How to Do Well at Math

HOW TO DO WELL AT MATH

(A FEW PRACTICAL LESSONS I LEARNED THE HARD WAY)

BY J. S. REED PhD

If you're not a savant or naturally talented math genius, there are ways of succeeding as if you were one.
What you lack in natural talent can be made up for with "logical effort".

One of the benefits to the "logical effort"method is that the effects don't wither with time as they do with savants.
I knew a child that had a non-verbal IQ of 180 at age 4 but by age 16 couldn't get through geometry because he never learned how to
study or organize his thinking and his natural talent got him passing marks only up to middle school.

The first (and most important) lesson to learn is ORGANIZATION.

Writing is under-emphasized in math, to the detriment of the student. Sloppy, scrawled paperwork with poor handwriting and
questionable letters and numbers will screw up a student worse than anything else. Unlike general writing, where words and
meaning can be discerned from sentence structure - in math EVERY LETTER AND NUMBER stands on its own!
The tiniest of errors can mean a missed answer. Math is detailed and MUST be very neat.
Ef U thnk eym kdng thn Y kn U rd ths? Math is NOT forgiving!

Many students actually understand the math but miss the problems because of sloppiness or poor organization and
then think it was their reasoning that was at fault. They then actually unlearn the correct method of solving the problem,
get stumped, and say "I just don't get it; what I thought was right - didn't work."

Every answer must be within a limited visual area, preferably neatly blocked (either horizontal or vertical).
The human brain sees structures as parts of a whole and will recognize patterns on a subconscious level even if you don't
understand "why" the pattern occurs. It's the same phenomena a child experiences when it learns language.
The initial word "milk", becomes "want milk", is later "I want milk", to "I want milk, please."
A person's knowledge of math expands the same way.

Write large enough so that you can see the writing from 18 inches away, without straining.
This will be the distance your eyes will be from the page when your brain "photographs" the entire problem or page to store it in memory.

If organization is a problem with your actual writing - use graph paper since it has both vertical and horizontal lines.
Make it easy for your brain to see the patterns without searching for them. The more your work conforms to vertical and
horizontal alignments, the quicker the brain can record the process.

All math notes must be kept in a notebook specifically used for math and in the order in which it is learned.
If kept up to date, simply reviewing the notebook will reinforce the sequence of learning that is already in your brain.

The next most important lesson is REPETITION.

Only exceptional geniuses "get it" the first time and can repeat it thereafter.
Everyone else (99.8% of the population) requires some level of practice. This repetition locks the steps in place so that the response is
automatic and this is true in all performance areas: sports, music, drama, video games, chess, cards, driving, or anything else.
In math, since it is an entirely cerebral process, this practice is the written repetition of problems and their solutions.
Solutions to each problem should be checked immediately after being solved.

Learning with ALL SENSES.

Locking the analytical processes of math into the brain is a very slow process if only visual observation is
used (i.e. only watching a teacher solving problems on a board). Math is learned in a much shorter period of time if the student can
write (copy) and speak (what is written) at the same time as watching it written before them.
Since speaking out loud is impracticable in a classroom, simply lip-syncing the words, can almost accomplish the same end.
However, when working alone or at home, saying the words of the process out loud, greatly shortens the learning process.

A word about math TEXTBOOKS.

Let's face it, they're usually dull, unless you're a math guru or you wrote the book.
The key to using math books is looking at the example problems. Good text books will have loads of solved examples and
they will all have the same pattern which that section of the book is trying to demonstrate.
If you don't understand the pattern by just looking at it, then copy it number for number and letter for letter on
a piece of paper and your hand may place the pattern in a location of your brain that is connected to the previous pattern you learned,
where your eyes alone could not.
By the way, most FIRST editions of textbooks are loaded with errors and they're usually not all caught until the THIRD edition of the text.

MUSIC while studying math can actually help you think - sometimes!

SOME music can actually stimulate centers in the brain that are responsible for learning math.
Though Mozart has been credited with this capacity - the range is far greater than his compositions.
Almost any instrumental music with an uplifting rhythm that is not discordant will stimulate the ability to learn math.
There must be no lyrics because the lyrics become verbally distracting and undermine analytical "self-talk".
Save the music with lyrics for when you take a break. If possible, put together a math CD to play when you're doing homework.

Suggestions: Mozart, Beethoven, Wagner, 40' & 50's Big Bands, easy jazz, 50's through 80's rock instrumentals.

Do not use: Hip-hop, Rap, Opera, Country Western, Punk, Heavy Metal, Rock Ballads, Folk Vocals, and hard jazz.

The volume must be low enough so that you can hear your own whisper.
You may have to employ mini-speakers rather than ear pieces.

SLEEP Learning

Sleep learning is phenomenally effective for memorizing materials, foreign languages, scripts for drama,
math formulas, chemistry formulas, physics laws, etc.

Have the timed tape or CD start playing about 1 hour before you plan to awaken.
Pre-set the volume so that it is barely audible and not jarring. It must be in your own voice and must have 2-3 second pauses between items.
Each item is best repeated 4-5 times. You also may have to play with the volume a bit over 2-3 days since your
hearing is more acute when you first awaken.

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