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General Tips:
- Find a comfortable, quiet, well-lit place to work undisturbed.
- You cannot be studying effectively if you are talking on the
phone or instant messaging at the same time. Set aside a
period of time to work and let your friends know this is your study
time- you'll talk later.
- DO not procrastinate - studying a little each night is better
than cramming the night before a test.
- Make sure you know the difference between active and passive
studying.
- Get enough sleep and exercise. You'll think better if you
are well rested.
- If you are getting tired, bored, or overwhelmed, walk away and
do something else for a while (another subject's homework is fine)
then go back to your studying later.
For New Topics and Concepts:
- Be prepared - read ahead in the textbook before we
start a topic and write notes so that you can ask relevant questions.
- Ask appropriate questions in class.
- Make your own notes from class discussions and from the text.
- Read over your class notes and the worked examples.
- Ask a classmate if they can help explain.
- Come for tutoring after school (check with me for times and
days).
- Re-read the appropriate part of the textbook and follow the
sample problems at home.
- Check out some online tutoring sites and practice
problems (see useful links page).
- Form a study group with other students - online or in person.
When Homework Problems Get Frustrating:
- Do NOT leave practice problems until the last minute - some of
them are more complex than they look.
- Keep trying - do not give up as soon as you see an unknown word
or term. Find terms you do know and work from there.
- Refer back to your textbook and the problems we've worked in
class - see if one looks similar.
- Talk through the problem aloud - to your brother, parents,
poster on the wall etc. It's often helpful to reason aloud
even if no-one's responding.
- Walk away from the problem - go on to another problem, get a
snack, or do other homework and then come back to the problem later
(not too late to finish it in time though).
- If it's still before the deadline, ask for a hint in class.
- Ask a friend for a hint (but NOT for all the steps and certainly
NOT for the answer).
- If all else fails, do as much as you can then move on.
It is better to hand in a partial assignment than none
at all.
- Once the assignment has been graded make sure you understand how
to solve the problem and practice solving it by yourself so you'll
be prepared next time.
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