8 Tips for Academic Success
in Mathematics.
By: Elinor M.
1. Pay Attention in Class; Take Great Notes; Keep your Binder Organized
Pay attention in class and always take neat and detailed notes. Copy down everything – both theory and Math examples - from the classroom chalkboard/whiteboard for pre-homework reading/re-writing and pre-test review. Purchase dividers for each Math unit as well as for your assessments. Keep your binder organized at all times to make your academic life easier.
2. Re-do Class Note Examples before Attempting Homework
Before attempting homework (the same day it is assigned), carefully read through class notes and then go back and re-do those examples without looking. Check to see that your solving method and solutions match your notes. If there are questions in your class notes that you do not understand, highlight them and ask your tutor or teacher the next day for assistance. Move on to your assigned homework. Make sure you attempt your homework to the best of your ability. Even if you get stuck, leave space for those questions and move on - do the questions that you can solve, then highlight the rest and ask for assistance. Leave ample space between or next to questions for corrections (doing Math homework in two vertical columns per page allows you space to make corrections beside each answer).
3. Do More Homework than your Teacher Assigns
Do more homework than what is assigned by your teacher. For instance, if you are assigned even questions only, do the odd questions as well for added success. If your tutor assigns additional skills and/or problem solving homework, make sure you complete them before your next tutoring session to improve your procedural knowledge/skills and conceptual understanding. If your tutor is assigning you skills homework, it is for a very important reason, so do it!
4. Checkmark Homework Solutions and Self-Correct
Checkmark every homework question using the solutions at the back of the textbook as you move from one question to the next (do not do an entire exercise and then checkmark your work afterwards - it’s imperative that you check your answers as you go so that misconceptions are not carried through an entire exercise). Checking your answers lets you know if you are on the right track. If your solution is correct then checkmark it in a coloured pen for easy reference later on and then move on to the next question. If your solution is incorrect, do the following to understand where you went wrong and self-correct:
- Check that you wrote the original question correctly
- Go through each solving step (like proofreading a paragraph) and see if you can spot your error(s) upon careful review
- If you find your mistake, correct it, checkmark the question, and move on
- If you cannot find your error or you do not understand the question entirely, highlight the question number in your notebook, then ask your tutor or teacher for timely assistance
- If you are not seeing your tutor promptly, get assistance from school as problems arise, so as not to fall behind
5. Arrive to Tutoring Prepared and with a Positive Attitude
Show up to tutoring prepared (bring all course notes, worksheets, completed homework, quizzes, tests, assignments, textbook, calculator, etc) and with a positive attitude. Have your homework completed and checkmarked and show your tutor your highlighted questions that you did not understand or could not self-correct. This makes your tutoring session exponentially more efficient and effective.
6. Communication, Openness and Honesty are Essential for Success
Communicate with your parents and your tutors when you have upcoming quizzes, tests or assignments, as they usually require the scheduling of additional or longer tutoring sessions. Furthermore, be open and honest with your parents and your tutor regarding your class grades and performance. Be forthcoming and bring all school-marked assessments to tutoring so that we can assist you in working through any corrections and problem areas. It is imperative for tutors to see your previous assessments (tests, quizzes, etc) to assess where you need assistance, as well as your teacher’s assessment difficulty level and testing style so that we can assist you to learn in the best possible way (taking all these factors into account).
7. Study Effectively for Quizzes and Tests
Effective quiz/test studying means:
- Study and re-do class note examples (pay particular attention to the style and type of questions your teacher chooses to show you in class. Word problems and other questions covered in class usually show up on tests!).
- Study and re-do past quizzes and assessments that pertain to the upcoming test.
- Complete both the textbook chapter review and chapter test sections (challenge yourself with more word problems and questions near the end of the exercise as they usually are more difficult – Level A (easy knowledge-based questions), Level B (medium hardness – requires knowledge and more thinking and inquiry), Level C (toughest questions in the section to complete – requires knowledge, thinking, inquiry, and application).
- Review all previous homework exercises that pertain to the unit being tested and go over previous homework problem areas and know how to solve these questions.
- Re-write any test-related formulae on a separate piece of paper without looking at your notes or textbook. Practice the memorization of these formulae the night before your test after all test prep has been completed (check over your formulae for accuracy using your textbook and class notes). This will tell you if you really know your formulae and are ready to write well!
8. Test Corrections are Mandatory for Understanding and Improvement
Test corrections need to be completed in a timely fashion, preferably the day your test or quiz is returned to you at school (treat this as homework), and definitely before you come to us for tutoring. Prior to tutoring, correct all test or quiz errors in a coloured pen and highlight questions that you still do not understand and cannot do - your tutor will assist you and work through the rest of the corrections with you. An additional tutoring session may be needed for these corrections when a course is too fast-paced and we spend most of our time covering in-class material and homework queries. Test correction is essential to improve your procedural, structural, foundational knowledge, and conceptual understanding.