Tips for Success in Mathematics § 1.1 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 you 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. Objective B Continued

General Tips for Success Details 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. 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. 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

Using This Text Resource Details Continued Practice Problems. Try each Practice Problem after you’ve finished its corresponding example. Chapter Test Prep Video CD. Chapter Test exercises are worked out by the author, these are available off of the CD this book contains. Lecture Video CDs. Exercises marked with a CD symbol are worked out by the author on a video CD. Check with your instructor to see if these are available. Symbols before an exercise set. Symbols listed at the beginning of each exercise set will remind you of the available supplements. Objectives. The main section of exercises in an exercise set is referenced by an objective. Use these if you are having trouble with an assigned problem. Objective C Continued

Using This Text Resource Details Icons (Symbols). A CD symbol tells you the corresponding exercise may be viewed on a video segment. A pencil symbol means you should answer using complete sentences. Integrated Reviews. Reviews found in the middle of each chapter can be used to practice the previously learned concepts. End of Chapter Opportunities. Use Chapter Highlights, Chapter Reviews, Chapter Tests, and Cumulative Reviews to help you understand chapter concepts. Study Skills Builder. Read and answer questions in the Study Skills Builder to increase your chance of success in this course. The Bigger Picture. This can help you make the transition from thinking “section by section” to thinking about how everything corresponds in the bigger picture. Objective C Continued

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. Read the Highlights at the end of each chapter to review concepts and definitions. Complete the Chapter Review at the end of each chapter to practice the exercises. Take a sample test in conditions similar to your test conditions. Set aside plenty of time to arrive where you will be taking the exam. Objective E Continued

Preparing for and Taking an Exam Steps for Taking Your Test Read the directions on the test carefully. Read each problem carefully to make sure that you answer the question asked. Pace yourself so that you have enough time to attempt each problem on the test. Use extra time checking your work and answers. Don’t turn in your test early. Use extra time to double check your work. Objective E Continued

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