It's that time. The middle of Spring Semester (or nearing to the end for us, but some people may be in the thick of it still) and we're all a little tired. Tired of being in school, tired of going to school every day, and annoyed by group projects and tests. It's easy to let go of our goals during this time. I revisited a few past posts to make sure I was on track, and was glad to see that I had actually lined out my goals for this Semester.

Here are those goals, just in case:

My Spring 2017 Goals:

1. Read all my textbooks: This seems like a no-brainer, but how many of us actually read all of our textbooks? Last semester I found myself skimming some books, which I didn't like because I like to read. I think I had some time management issues that kept me from committing to my reading, but this semester I want to stay dedicated. I've even started the reading already!
2. Do my homework ahead of time: When I come from home from school I like to sit down and watch a show. This semester, I want to come home and immediately get started on homework. 
3. Really get math out of the way: This is the last semester I want to spend doing Math. I want it done! I need to get it done so I can take statistics, and I do not want to waste another semester in Math!
4. Be a better team leader: I found myself floundering in one group project last semester because I did not take my own advice and take the leadership role right off the bat. I did not delegate and I did not plan. Even though we got an A, this project caused me a lot of anxiety that planning would have alleviated. My goal is to be a better team leader so at least I can rest a little easier!
5. Balance school and life a bit better: My room, car, and desk were an atrocious mess after this semester! At some point my organization system crashed and I did nothing to fix it. Papers were everywhere, I abandoned my binder at some point, and my textbooks found a home on the floor of the passenger side of my car. This was not okay...just looking at the mess caused me anxiety because I knew I had to clean it but had no time to do so! This semester, I want to make sure I stay organized, and make sure I have time to take care of Real Life things like cleaning.

I'm determined to pass my math class (Intermediate Algebra) with an A. I will do everything in order to do this, I even made this semester only 3 classes to make sure that I spent more time working on Math. In fact, that is the class I spend the most time on.

The thing is with math, is not that I can't do it or my brain doesn't work that way or I am bad at it. It's that it's boring. There are no real life applications for it (yet) and I can easily spend that time daydreaming or sleeping or working on another class's homework.

But I want that A. I want an A so bad in that class! I have crafted a strategy to get there, and so far, it's working. Here's what I do:

First, I actually go to class.
If you're rolling your eyes at this, guess what? None of the tips that follow are going to help you. If you don't go to class, you aren't going to know what to do. I skipped two classes this semester - one to attend Women's March and another because I was sick and I promised myself to give myself a break if I was sick - and I missed so much. Trying to catch up was hard, especially since one of those days was on a day when they went over the Quadriatic Formula and Equation. I try to go to every class session...and even if I zone out, I can jog my memory about it later.

I paginate and organize my notes.
This way I can find things easily and am able to understand what I write. There's a full post on this here, if you haven't gotten in the habit of keeping a spiffy math notebook.


I do all the homework...ahead of time.
I created an Assignment List so that I know what's coming up and when, and I work on homework ahead of time. A brain that is just trying to get things done in a hurry isn't a brain that is allowing what you are doing to soak in. By giving my big beautiful brain time to absorb the material and actually learn, I am able to do better.


I ask questions about homework in class.
As you can see from this post, I am not afraid to ask "dumb" questions. I don't care if the answer is so simple you can't believe I didn't get it. I don't care if it's basic, or the teacher went over it already, or whatever. I'm not there so the teacher or other students can just get through the class. This time is for me and I am going to use it!

I utilize the teacher's online lessons.
My teacher is awesome enough to post lessons online so that in case we missed something we can always go back and review. It's done in his voice using a computer program that records his writing, so it's just like watching him at the board in class.

My prof is so nice as to have extra lessons available online! If yours doesn't, the internet is full of lessons on Youtube or other places. Plus, Symbolab and Mathpapa are your friends!

Each link goes to a Youtube video that has a recording of the lesson.

I review the notes...not just the day before the test.
I review the in class notes throughout the weeks so that I don't forget. I am just jogging my brain a little every time I do this. It may not seem like much, but they do say you have to hear/see something a certain amount of times for it to stick. The more times the merrier, then!

I create a study guide for each chapter.
I create a study guide that goes like this: "When you see ____________, then do this ______________." Basically, it reminds me of what to do when. I also write down any rules or formulas of that chapter and how to do it. Then I review these before the test.

I do the chapter's chapter review and test the night before the test.
This way I can ensure I know what I am doing. I work through the problems and consult all my notes and guides, and if I have a problem, I make sure to ask the teacher about it. He's usually good in letting us ask questions before the test. But sometimes he doesn't, so I....

Attend the additional education assistance meetings provided by my school.
We have a tutor who attends the class sessions with us, and holds tutoring sessions an hour before and an hour after each class. I don't attend the after class session, because by that time it's 1:30 PM on a Saturday and I just want to go home. But I will go to the 8:00 AM session, where we work out problems and ask questions about things we don't understand. We can also help each other, which is helpful because sometimes it's better hearing solutions from people who are in the same boat - and learning mindset - as you.

Not only do I go to the tutor sessions, I also discuss math with others in my class and people outside of class. By normalizing it as part of my life, it becomes more routine and I am more apt to pay attention to it.

Last, I ask for test corrections.
So far my test scores have been pretty good, but this last test, I got a C. The material, despite all my best efforts, didn't stick with me. So we asked for test corrections, where the teacher allows us to correct problems we got wrong on a test to recoup partial points. I know how grading systems work, and I know it's all a points game. The more points you have at the end of the semester, the higher your grade is. But I also know that a test doesn't define you. You only learn from your mistakes if you are allowed - and allow yourself - to go back and fix the problems. I'm truly grateful to the teacher for giving us these opportunities.

I actually ran out of time on this test to finish #12 (and I think I was going to be wrong anyway...), but I went through and redid everything I did wrong just to make sure I got in the habit of doing the problems correctly.

What are some strategies you use in order to get the best out of Math Classes?