Introduction

As Gail Levine from Nova Southeastern University explains, learning mathematics is different than learning most other subjects. In mathematics, special vocabulary and symbols are used, and it is important that you not only understand the concepts being presented but that you also apply these concepts. To be successful in mathematics, you need not only read, attend class, and study, but you must practice the skills as often as you can. Mathematics is not a subject you learn by watching; you must do mathematics to learn mathematics. The following strategies will assist you in doing or practicing math.

5.1 Make a Study Schedule

Make a weekly schedule that includes work time, class time, other obligations, and family and recreational time. Then, mark off STUDY TIME. Make studying a regular activity in your life. Fill out a new schedule each semester or whenever there is a major change in your personal obligations. You might use a blank schedule like this.  Include your classes, work schedule, and other activities. Then, add at least two or three hours of studying time per week for each course you are taking:

Circle the Day of the Week: 

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, or Sunday

For many people, the weekends provide larger amounts of time for studying than do the weekdays. In mathematics, however, studying only on weekends is not usually effective. It is important to study math EVERY DAY, even if it is for only 30 minutes or an hour. If you must do most of your studying on one or two days of the week, break up your study periods. Study one subject for an hour, then take a break. Do some other activity for 10 to 15 minutes, then resume studying. Give a fair amount of time to all your subjects, so that none suffer from lack of studying.

If you choose this strategy for your Study Skills project, you’ll need to create a personal schedule that reflects the times and days you have available for studying. A study schedule needs to include several times a week you plan to read, write, study, work on homework, etc. You’ll use your study logs to reflect on what you do during the study times and how well you are able to keep to your schedule. There will be times when you do, and times when you don’t. Be honest about your efforts to keep to a study schedule. It will take a lot of self-discipline and sacrifice to stick to your schedule, but the results will be worth it.

5.2 Meet with a Tutor

Getting help from a tutor is one of the habits that every student can benefit from. Not only will you get immediate help with the academic issue but you also develop a supportive relationship that can be helpful for years to come. Some caveats–not every tutor/student relationship works out. You may need to experiment to find a person that works best for you. As the student, you need to prepare for the tutoring session so that it is productive and useful. In math class that might mean coming with sample problems that are giving you trouble or a list of concepts you need more help with.

Don’t be surprised that tutors will often not help with an actual homework problem. Their job is to help you understand the concepts well enough to do the homework yourself. Some students arrange to do their homework in the tutoring center so that they can ask for help whenever they run into problems. What a great idea!

At CNM both in-person and online tutoring is available. You can call (505) 224-4306 or visit the CNM ACE Tutoring website to get information about the times and services available. CNM students can also access a comprehensive list of online services.

If you choose this strategy for your Study Skills project, keep track of dates and times you meet with a tutor as well as the topics and assignments you work on with the tutors. You can report results from assignments, projects and quizzes as well as how you feel about the tutoring process when using this strategy.

5.3 Create Three-Column Notes

Three-column notes are a way to organize your notetaking for math courses so that you have a set of organized notes that are easy to review and study. Most college math courses have cumulative finals so having an organized set of notes is critically important at the end of the semester.

When creating three-column notes, you should use a standard sheet of paper and divide it into three columns:

1. Problem: Write the problem just as it appears in your assignment
2. Procedure/Solution: Show the steps or math procedure you took to get your answer. Draw a line or start a new table row to show where work on one problem stops and the next problem starts.
3. Notes: Write brief notes about the procedure and include the chapter/section/page numbers (so you can easily find them for reference).

Watch the following video to learn how to set up and use the three-column notetaking system:

5.4 Complete Homework

Doing homework is a fundamental choice to make to be successful in a math class, but you’d be amazed at how many students don’t follow through with homework assignments!

If you choose this strategy for your Study Skills project, use your study logs to record what work was assigned, how much of the work you got done, how much you didn’t get done, and what your results were. Remember, your results can be both emotional (how did you feel when you completed your homework? How did you feel when you didn’t?) and mental (Did you struggle with the concepts? Do you feel competent that you can tackle any of problems that are assigned? Do you have questions for your instructor or tutor?).

A note about doing homework: Do not just do the exercises at the beginning of the problem set. Usually, the exercises get harder as you move on. It is best to do some of each–from simpler to harder–at first, then go back and do the ones you skipped. Make notes to yourself as you do your homework, especially on concepts that are not completely clear to you. You can ask about these problems during your next class meeting.

