Students of all ages often struggle with math because they often do not know the steps it takes to become a successful math student. I don’t believe that students struggle with math because they are “math-illiterate”, as my 6th grade Pre-Algebra teacher once said about me to my parents during a parent-teacher conference. Little did she know that I would eventually grow up to become a math-whiz. All it took were these rather simple, yet highly effective steps: (click on “read more” to find out)
1. Always attend the first day of class! This allows you to get to know your teacher’s personality and teaching methods (usually learned by reading the syllabus), and what s/he expects of you as a student.
2. Read through the syllabus. (Yes, this was mentioned in the first step, but this is a critical step because this gives you insight with a lot of things relating to your class… so READ IT!!!)
3. Be on time for class! (I can’t stress further the importance of this because if you’re a habitually tardy student, you probably won’t be on your teacher’s good side, and this is important if you want or need help from him/her.) An even better thing to do is to arrive a bit early so you can be ready and prepared when class starts (BTW, this leaves a great impression on the teacher.)
4. Don’t miss class unless you are truly sick, and are unable to fully concentrate. You wouldn’t want to give your teacher and classmates a bad impression by getting them sick.
5. If you do have to miss a class, always call a classmate before you return to class to find out what you missed, and if your teacher assigned anything that will be due when you return. Try to get several students’ phone numbers in case you can’t get a hold of one.
6. During class, always have your textbook opened to the appropriate lesson plan, and pay attention to what your teacher is saying or writing on the board.
7. If your teacher is working on a example from the text or a similar example relating to the lesson plan, work along with him/her.
8. Take very neat class notes. Write down everything the teacher writes down, and try to write down most of what s/he says. Put an asterisk or star by problems or points that your teacher stresses. These are usually potential test questions.
9. Participate, participate, participate!! And always ask questions if you are confused about something, even if you think it may be a “stupid question.” If you don’t want to “embarrass” yourself, you can always ask the teacher after class.
10. Do your homework the same day that you hear the lecture on the material. Don’t procrastinate. It never helps you to procrastinate.
11. Make friends in the class and study with them. Be sure to form well-balanced study groups. A good study group consists of 4 or 5 students with a range of capabilities. And you never want to form a study group full of friends that are earning “Ds” and “Fs”. This would just be a waste of time and effort.
12. The second that you start to feel overwhelmed with the material, get help!!! Ask for help from your teacher, a fellow classmate, or get help from a tutor.
13. Lastly, think of going to class as having a full-time job. Do you want to be the employee that will get a raise for his/her attentiveness and hard work, or do you want to be the employee that will be fired for being inattentive and lazy? In other words, the more effort you put in, the more likely it is that you will be rewarded by earning an “A” or “B” in class. The inverse applies as well. If you slack off and don’t take attending class seriously, you’re more than likely will be “rewarded” with a “F”.
