1 Chapter Chapter 2 The Whole Numbers

Study Skill Tips for Success in Mathematics Section 1.1 Study Skill Tips for Success in Mathematics

Getting Ready For This Course Positive Attitude Believe you can succeed. Scheduling Make sure you have time for your classes. Be Prepared Have all the materials you need, like a lab manual, calculator, or other supplies. Objective A

General Tips for Success Details Get a contact person. Exchange names, phone numbers or e-mail addresses with at least one other person in class. Attend all class periods. Sit near the front of the classroom to make hearing the presentation, and participating easier. Do your homework. The more time you spend solving mathematics, the easier the process becomes. Check your work. Review your steps, fix errors, and compare answers with the selected answers in the back of the book. Learn from your mistakes. Find and understand your errors. Use them to become a better math student. Get help if you need it. Ask for help when you don’t understand something. Know when your instructors office hours are, and whether tutoring services are available. Objective B

General Tips for Success Details Organize class materials. Organize your assignments, quizzes, tests, and notes for use as reference material throughout your course. Read your textbook. Review your section before class to help you understand its ideas more clearly. Lecture videos Review the lecture videos, approximately 20 minutes in length available for every section of the text. Ask questions. Speak up when you have a question. Other students may have the same one. Hand in assignments on time. Don’t lose points for being late. Show every step of a problem on your assignment. Objective B Continued

Resources Provided in MathXL and MyMathLab Details Help Me Solve This Select this resource to get guided, step-by-step help for the exercise you are working. View an Example Select this resource to view a correctly worked example similar to the exercise you are working on. Textbook Select this resource to go to the section of the ebook where you can find exercises similar to the one you are working on. Video Select this resource to view a video clip of Elayn Martin-Gay (your ebook author) working an exercise similar to the one you need help with. Objective C

Resources Provided in MathXL and MyMathLab Details Ebook and Videos You can choose to read the ebook and/or watch the videos for every section of the text. Video Organizer The Video Organizer is designed to help you take notes and work practice exercises while watching Elayn Martin-Gay’s lecture series. Objective C

Get help as soon as you need it. Getting Help Tip Details Get help as soon as you need it. Material presented in one section builds on your understanding of the previous section. If you don’t understand a concept covered during a class period, there is a good chance you won’t understand the concepts covered in the next period. For help try your instructor, a tutoring center, or a math lab. A study group can also help increase your understanding of covered materials. Objective D

Preparing for and Taking an Exam Steps for Preparing for a Test Review previous homework assignments. Review notes from class and section-level quizzes you have taken. Practice working out exercises by completing the Chapter Review found at the end of each chapter. Since homework exercises are online, you may easily work new homework exercises. Take a sample test in conditions similar to your test conditions. Get a good night’s sleep before the exam. Set aside plenty of time to arrive where you will be taking the exam. Objective E

Read the directions on the test carefully. Taking Your Test Read the directions on the test carefully. Read each problem carefully as you take the test. Make sure that you answer the question asked. Pace yourself by first completing the problems you are most confident with. Then work toward the problems you are least confident with. Watch your time so you do not spend too much time on one particular problem. Do not turn your test in early. If you have extra time, spend it double-checking your work and answers. Objective E

Tips for Making a Schedule Managing Your Time Tips for Making a Schedule Make a list of all of your weekly commitments for the term. Estimate the time needed and how often it will be performed, for each item. Block out a typical week on a schedule grid, start with items with fixed time slots. Next, fill in items with flexible time slots. Remember to leave time for eating, sleeping, and relaxing. Make changes to your workload, classload, or other areas to fit your needs. Objective F