You are probably wondering why an article addressing the question what not to do while studying mathematics? Well let me explain, most students tend to study mathematics via ineffective ways and don’t realize what they are doing wrong. To highlight things that can affect your study of maths is important. So let me begin by pointing out the various ineffective methods used to study a subject like Arithmetic’s.
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Concept Understanding: most students while attempting to understand a concept they find difficult, tend to think that if they move onto another topic they will be able to finally understand the concept. But this is a faulty notion and needs to be rectified at the earliest because it can hinder the student’s performance. It is essential to highlight this faulty notion because the other topics are usually built upon these topics. For instance if you wish to construct a building you need to have a complete understanding of what goes into the construction process to avoid problems from arising.
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Double check you’re Answers: students generally check their answer once and are confident about it, only to realize that their answer was wrong after checking with a friend. How often has this happened to you? Therefore make sure you check your answers with a friend after you have completed it and checked it yourself. If the answer was wrong then you need to run over your steps and your formulas.
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Refrain from Over confidence: many a times students make a common mistake by being over confident about their answers. So check all your work twice and you will be able to notice if you have made a mistake. Don’t be over confident or you just might lose a good amount of your marks which can at times be a life saver for those of us who are average in mathematics.
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Avoid Silly Mistakes: check and recheck your work to prevent silly mistakes such as missing steps, incorrect calculations, incorrect formulas used mistakes in calculating points are few of the many mistakes made by students.
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Do Not “map out a path from problem-to-answer” in your head: most students look at the math problem and start figuring it out in their head even before they jot down any information. Such students usually don’t write down the information nor do they follow the steps that are involved in solving a mathematical problem resulting in incorrect answers and lose marks unnecessarily. These are students that directly write the answer with the steps missing. Most institutes give marks based on the steps involved so not noting each and every step involved only limits your chances of doing well.
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Find a well lit and a quite place to study: similarly students should look for a well lit and a quiet place to study because both these aspects play a vital role in the performance of the student. It is a common practice that listening to music helps students to perform well. Although it holds true for some exceptional students it is not common to most. Noise whether music or television affects the individual’s concentration resulting in silly mistakes which can be avoided if done right.
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Don’t work Late at Night: this is common to most students especially if there is a test the next day. Most students have a habit of studying just one day before the test or exam for that matter. This is the root cause for poor results because this is a subject that requires practice and practice alone to perform well. If students decide to study late in to the night it usually results in students following asleep because arithmetic’s needs a fresh mind to perform well. Sometimes due to exhaustion the solution to the problem never arises as identifying the mistakes is not always possible. So what takes you 2 minutes to decipher will take an hour may be more and still you may not find it. But the same thing if done in the morning will take 2 minutes to decipher.
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Ensure that your work is Neatly done: this has a bearing on your performance and the marks you obtain. It is essential that students write down the problem clearly along with each step written on a separate line. If all the information is written clearly it makes solving the problem easier thus reducing the number of mistakes you make. If there are any scratches or mistakes in either the steps or recording the information it can hinder your performance and you are most likely going to make a mistake.
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Ask Questions: time and again I keep repeating myself because most students hesitate to ask questions to their professor or a friend either because they are afraid or are embarrassed. This is going to do you no good because you will only get frustrated further. Note that most professors usually welcome question by their students because it show them that you understand what is taught. They usually insist on students asking questions even if it seems silly because there have been several cases where the students question has answered most of the other students queries thus clearing their doubts and helping them perform well.
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Practice: students should make it a point to practice and go through the topics that have been taught in class the very same day as it helps in understanding the topic well as it serves as a repetition. And we all know that the more your revise, the better the concept will be understood as it is fresh in your mind. Practice sums as much as you can about the same topic as it will help you to remember the concept better.
So to Quote Jaspher Kantuna, “Practice as if you are the worst; perform as if you are the best.” Is one of the best principal that has helped me countless number of times. So ensure that you don’t make the same mistakes as most individuals do.