"Why do we need to learn this?" "Do you use this in the real world?" "When will I ever need this?" In other words, why is math important? This is probably the most important question I am ever asked when tutoring students. The way I answer can tip the balance towards a student recommitting themselves to learning math or turning them completely away from math...possibly forever.
We cannot avoid it, math is everywhere? Let's learn to appreciate it in all its forms. Understanding how money and the financial world work rely on our knowledge of math. Recognizing and working with cycles whether they be the tides, the seasons, or our daily schedules hinge on... you guessed it! What about athletes? Jump shots, curve balls, billiards, all involve velocity, acceleration, angles, parabolas, etc. "But wait," you say. "I am an artist, what do I need math for?" Paintings are full of angles, diminishing points (infinity), and the golden rectangle. Even a seashell or flower derive some of their beauty from the famous Fibonacci sequence. Still not convinced? Then I rely on what one of my friends in engineering says: "Learning math offers you a way of thinking(one of many). It teaches you logic and organization. It teaches you to be systematic in your approach to solving any problem or challenge." Find out how math can be of service to you and instead of dreading math use your math knowledge to help you in your life. Is math anxiety real? And if so, what can one do about it? I often hear from student's parents and even students themselves that they have math anxiety.
As far as it being real, yes I do believe it to be a reality for many people. What I recommend is simulating the test taking experience. What I mean by this is create a sample test covering topics from each section of the chapter being covered then sit down and take the test just like you will in your class. You will be at home and will likely be more relaxed so the level of anxiety will be less. Furthermore, after checking the answers to your practice test, you will realize that you made a number of mistakes and even that there were some concepts you didn't understand. Great! This is a good discovery because now you know what to work on to better prepare yourself. Sometimes math anxiety is an underlying feeling that you are in for a real struggle on the test because you don't know the material but are hoping that somehow either the test will be easy or you will somehow manage. There is no better palliation for math anxiety than preparation. The better prepared the less anxious. Now, it may never go away completely, but this is a start. The next step would be to approach your test a little differently. I recommend when you get the test do the problems you know first(not necessarily in the order given on the test). This does three important things: It allows you to settle in to the test taking zone, builds your confidence and momentum, and triggers your memory on how to solve the other problems as well. Good luck on your test!
If you are the parent of a middle school math student one of the most helpful things you can do to help your son or daughter is make sure they know their multiplication and division tables. In working with many middle school students I find over and over that the ones that struggle in math don't have these memorized. Even though technology such as calculators or Iphones may be used in math class having these facts at the top of your mind makes solving problems quicker, easier, and well...more fun. You can pick up these flash cards at any Target, Meijer, etc. or I can bring you a pack the next time we meet. Practice them everyday and in a week you'll have them memorized for forever.
1. Be organized. Don't underestimate what being organized can do for your ability to succeed in math. When you write neatly and clearly with one step per line you think more clearly as well. Furthermore, you are less likely to make simple mistakes and if you do they can more easily be spotted and corrected. You also don't want to be the math student that stuffs all their papers into the back of the book until the binding screams for mercy. Rather get a binder or folder so you can easily refer back to old worksheets and assignments when you are studying for your quizzes and tests.
2. Do your homework. Many students take their homework assignments too lightly, rushing through them and not giving them their due. Take this time when doing your homework to write down any questions you might have about the section and/or highlight problems you want to ask your teacher or tutor for additional help on. 3. Make notecards. When you have a lot of formulas to memorize put them individually on notecards with the name of the formula on one side and the rest of the formula on the other. Be a brainiac, nerd, or whatever else you want to call it and put these in your pocket. Then you can flip through them at idle moments while on the bus, or before school, or even before you go to bed at night. 4. Read ahead. This last step is for those who want to take it to the next level. It's simple enough once you get in the swing of it. Just take 10 minutes the night before class to read about the section you are covering the following day. Then when you are in class listening to your teacher you are not hearing the information for the first time but rather honing your understanding more deeply. When you do the homework you will understand the material and it will take you less time.....which you can use to preview the next days material : ) There are a lot of ACT preparation programs available to students and many of them are very good. There are all sorts of strategies one can employ, however nothing replaces the need for experience with the test. The more practice tests you take... the better you will get. Why is this? Although the test is different each time, many of the problems are the same with different numbers or a slightly different wording. The ACT test is not an intelligence test but rather testing you on whether you learned the content and concepts of the material covered in your middle school and high school math classes. Having said this the problems are worded different(the bad news) than you are used to seeing them in math class but they are not any more difficult(the good news). You just need to recognize what they are asking and realize that as you progress through the test they go progressively from 1 step to 2 step to 3 step problems - not all of them can be done in just one step. I've helped many students with the math portion of the ACT and I have them do practice tests on their own and we go over the problems they are missing and work on understanding those types of problems better. I helped one student that was on the borderline of getting into MSU. He was motivated so he did practice test after practice test. All in all, he took dozens and dozens of tests in the 50 - 60 range or more. He just kept taking them 3-4 per week and he kept getting better and better. So you don't have to be fanatical but figure out a regular practice schedule that you can maintain and keep with it. Oh and yes, he goes to to MSU now.
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Mario DiBartolomeoHelping students succeed in math for over 15 years. Individualized attention makes the difference! CategoriesArchives
August 2023
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