Good Math Habits

by Jill

I listened to the Afford Anything podcast this morning with Paula Pant. The title was “How to Build Incredible Habits” and she was interviewing James Clear. One of the biggest takeaways for me was when James shared how much of our society is results driven. Articles aren’t written about the person with a great consistent habit of exercising. They write about how somebody lost 75 lbs. As a result, we gloss over and neglect the diligent habits that produced the amazing result.

The same can be said about how we study math. Many students focus only on studying for the big test. The truth is, however, that studying for the big test starts on the first day of the unit and continues throughout each concept learned and each problem practiced. So, that got me thinking about what I would suggest as good math habits. Below is my list:

Good Math Habits:

  1. While learning a new concept, be an active participant. Take notes, follow along, and ASK QUESTIONS when something doesn’t make sense. Don’t think that you’re the only one that doesn’t understand.
  2. Be Brave: When the teacher gives you time to try a problem on your own, do it. Yes, it’s easier to wait and just write it down when they go through it, but you won’t learn as much. Give up that your notes won’t be perfect and make a mistake and learn from it.
  3. Do your homework…every time. Plan ahead if you have a schedule conflict because of extra-curriculars.
  4. Check your answers after finishing each problem.
    1. Maybe you can use a calculator
    2. Use the answers in the back of the book. Reduce the headache of searching by marking it with a post-it note that can move as you go through the book.
    3. If you get a problem wrong, find your mistake.
  5. If you get a problem wrong, find your mistake. It may be as small as an addition or subtraction error, or maybe you just missed the negative sign. Think of yourself like Sherlock Holmes, and carefully go through each step and find the error. If you can’t find it, ask a friend to look over it for you.
  6. Don’t know how to do a problem? Find help.
    1. Ask your teacher. You know that time when they ask if anybody has any questions. They mean it. They want to help you succeed. Ask away.
    2. Use a study buddy or study group. Be careful, because this has to be the right group of friends. Don’t get together with friends with the guise of working on math but with the end result of accomplishing nothing. Get the work done and then have fun. Also, be cautious of just writing down what somebody else did. YOU need to know how to do it.
    3. Use YouTube to find a video of somebody working through the concept. Use a keyword search using the title of the section in the book, the wording from the question, or the top of the worksheet.  My favorite in addition to my own videos (davidtutorsmath) is PatrickJMT.
  7. After you finish, look over the homework and see if there were any formulas you used. Do you need to have those memorized? Make an index card for each unit, where you write down the formulas you need to know. I’m thinking about slope-intercept form (y = mx + b), the quadratic formula, trigonometric identities, or the derivatives of all of the trig functions.
    1. Using the formulas note card. Give yourself a quiz every time you need to use the formula. Do you remember it? Write it down first and then double check. It’s like giving yourself a pop-quiz for each problem and you’ll have it memorized before you know it.
  8. If you’re struggling with the basics and need a good review of previous concepts, I cannot speak highly enough of Khan Academy. Most people know it because of the videos, but it has loads of practice exercises from various levels of elementary math through calculus. The computer tells you if you’re right or wrong, can give you hints, or even direct you to the video you should watch if you’re really stuck.

Just like in exercise, learning a language, or in conquering a sport, math is best practiced with consistency for the long haul. If you do these things on a consistent basis, you’ll gain your confidence in math.

What math habits do you have? Have I missed anything?

Of course, if you or your child is struggling with math and you’d like more individualized help, you can always schedule a tutoring session with me. I will still suggest you do the homework and check it, but I’ll be there to answer the questions that still linger. Schedule a session with me.