Math Study

Summer vacation is waning fast, and it's time to get back to school.

For my first installment of the new school year, I'd like to talk a little bit about an aspect of test preparation that many people do not take seriously enough:  Sleep.

I know that some students take a very last-minute approach to preparing for tests (or finishing projects, or any number of other school-related activities).  I have been in this position myself, and it is quite stressful.

As {insert name of deadline here} approaches, people discover that they can't fit all of the things they should be doing into the amount of time that is available to them.  All too often, the thing that gets discarded is sleep.

I'm not going to go into the health issues associated with sleep deprivation... needless to say, you'll be healthier if you get enough sleep.  Also, there are the obvious safety concerns... sleep-deprived drivers can be just as dangerous as drunk drivers.

My goal here is to draw attention to the academic ramifications of missing out on sleep.

Personally, I think that students need to consider the type of academic activity they are preparing for when deciding how much sleep to cut out of their schedule.  Students need to understand that skipping sleep will affect their performance.  The goal is to find an acceptable trade-off between needed preparation and lower performance quality.

Some activities do not require much performance.  For example, if a big project is due then the student only needs to be able to stumble into the classroom and turn the project in.  Students can afford to miss more sleep in a situation like this.

However, if the student will be required to present his/her project to the class (and will be graded on the presentation) then more sleep is advised.  It doesn't make much sense to stay up all night to enhance the quality of a project if the presentation ends up being terrible.

When preparing for a test, there is typically a point at which the loss of brain power due to sleep deprivation outweighs the benefits of more cramming.  Continuing to stay awake beyond this point does more damage than good.

This gets a bit tricky because different people need different amounts of sleep.  Therefore, I can't possibly prescribe a last-minute cramming strategy that will work for everyone...

...and I guess that's the real point of this post:  If you plan ahead and don't procrastinate, then you won't have to worry about staying up and losing a significant amount of sleep the night before a big presentation or exam.

My latest Silly Math Song was inspired by this concept:

If you are a student, parent, or teacher, I hope you have a wonderful school year.

-------------------------------
For math tutorials and silly math songs, visit   www.onlinemathpro.com

Studying for Algebra Tests

I often hear students and/or parents who want to know the best way to study for an Algebra test.

Unlike tests in other subjects, success on Algebra tests generally doesn't hinge solely on one's ability to memorize facts.  This explains why some students can experience success in other subject areas by cramming at the last minute, but fail miserably in Algebra.

The fact is, Algebra tests require students to develop problem-solving skills and then use those skills to solve a variety of problems.  On Algebra tests, students are given problems that are similar to problems done in class or assigned as homework, but that have been modified slightly.

This doesn't happen as much in other subject areas.  (In a U.S. History unit, for example, students may learn that the Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776.  When it comes time for the test, this date hasn't been modified... It's still July 4, 1776.)

In preparing for Algebra tests, students need to work to ensure that their problem-solving skills are strong.  They should feel confident that they can solve problems without assistance from a parent, teacher, or another student.

For most students, this means... practice.  I think it's great when students help each other work through homework problems.  I also encourage students to seek help from teachers and/or parents.  However, students who do not practice doing problems on their own often end up struggling on tests.

(This explains why many students get good homework scores, but poor test scores.)

When students ask me how to prepare for an Algebra test, I tell them to do these three things:

1) Memorize vocabulary/math facts emphasized in the chapter.

2) Work through a review assignment.  Get help from the teacher, a parent, or other students if you need to - but make sure your work and answers are correct.

3) Choose problems from the review assignment that you completed with assistance.  Re-work these problems on your own, using the completed assignment as an answer key.  You may need to do this multiple times for a problem, but eventually you will strengthen the skills (and confidence) that you will need to succeed on the test.

I realize that some students have legitimate issues with test anxiety.  (By the way - text anxiety due to the fact that you failed to study/prepare is not a legitimate issue.)  These students need to take additional non-mathematical measures to try to minimize their anxiety.

However, for most students, I find that following the above steps generally leads to success on tests.

One last note:  "Success" is a relative term.  Mathematics is one of the most unfair subjects I know of.  Some students can ace tests with minimal preparation time, while other students put in hours of prep work and struggle to get a B or a C.  I can't guarantee that my study tips will help you ace your Algebra tests, but they should help you increase your scores.

--------------------------------------------------
For Math Tutorials and Silly Math Songs, visit  OnlineMathPro.com