This article contains vital and helpful information on the 18 Tips for Improving in Mathematics.
There are people who would give anything to get tips that would help them improve in Mathematics. The subject mathematics is a universal subject covering diverse of fields, it helps in our day to day activities, life issues & challenges, it covers a lot of human activities such as improving the brain to work better, determination of time, finance and shopping, measurement and problem-solving skill, helps to understand the world better just like the Bees uses geometry shapes(hexagon) to build their honeycombs. The universality of the subject mathematics is a powerful tool in our daily activities.
For a student to improve on the subject, you should know there are different ways in which you as a student or teacher can understand mathematics, from procedures to methods to solve a question.
Study the following 18 tips to improve in Mathematics:
1. Understand and master procedure/concept:
The first tip on how to improve on Mathematics [1] is to understand the concept of the subject. Mathematics is not like any other subject you will want to cram in your head, mathematics obeys law and order of methodology, the way you solve quadratic equation may be different from another. There is always a particular technique to solve one mathematical problem or the other, what you have to do is find out how, you can’t get these by cramming, rather by studying and meditating on what you have learned, practicing over time, taking a test and solving repeatedly, once solved, check for the answer through your tutor or someone who is better in that area. Mathematics can be likened to wanting to drive without wanting to know the parts of a car, the parts of the car are what you need to move the car.
Therefore, whatever topic in mathematics, find out the technique to solve each problem through studying. Once discovered, it is easier to tackle any other problem. Just like the case of mathematics related to cars, once you discover the clutch or the brake you are more than 50% a driver.
2. You need to get active and real:
Mathematics is not like chemistry or any other subject, you need to learn passively by connecting the nodes with what you have learned to daily activities which you engage in. For example, finding a value in a quadratic equation can be likened to sorting out your household chores for ease, scheduling your day to day activities. Mathematics engages your memory thereby keeping you off from your comfort zone. The ability for you to connect the nodes with what you have learned to real-life issues helps improve your understanding and ease your mathematics study.
3. Practice and engage in difficult tasks related to the topic:
Another tip on how to improve in Mathematics is to practice and engage in difficult topics. Once you have studied a particular topic, go in search of related questions in textbook, past questions, online classes, manuals, e.t.c and practice it with the technique. These boost your mathematical skill and it open you to wide range of life activities because as we said in the beginning Mathematics is more than a subject, it, however, covers all aspect of life. You can practice in different forms;
- Self-practice: in this aspect, you gather all the related materials you can find and solve, once solved, you can review with the correct answers at the back of the textbook or your private/school.
- Group practice: form a group of the student within your class, age and study and practice related question, review with answers.
- Teacher-student practice or Parent-student practice: these practices include an elderly one either your teacher or parent who guides and help you in practice each related problems
4. Do not miss classes:
If you must do well in Mathematics, never go missing during mathematics periods. As a Mathematics student, do not miss your class because it is the first place a teacher gives out information about solving a problem.
5. Avoid Distraction:
In a process of improving your mathematical skill, avoid distraction as much as possible, ensure you are comfortable while learning and studying mathematics. Maximum focus is required.
6. Get a Partner:
A partner shouldn’t be just anyone, rather look for someone who you know wants to learn as much as you do, he might be younger or older than you, age mates, classmates, roommates, both of you can study differently or together one thing to note is that you must schedule a time where both of you find out ways to improve your mathematical skill, with time you can expand it to a study group where you all practice for tests/exam/scholarship test e.t.c.
7. Create a good rapport with your teacher or tutor:
Before going for any class, study in advance and in class, introduce yourself, show interest in your class teacher and welcome every opportunity to ask questions that show you’re paying attention, answer questions and whenever you are not clear with any issues, visit your teacher/tutor to teach you better. These can create rapport with your teachers.
8. Evaluate, analyze and understand each process:
Mathematical skill can be polished by evaluating, analyzing and understanding each process, this is because in places you make a mistake, it can easily be pointed. Mistakes are exposed in an analyzed process.
9. Pay Attention by asking Questions:
You learn faster and easier through questions. Ask questions on what you have learned, and on something related to it. Asking good questions is a skill, you can make up a list of what you have studied and asked in class or in group discussion. The more questions asked, the easier it gets.
10. Don’t neglect basic skills:
Mathematics is from one foundation to the other, simple addition and subtraction skills are used in further mathematics/advanced mathematics. You can revise them over and over again to understand them better
11. Whatever device enhances mathematical operation, understand the function behind it:
For example just as a calculator helps to solve complex functions, and you want to multiply a number whose answer was given in standard number and you are meant to write it in a whole number, what are you going to do? If you don’t know the function behind a calculator or timetable, you will be kept in a volatile position. Ensure whatever you want to use a calculator for, you can handle it yourself without any help.
12. Teach others in help:
Whenever you have studied a mathematical skill, find out people in help who do not understand, teaching them to understand is a way for you to gain mastery in that. The others we are describing here can be your school mates or age mates who desire to understand the topic which you know. Gather them together somewhere and replicate how you understand that topic to them.
13. Work out each problem in pen and not in your head:
Solve mathematical problems on paper using your pen. By so doing, you will avoid errors, and it can always be reflected back on whenever you want, or whenever you want to teach someone else.
14. Outline each step:
Ensure you tabulate or outline the steps by which you solve each mathematical operation sequentially. It may consume space and paper but it will definitely show to your teacher or tutor that you know what you are doing. You will, on the other hand, analyze the question with your steps, thus keeping your memory in check with what you have studied.
15. Develop a clear picture of the problem:
Once you come across a problem, develop a pathway to solve it, these could be in form of graphs or diagrams as the case of trigonometry and calculus, or Once the problems become visual, it becomes clearer to solve and interpret the solution. The process of creating a visual description in form of diagrams or graphs has simply created a guideline on what the problem is really for and what step is needed to take in order to solve it.
16. Twist-up word problems up and solve:
Brace yourself to try out twisting up word problems, these would enable you to think wide and high
18. Keep solving extra Problems:
Visit libraries, journals, textbooks, online resources and past questions from time to time, you improve by working on solving additional problems of the same type, easy and then difficult.
Conclusion
In conclusion, if you are a student or teacher with the goal to improve mathematical skills in your student or siblings, observing these tips would improve your mathematical skills from time to time. You will then be termed a specialist in that area.
Reference
[1] My mapping quiz. (n.d.). Googleadservices.com. Retrieved December 6, 2023, from https://www.googleadservices.com/pagead/aclk?sa=L&ai=DChcSEwjQk5Lb_vuCAxXIkoMHHb1HA7oYABAAGgJlZg&gclid=CjwKCAiA1MCrBhAoEiwAC2d64db4LKJKPNde_wDD10s8oZYsT6EaEV5NB83M26o5EtOfPCcICy5UPRoCzb4QAvD_BwE&ohost=www.google.com&cid=CAESVuD2V5WBuGO9uRWVJIElbuGgKvM96tbrLpJr3iMe6OtC2kT0SBitisIiwk6MU7Qsyfln2ADx9MzZ4xiiAcvDm5JYoguxsl6pSq6wuHHOXPAn5TSGFMuO&sig=AOD64_1ycrQgnnja6-b7eY22Yym6_argog&q&adurl&ved=2ahUKEwjqho3b_vuCAxXXzwIHHaOPCzYQ0Qx6BAgOEAE
