Study Tips

I remembered that my math teacher gave me some study tips in the first class. It is really helpful for people that might have problems when studying math. The guidelines are not very advanced but they really do help so here they are:

There is no substitution for study – practice, practice, and practice!

Math is an activity, like an exercise program. To be a successful student, you have to work on math. That is, do problems nearly every day. If circumstances force you to skip a few days, you will find that you’re a little out of mathematical shape when you return to it.

As an exercise program, it is possible for anyone to become mathematically fit with some diligence and a good attitude.

Reading a math book is different from reading a novel or even a history book. You can take your math book with you on a bus, but you may not get very much out of it during the ride. To read a math book and understand it you need to have a pencil in your hand and work through the examples along with the author.

At the end of every paragraph, or even every sentence, stop and ask yourself if you really understood what you just read.

When you find a topic difficult, it is easy to become discouraged. Given enough time, most of the topics in this course will come together for you. However, it is not just the time you spend with your head in the book and a pencil in your hand.

It is also the time you spend watching football on television or playing with your dog. Some mathematical concepts need percolating time, a few hours or even a few days to sink in, regardless of how hard or long you work on problems.

The best advice is that if you find yourself becoming frustrated, put down your pencil and think about something else for a while. Let your subconscious work on it and come back later. However, get help when you need it.

Some of the material you knew before will have faded. Sometimes you should look back over the things you have already done, convincing yourself that you still know how to do the earlier assignments. Do this before you go on to the new material.

This is what my professor told me and other students and I really believe that it will help some people to improve their study techniques.