Sum it Up!

One thing I notice successful students do is that they 'sum it up.' What I mean is that they say in their own words not only how to do a particular problem but also how it fits into the greater whole of the chapter or concept they are learning. They will bounce their ideas off me by saying something like, 'so basically what we are doing is learning techniques to show how different series converge or diverge through these various tests, is that right?' Then they will follow up their summary with other questions such as, 'why is knowing that useful?' and a dialogue ensues followed by further clarification and a deeper understanding. Furthermore, this whole process usually diminishes or eliminates the intimidation factor of a new and challenging concept down to size. It helps with remembering it also because you have made it your own by relating to it with your own lexicon. So, don't hesitate to do a summation with yourself, your teacher, a fellow student, a parent, sibling, and/or a tutor to help you grasp those math concepts!