Become Better at Math
Mathematics is a skill that can be improved upon with practice and determination and willingness. If you're tired of not getting best grades in math, change your approach and apply some of the suggestions here. You'll see results after a few weeks or months of additional effort.
Contents
Steps
Getting help
- Ask your math teacher or your parents for help. It's okay to ask for help; you will not get the help you need if you don't ask. Your parents may be happy to pay for a tutor; one-on-one learning can be very beneficial when you're willing to improve.
- Ask the smart kids for help. Ask the smart kids as they might have easier methods for math. You might even make some new friends.
Studying in a more focused way
- Don't get intimidated by maths. If Ramanujan could teach himself maths and prove Euler's identity on his own, you can easily pass your algebra without failing and extend your knowledge of math more widely. Read the history of mathematicians who have contributed to the field you are currently studying. This can help you to gain an interest in the topics you are studying, by giving you the inspiration to be as clever as these people and to strive for their mentality.
- Broaden and expand your mind, if you block your mind and give up on math, then chances are you aren't going to get better at math, so give math some tries before you give up on it.
- Turn off and remove all distractions. Put the cell phone aside, turn off the TV and radio and put away the music. Don't have anything on your desk ,as you might be tempted to play with the object and lose concentration with learning. Really aim to concentrate on the work before you in the time you've set aside for it. There will plenty of time for the other things later.
- Read through your notes from class. Also read the instructions which are provided in the school curriculum course books. Doing this will help you to understand the topics currently being discussed.
- Listen closely. It's very likely that what the teacher is saying is important and is something you should remember that will help you study for tests.
- Take lots of notes. When you take lots of notes, you have something to study with and you can remember math with greater ease.
- Be persistent. Practice makes perfect, as does getting back on that metaphorical horse every time you fall off. If you practice as hard as you can at math anywhere, you will see results.
- Do each sub-part and beyond. Go beyond the math work given to you in class and find extra exercises to really test and push your understanding.
Sitting tests and exams
- Study hard for tests and exams. When the teacher says a test is coming up, study in regular bursts over time rather than cramming the night before. If you study your hardest, you will be better than you would be if you didn't study at all, or left it until the last moment.
- Never stress about an exam or test. If you freak out, you can scare yourself into not thinking it through. This can happen from obvious things, such as... not revising. You know you have the power to revise in you, so use it to reduce and even eliminate the anxiety.
- Try your hardest. Remember to really try to do your best so you can get your best scores.
- Now you should start to see some better scores. If you really tried your best and you followed all the steps, you might find that you're now starting to get more Bs and even As. Keep it up!
Tips
- You should practice more. Try to solve whatever question that you come across with.
- Keep a separate notebook for writing down formulas or any other key information you'll need to remember.
- Don't zone out in class. Then, you'll miss important info, which will cause you to fall behind.
- Try not to miss a day where you have math class. You will miss vital information for upcoming quizzes, tests, and other examinations.
- Try not to be distracted with anything.
- Try to be someone your teacher wants to help.(Being clean, respectful, kind, a good listener, etc.)Then your Teacher will do their best to help you.
- show all work on your assignments, so if you mess up , the teacher could help you understand better what went wrong
- Sit in front of the class - preferably with smart kids.
Warnings
- Remember this isn't easy. You really have to do this. That means you should do all of these steps, not just a few you think are easy. You also have to do your best with all these steps.
- If you're really struggling, you may want talk to a doctor to see if you have a learning disorder, like dyscalculia, that may make learning math harder.
Things You'll Need
- A good teacher
- Notes
- Pencils
