Study Tips

The following suggestions can help you maximize your chances for success in this (and any) mathematics class. Click a topic to learn more.

You learn mathematics in much the same way you train for a sport or learn how to play an instrument: you practice a lot. One place to practice is in class, so it's important to attend class on a regular basis. Attending class regularly will also help you keep up with the course schedule.

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Regular attendance isn't enough. The only way to really learn math is by working problems -- lots of them. This course provides you with many problem-solving opportunities:

Explain includes Check for Understanding screens that allow you to practice a concept as you are learning it.

For every concept that's introduced in Explain, you'll find practice problems in Apply.

In Explore, you can practice and extend your understanding of the lesson concepts, using tools like the Grapher.

In Homework, you can practice problems both online and offline. Online Homework allows you to work problems on the computer and provides you with detailed feedback and a score. Offline Homework assignments are based on your work in a lesson. You'll find the problems in your Personal Academic Notebook. To get the most out of each class and homework assignment, do your homework as soon as possible after each class and complete the assignment before the next class.

The Personal Academic Notebook also offers you many opportunities for practice. You can work the sample problems and compare your solutions with the final ones provided. You can do the homework problems that weren't assigned to you. You can do enrichment activities to expand your understanding and cumulative activities to give you practice with all the concepts you've learned. Remember to write out the solution; don't just read over the problems.

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As you work problems, you may make mistakes or come across questions that you can't answer. You can learn a lot from your mistakes and from the answers to your questions. But it's important to get your questions answered as soon as possible.

There are a number of online help features available to you:

If you'd like to hear a concept explained again, you can page backwards and replay the relevant Explain screens. If you've tuned the audio off, you may want to turn it back on, because its hard to learn math just by reading; it really helps to hear it spoken.

If you want practical tips to help you understand the concepts and useful hints to help you solve the problems, click the Helpline, which is available on most screens in Explain and Explore.

You can learn more about a concept in Explain by clicking the Take a Closer Look button; it will provide you with additional examples or different explanations of the concept.

When you're working in the Apply, Explore, or Online Homework modules, you may want to review a relevant screen in Explain. You can do this by clicking the Link to Explain button. When you're done reviewing, you can easily return to your place in the Apply, Explore, or Online Homework module.

You can click any underlined word or phrase to see its definition.

If you have questions about the course features, you can consult the Help menu at the bottom of the screen.

Help is available both in and out of the classroom:

Turn to the Personal Academic Notebook for summaries of all of the lesson concepts, as well as worked and partially worked sample problems. There is space available on each page for your own notes an solutions.

Your instructor is available to work with you either individually or in a small group setting.

Other students in your class are another good resource. It is especially useful to form a study group so that you can work with your class mates outside of class.

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A very effective way to study mathematics is to form a problem-solving group with two or three other students. Suppose you're working on a problem and you're having trouble answering it. If you're working by yourself you can easily feel frustrated, but if you're working in a group, you can get instant feedback from one of your classmates. Even if you understand the material fairly well, you will know it a lot better after you explain it to others in your group.

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You may want to begin your review by looking at the summary screen available for each Explain and explore module, your notes, and the summary of lesson concepts in the Personal Academic Notebook. However, the best way to study for a math test is to work problems. The course provides lots of opportunities for you to review by working problems both online and offline.

To study for the lesson quizzes (found in Evaluate), you can page through Explain and rework the practice problems. (When you rework problems, you are not scored.) Similarly, you can rework problems in Apply and Explore, and Online Homework. In addition, the Personal Academic Notebook provides summaries of all the lesson concepts and is a good source of problems. When you feel ready for the quiz, take the lesson practice test in the Notebook. It will give you a good idea of how prepared you really are.

To study for a midterm or final exam, you may want to start by reviewing the course concepts. To do this you can use the lesson summaries in the Personal Academic Notebook. Then work the Cumulative Review Problems at the end of each topic. These provide practice in all of the concepts covered to date. Although you should work additional problems from each of these course concepts, you can see where to focus your review by printing a copy of your Learner Progress Report and noting your individual concept scores.

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