High school math can be a difficult subject for many high school students. If you’re like me, it’s probably your hardest subject! For this reason I’m going to provide a tutor’s guide for navigating high school math classes, what you can expect, and how to succeed in them! Through these tips and insights you’ll be able to not just tackle your math classes but gain confidence, college readiness, and critical thinking skills too!
The Importance of a Strong Foundation
I’m sure you’ve heard the saying: “math builds upon itself”. This statement is true and super important to understand! It’s one of the many reasons why your parents, teachers, and tutors have probably said the same thing before. But why is this important to understand? Since math builds upon itself, even one missed concept can lead to a slippery slope in high school. For this reason, having a strong foundation is essential for success in high school math. Identifying your areas of weakness helps lead to a better understanding of content you’re currently learning. It’s for this reason that tutors take this same exact approach with their students! Tutors will often begin their sessions getting to know the student. This give a crucial understanding in identifying where a student’s academic weakness may be. Once recognizing where these areas are, working on improving and understanding them are the next step.
Once a student has successfully reinforced their academic foundation for math, the student will gain confidence and understanding with the current material being covered. Essential math concepts that build your foundation include basic arithmetic, algebra, and problem-solving skills. Mastering each one of these math concepts will contribute to your strong foundation and conversely, your academic success!
Effective Study Habits for Success
So now that we’ve discussed the importance of a strong foundation, we should mention effective study habits for success. Believe it or not, how you study also reinforces your academic foundation. A review paper written by Rafiq Ahmad Lone found the following correlation between positive study habits and academic success:
Jafri (2011) reported that study habits and academic achievement had a significant and positive correlation to each other.
Students varied significantly on study habits and academic achievement with reference gender and stream.
It’s no doubt that positive study habits equate to academic success, but what are some good study habits?
- Set a study schedule
- Have a dedicated study space
- Take effective notes
- Use active learning techniques
- Routine engagement with the material
Each one of these study habits can assist with developing your academic success. It’s highly recommended that you implement as many of these study strategies as possible! The more good study habits you have, the better!
Common Math Struggles:
1. Anxiety
Many students (me included) have some form of school-based anxiety. For many, this anxiety pertains to the subject: math. This anxiety decreases student confidence contributing to frustration and stress. When experiencing anxiety in math, a great way to ease the tension is to have a conversation with your teacher. Talking to your teacher about your anxiety may help ease the anxiety. An added benefit, is that the teacher will understand your needs better, and can help you overcome the anxiety! It’s one of the main reasons why tutoring works so well. Tutors are able to have the one-on-one time with their students which can help the tutor ease anxiety, identify areas of weakness, and get the student back on track. While your teacher won’t have the abilities to do all of that, they can definitely help ease your anxiety and give you tips on not falling behind.
2. Understanding Vs. Memorization
When it comes to studying, there’s a right and wrong way. Many students approach studying in such a way that prioritizes memorization. While this may work for some subjects, math is different. As mentioned previously, math builds upon itself. For this reason, learning how to study for understanding is essential in building a strong foundation for yourself. Instead of focusing on what the answer for any given question, focus on understanding how that answer is gotten. While this may seem rather redundant for easier math classes, learning this studying technique now is a great idea for when you enter a math class that is more complex.
3. Tackling Word Problems and Real Life Applications
Word problems are a point of contention for many students. Many students can get confused easily, and it doesn’t help that many word problems are designed to trick you! Our tutors have some special tips for students looking to have an easier time with word problems. These tips include:
- Read the problem carefully! (important keywords are: ‘total’ means addition, ‘per’ means division, etc)
- Translate words into equations (use common keywords mentioned above to craft an equation that translates the passage)
- Use logical reasoning (does the answer make since given the passage?)
See the Power of Tutoring!
Well that just about wraps up the tips I had about succeeding in high school math. Everyone is at their own pace and taking different math classes, but implementing these strategies in some way or another can yield massive improvements for you academically! If you’re looking for a more personalized approach to tutoring, I recommend checking out our tutors! Each one of our tutors are professional, one-on-one teachers at our private school. This means your getting a private school teacher as your dedicated tutor! Thanks for reading and don’t forget to write a comment if you have you’re own strategies for overcoming high school math classes!