Approach to Learning Mathematics
The best thing about maths is also the worst – it’s an endless wealth of knowledge. As such, maths has a way of making students feel like they don’t know much at all, regardless of how much they’ve learnt. The simple truth is that maths is hard and even the most capable students hit a wall eventually. Developing a sound maths study mindset helps replace feelings of being overwhelmed with mindful optimism, keeping students grounded and allowing them to keep progressing without being held back by negative thinking.
Mathematics is about simplifying and slowing things down. It’s about dissecting a problem into its most basic components, understanding each separately, then putting them back together to reach a clear conclusion. Speed comes naturally with practice and repetition. It should not be the priority.
Enjoying the process and rushing to get it done are two notions that are at odds. If you rush to solve a problem, then you’re probably going to make a mistake, then rush right past it – leading to even more mistakes which you’re unable to explain because you missed the very first. This is why effective maths learning strategies focus on slowing down rather than speeding up.
To get the most out of tuition and develop effective maths learning strategies, it’s strongly recommended that you attend weekly lessons, focus during lessons, take notes during lessons, attempt problems during lessons, practice consistently, and provide constructive feedback between lessons. Participation is a very efficient way for students to validate their understanding and is a necessary tool for effective tuition.
Don’t be ashamed to ask questions, and during explanations please politely interject if you don’t understand something, lose track, or require a slower pace. The whole point of tuition is to follow along with your tutor and learn something new. Relax during lessons, embrace the rate at which you naturally learn, and have faith that you will improve over time.
To get the most out of tuition, it’s strongly recommended that you attend weekly lessons, focus during lessons, take notes during lessons, attempt problems during lessons, practice consistently, and provide constructive feedback between lessons. Participation is a very efficient way for students to validate their understanding and is a necessary tool for effective tuition.
Don’t be ashamed to ask questions, and during explanations please politely interject if you don’t understand something, lose track, or require a slower pace. The whole point of tuition is to follow along with your tutor and learn something new. Relax during lessons, embrace the rate at which you naturally learn, and have faith that you will improve over time.
Mathematics gives us something unique and pure that cannot be found elsewhere. It gives us incontrovertible truth. When you learn something in math it doesn’t go away, fade, or die. It’s there forever, and no one can tell you differently. This is what makes learning math so worth the effort. My strongest recommendation to you, the student, is that you stop perceiving mathematics as a bottomless pit and start viewing it as an endless ladder – everpresent for you to reach new heights.
