Algebra (Period 4)
Course Description
How to Learn Math
Step 1: I will create an activity where I teach you the specific steps of how to solve a certain type of problem (like factoring Trinomials for example).
-- You have to repeat the activity several times while focused (which is why you practice the problems immediately after I teach you how to do the steps).
Step 2: This activity needs to be repeated several times - if you do 4 to 10 problems in a row and you are doing them correctly, you will learn that material - but you have to try!
-- The most important part of this “learning process” is that you practice what you just learned several times in a row as you are learning it in order to encode the process in your long-term memory." If you don't do this, you'll go home and start your homework and then realize that you forgot everything you "thought you knew."
Step 3:
The activity needs immediate feedback,
-- That means that you have to check your work as you are learning the process to make sure you are doing things correctly.
-- Ask questions! Follow the process and always ask questions so you learn the material faster.
-- Check your answers as you are learning the problems or come to me and go through the steps so I can guide you through the process correctly.
Step 4:
You need to consciously correct your mistakes -- correcting your mistakes as you make them actually speeds up the learning process.
-- Work though the problem, and when you catch yourself making a mistake, correct it immediately and you'll actually learn that part of the problem better than if you never made a mistake in the first place.
Step 5:
This is mentally demanding work which means you should take short breaks when your focus fades. You really need to focus when you're doing homework. You'll get through it faster and it becomes a good habit.
Finally, realize that the difference between an "A" student and an "F student is the number of focused repetitions they complete using the correct steps. You do this by practicing the steps as soon as you learn them and then by doing extra work (homework) on your own time. If you don't do the homework, you can't possibly learn the material, so make sure you give yourself a time slot every day so you can do the extra work. This applies to anything you learn in life; as you are taught any skill, you have to practice it correctly several times in order to encode it into long-term memory.
You'll learn a lot in this class -- and its actually kind of fun according to former students.
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