4 Tips to Study Mathematics Effectively

          Around 2, 3, or 4 in my class like Math. The rest? They curse at it as they hate it that much.  Lots of my classmates stare at nothingness when we are having exams in Math, others are pretending to input numbers in their calculators when they are not even sure of what they are doing. There were also some who passed their test papers just having written their names on it. Hearing rants from these people is sometimes already deafening. If I only  had a dollar for every time someone told me how hard Math is, definitely I am no longer a broke kid in high school. 

       

          Maybe you're also one of those people in whom Math isn't a piece of cake and that's why you are searching throughout the Internet how you can improve. Don't worry, you're not alone! Stop saying that struggling with Math is something cannot be helped. Remember that every problem has a solution; Mathematically speaking, sometimes there are even more than one. Relax... breathe in... breathe out... I will now be sharing with you my routine in studying Mathematics, tips, tricks, and maybe I can say... my secrets. No one knew these before but I would like to share it with you. At least, there would be less people who stereotype  Math as Mental Abuse To Humans.

1. SIT IN FRONT

     Math classes are usually boring for my classmates that's why they tend to be noisy as they chat with their seat mates. I know like I do, you also have class mates who do not really prioritize listening to the lecture and it somehow creates an unpleasant learning environment. What I do is I transfer in the first row where I can both hear the teacher well and see what she's writing on the board. It is a way to get out of distraction and also it gives you the best view in learning the processes. You will also be able to focus more as seeing the teacher in front, you will think that this person deserves due respect. 

2. TAKE DOWN NOTES

      I prepare my book and a pencil before the teacher comes in so I will be ready as soon as she starts discussing. I don't usually write on my Math notebook rather I write on the space allotted for notes on the right side of the book. It helps as I no longer need to look on both book and notebook as they already in the same place. This is not only convenient but also helpful to me as I learn more when I write. Notes come accessible when you are quite unsure with process of solving a certain problem. I tell you, not everything you've heard will be retained. Human brain can sometimes be traitor; forgetting things that it believes unnecessary (when it actually is important).

3. RECALL THE PROCESS AT HOME

      As soon as I get home, I open my book and read through the notes I made. In that way I can consolidate what I have learnt in school. This is also the time where I memorize formulas. It helps me to study less on exams as I've mastered it as soon as it was taught. It is great to do this on the day you learned itself because when days pass by there is a tendency that you will forget it before you even learn it totally. Fifteen minutes of recalling is not bad compared to hours of re-learning. When information are consolidated, they become easier to 

4. DO PRACTICE PROBLEMS

     It may be cliche to say that practice makes perfect but in my case it truly is. I usually answer the exercises on my book. I also download worksheets from the Internet which has answer sheets as well. My go-to worksheets are from Kuta Software. I also use whiteboard when answering worksheets so I can lessen the use of paper. Doing practice problems help me to anticipate what will be on exams and it makes me less nervous. One time, my teacher saw me answering worksheets from Kuta Software and told me that what I'm studying where harder than the items on the exam 😂. I actually became less nervous.

     Basically, this was the routine I did when I studied in all the the Math classes I've taken last academic year (General Mathematics, Statistics and Probability, Pre-Calculus, and Basic Calculus). 

Same goes with my Chemistry classes as it is filled with solving problems.

"Math is a language. It may be hard for you as it is foreign. It takes practice and perseverance to learn it like how you learned your second, third, ... nth language. Someday you will appreciate the beauty of it."

-Misaki Mukaijo 

I hope this helps you. Thank you for reading until the end 💜.