and
then did periodic reviews were able to
retain almost 80% of the material
after 2 months!
Other Factors to Success
• Take math classes consecutively and avoid
short-term classes, like in summer school
• Consider auditing or repeating a math class
– You are more likely to succeed if you earn a B or
higher in each math class
• “Learning math frequently
and in small chunks is better.”
• When are you at your best?
• Set aside the hour after class for review and
doing homework
• Teacher Selection
– Find a teacher you “click” with
– Word of mouth, peer (student)
recommendations, ratemyprofessor.com
Perceptual Learning Channel
• Your primary perceptual learning channel
will be visual, auditory, or kinesthetic
Perceptual Learning Channel
• Visual
√ “I can often see in my mind the page in my
notes or in the text where the explanations or
answers are located”
√ “I am more likely to remember math when I
write it down”
√ “It helps when I can picture working a
problem out in my mind”
Visual Learner
– Study written material
– Rework your notes
– Make flash cards
– Use different colors
– Ask your tutor to SHOW YOU
how to do the problem
– Write down each problem step
the tutor tells you
Perceptual Learning Channel
Auditory
√ “I learn best from a lecture”
√ “I hate taking notes”
√ “I repeat the numbers to myself when
mentally working out math problems”
Auditory Learner
– Tape record the class
– Read aloud any written explanations
– Have your tutor EXPLAIN HOW to work the
problems
– Explain to your tutor how to work the problem
– Make sure all important facts are spoken
aloud
Perceptual Learning Channel
• Kinesthetic
– “I learn math best when I can manipulate it,
touch it, or use hands-on examples”
– “I learn best in math when I just get in and do
something with my hands”
– “I’ve always liked using my fingers”
Kinesthetic Learner
– Use manipulatives to understand
math concepts
– Obtain diagrams, objects,
drawings, and get involved
to help you learn math
– Rewrite your lecture notes
– Rewrite your homework problems
and solutions
Give it Your All!
• Successful Math Students are
– Disciplined
– Persistent
– Patient
– Hard working
– Able to concentrate
Attend All Classes & Stay
Current
• Don’t fall behind
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–
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–
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Seek additional help sooner rather than later
Learning Resource Center or Math Center
Instructor (Office Hours)
Tutor
Study buddy or Study Group
Other Textbooks/References
“Procrastination is one of the worst enemies!”
Take a Complete Set of Class Notes
– Studies show successful students take fuller
class notes (about 64% of what is presented)
than unsuccessful students
– Recopy your notes after class filling in any
blanks
– Write on one side of the paper only (use the
other side for additional sample problems,
comments, questions, etc.)
– Neatness counts!
Tackle your Math book
– Read your textbook
– Work out practice problems
– Mark up your book (the best math students
always mark their books – highlights,
underlines, pencil scribbles in the margins)
– Review at the end of chapter Key Words
– Use the Chapter Reviews and Chapter Tests
to take a practice test before the real test
What We Say and Do
We remember
10% of what we read
20% of what we hear
30% of what we see
50% of what we hear and see
70% of what we explain aloud to
ourselves and others
90% of what we both say and do
Source: Edgar Dale’s “Cone of Learning”
It is up to you . . .
• . . . to understand the material covered in
each class
• Subsequent lectures and assignments
proceed from the assumption that you
understand the previously covered
material.
• Learning doesn’t happen passively in a
math class!
• Believe in yourself! You can do it!