5.5 Prepare for Tests and Exams

Use your notes, the textbook examples, or practice tests for this activity. As you complete homework assignments and get quiz results, collect problems that you know are challenging. Keep these problems on index cards (problem on one side, answer on the other) for later study. See below for a good process for using your cards to review.

Test preparation activity: After you finish the homework for a section, write two or three of the assigned exercises of average difficulty level from that section on a notecard, one exercise per card, with the solution on the back of the card.

Set these cards aside. When studying for a test on this material, shuffle the cards and then do the exercises again on paper in the order in which they come up. Check your solution for each exercise by looking at the back of the card. For exercises you do not complete correctly, put these cards in a separate stack and be sure to review those concepts again.

Doing this along with chapter reviews and tests will give you good practice for the test. It will also provide you with plenty of review exercises for the final exam.

If you choose this strategy for your Study Skills project, use your study logs to reflect on your efforts to create and study from your set of cards. You can report results from tests and quizzes and how you feel about your level of preparation when using this strategy.

5.6 Complete Textbook Examples

In every math textbook, there are always a lot of extra problems given as examples. Your teacher may assign some of them, but for this strategy, you are going to assign yourself. Challenge yourself to do a few extra example problems each week.

Each example in the textbook is usually accompanied by a step-by-step procedure for completing it. This is a good source of feedback for you. When you begin your studying, you should re-read the sections of the textbook that were covered in class and work out each example. Cover the solution to the example, then work it out. You can refer to your notes, but try to not look at the solution. Check your solution with the textbook after you think you have completed it correctly. If you do not do it correctly, read the text once more and review your notes to try to understand why you did not get it correct.

This is a great strategy to use along with the strategy 5.5 Prepare for Tests and Exams. If you choose this strategy for your Study Skills project, as you complete the textbook examples you can create index cards with sample problems you know are likely to appear on a test. Later you can use the cards to check your ability to retain the math you are learning and to review for tests and exams. On your study logs, be detailed about what material you are working on and your experience working examples. Sometimes you’ll get the concept right away, sometimes you won’t; be honest about your experience. How does it feel to “assign yourself” extra math practice problems?

5.7 Practice Previously Studied Concepts

Most math classes feature “cumulative” exams. That means at the end of the course you will need to still be familiar with concepts that were learned several weeks earlier. Your brain operates on a “use it or lose it” principle, so if you don’t review regularly, you are likely to forget things quickly.

Math concepts and skills are cumulative, but often a particular skill is used in a different way later in a chapter. By “recycling” back to material covered previously, you will refresh yourself on these skills. Also, by going back, you will have a chance to review vocabulary, symbols, and directions to exercises that may not be used in later sections. You should do a variety of exercises when you do this. Do not just do exercises from one section.

If you choose this strategy for your Study Skills project, each week spend some of your time reviewing material from previous weeks. This is a great strategy to combine with the 5.1 Make a Study Schedule strategy. You can devote a part of your time each week to reviewing previous concepts. On your study logs keep track of which concepts you revisited and how doing this extra work feels. You should report your actual results on any tests or quizzes and how well you feel are understanding and retaining the math concepts.

5.8 Do Quiz and Test Corrections

After a quiz or test is returned to you, do not just file it away. Take some time to review the test and work on the problems that you did incorrectly. Concepts and skills on a quiz usually re-appear on a test; items on tests often re-appear on a final exam. Learn from your mistakes. Most instructors or tutors will gladly check your corrections if you ask them to do so.

You can use your returned test in other ways. Copy all of the problems on a test onto a clean sheet of paper and then put this paper aside. As part of your studying for a final exam, rework these tests from the beginning. You can then check yourself with the answers from the original test.

Or create index cards with the text problems and combine this strategy with the “Prepare for Tests and Exams” strategy by using the cards for future review.

If you choose this strategy for your Study Skills project, use your study logs to reflect on your process with the Quiz and Test Corrections strategy. What steps are you taking (or not taking) to review and learn from your results? How does it feel to make these corrections? How well prepared do you feel for future tests?

Licenses and Attribution

Introduction and sections 5.1-5.8 were adapted by permission from “Tutoring and Test Center Mathematics Study Skills Guide: Strategies for Success in Mathematics” by Gail Levine, Nova Southeastern University.