Students often approach math the same way they approach other courses. Read the book, take some notes, look them over, then hope for the best when the test comes. And, if the test doesn’t go well, very little is approached differently the next time around. Math Study Strategies is an easy-to-use resource that helps students learn and implement strategies that are useful during each part of the class ‘cycle’: choosing a class (in college), preparing for class, participating in class, doing homework, studying for a test, and taking a test. Then, it helps students analyze their test results so they can choose and adapt new strategies to improve the score on their next test. Each section has an explanation about the strategy, why it works, how it could be adapted, and how it can be used in teaching.The strategies students choose will depend on their personality, learning style, and the types of errors they make. Math Study Strategies gives students a tool box of strategies that will improve their confidence, organization, and study skills. It will help them choose and adapt new strategies that will address their own, specific test errors.Teachers can use Math Study Strategies to infuse their teaching and discussions with strategies that will help students become more aware of how to learn math. Students become more engaged by asking themselves (and each other) questions such as How will I remember this? , or Why is this a good test question? or What can I do if I don’t understand this problem right away? or What kind of mistakes have I made on this type of problem before?
These strategies help students think of themselves as a ‘detective’ in the process of solving a problem.