How To Succeed In Mathematics

Below are a few tips for having success in Mathematics. It is a piece I wrote a few years ago and thought what better time and place to share it. I hope it is of value to both parents and students. Enjoy!

Step 1: Hard work trumps natural talent.

As in most everything, the people who are most successful in maths are the ones who work the hardest--not those with "natural talent."   In school, those who work hard get better grades in maths than the "smart'' students who just coast.  Most aspects of mathematics can only be learned by hard practice.  This holds true whether you want to develop your problem solving abilities or your algebra skills.  No one thinks they can run a marathon by using only their natural talent, but there are lots of people with no talent for running who have worked hard and have successfully completed many marathons.

Step 2: Keep an open mind.

In maths almost everything you learn is useful, even if you can't see it right away.  All the formulas, theorems, ideas, proofs, and problems you study at high school are connected to lots of real world applications, even if you don't see them now.  This is the hardest part for teachers to convey to students; however, in NZ the curriculum (what skills we learn) is set by the Ministry of Education, in order to best prepare students for future jobs, problems and learning.   And more importantly, even if you think you'll never use the specific things you are studying, they help develop your mind and make it easier for you to solve other problems later--the problems you really care about.   It's like boxing: training programs for boxers often involve lots of jumping rope.  A boxer might complain "When am I ever going to use this? I am never going to jump rope in a match."   But jumping rope makes them better boxers, even though the boxers never actually jump rope while fighting.   The math you are learning is much more useful than jumping rope; but even if you never use it in your daily life yet, it makes you smarter.  That is the most important reason to study it. Recent studies completed at Victoria University in Wellington show that students who work hard in High School mathematics achieve better in University degrees, whatever major they are completing.

Step 3: Find the reasons--don't just memorize.

Mathematics is not just a long list of random formulas that someone invented out of nowhere.  Maths works because it is true--there is a reason for every step, every rule, and every part of every formula.  Don't just memorize the formulas and the rules.  Find out where they came from, why they work, and what they mean.  It may sound like more work to do this, but if you try it, you will quickly find that understanding the reasons and the meaning actually makes everything easier.

Step 4: Never give up.

Maths is hard.  Anyone who says otherwise is lying.  But you can do it anyway.  If you want to be good at anything, you have to stick with it, even when you feel like quitting.  You gain the most when you finally figure out a problem after a long struggle.  That's how you get smarter.  But you'll get nowhere if you give up whenever a problem is confusing or when you can't solve it right away.

Athletes know that working or fighting against something that is hard makes you stronger.  The same goes for your brain--getting the right answer quickly won't make you smarter, but fighting with a hard problem for a long time will.

Step 5: Learn to read the textbook.

Maths books are not like other books--they pack a lot of information into a small space.  One page might take you an hour to really understand well.  That is not because the books are poorly written--it is because it takes time to absorb the information, and you have to think carefully about every line.  You even have to think a lot about the pictures.

Most people who try to read maths books get frustrated and give up--they expect the maths book to be as easy to read as their favourite novel.  But if you slow down and really think about what is happening in each step, you will find that your book is like a personal tutor.  Most books have lots of examples and explain things in several different ways.  Most of them are written by someone who has been teaching for a long time and knows how to help you with the confusing parts.  Once you get the hang of reading them, they can make learning maths a lot easier.

The one thing a book can't do is answer questions.  The great secret is to read the book before you go to class.  Then you can ask the teacher about all the things that didn't make sense in the book.  Most people only try to read the book after class, when they didn't understand some part of what the teacher was saying.  But then if you have a question, you're stuck--you can't ask your questions because the teacher is gone.

Step 6: Talk to your teacher.

Schools and teachers want to help you.  Get to know them.  Go to them for help--they love to talk to students who want to learn.   Go to them to get help finding the right topics to revise, to get help with homework (even for a class they are not teaching), and just to discuss life.  They can help you with your maths, and they can help you avoid the mistakes they made when they were students.

Step 7: Look for the beauty.

Maths is extremely useful, but it is also beautiful.  It connects lots of different ideas into one.  It explains important things that cannot be understood in any other way.  When you finally get it, it is exciting to see how things fit together, why things work, how it all makes sense.   Enjoy the experience of opening your mind.

Reading Logs Explained

Hi everyone.

This post is a little different as it doesn't show off what our Year group has been doing, it is actually just some info for parents and students about the English Reading Logs. Reading Logs are done by all Year 10 students and are an NCEA standard, meaning our students get a head start on NCEA Level 1. The first check point has passed, and almost everyone submitted their first two logs. Those who haven't submitted or submitted work that was not authentic still have a chance to complete the 6 Reading Logs.

My advice is get a few off them out of the way over the coming holidays, essentially read a book, watch a film, analyse a song, and record your thoughts following the template shared by your teachers.

Below is the info as passed on by the English Department:

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Achievement Standard 90854 Form personal responses to independently read texts, supported by evidence

Resource title: Texts for Pleasure

4 credits towards NCEA Level 1

This assessment activity requires you to form and present personal responses to at least six independently read texts, sharing what you felt about them and providing evidence to support your responses. Your responses may be presented in written form.

This activity will take place during the school year and will use some of the class time and homework time.

You will be assessed on the perceptiveness of your responses to your chosen texts.

Task

Select six texts:

·       Include at least four written texts, two of which must be extended texts, such as novels or biographies. All written texts must be selected and read by you.

·       Your other two texts may be visual, oral, or written.

Your teacher will approve your selection of texts. They will need to be complex enough for Level 1 English and, if visual, may not be used with an inappropriate rating (i.e. you cannot hand in a response to an R16 film if you are only 15).

So the easiest option is 2 short texts, 2 novels and 2 films.

For each text, give your response. Say which parts or aspects made you feel this way, and try to explain why, supporting your views with quotations and/or by referring to specific, relevant details from the text.

• A convincing and perceptive response will express your viewpoint in a reasoned way, showing some insight in thought or reflection. This might involve:
•   Discuss how and/or why the text has affected your ideas or views
• Explain why a particular feature of the structure or style of the text caught your attention and the effect that had on your understanding of the text.
• Discuss how the text made you think about connections with your own life, the world, and other texts.
•  Discuss a character’s choices and how you would have dealt with the same situation and why.

 Explain what purpose you think the text was written for and why the author’s purpose was important to consider

Due Dates:

As there are 6 responses to complete, the due dates are as follows:

Submission #1: Responses for 2 texts due:      Monday, 3^rd April

Submission #2: Responses for 2 texts due:      Monday 26th June

Submission #3: Responses for 2 texts due:    Monday 18^th September

Below is the marking schedule with an example of how a personal response looks for each grade.

Assessment schedule: English 90854 Texts for Pleasure

Evidence/Judgements for Achievement	Evidence/Judgements for Achievement with Merit	Evidence/Judgements for Achievement with Excellence
Written and/or oral personal responses for at least six independently selected and read texts must be submitted. ·       Responses must demonstrate evidence of personal understandings of, engagement with, and/or viewpoints on the texts. ·       At least four written texts must be included, two of which must be extended texts. ·       Supporting evidence (either quotations or specific details) that is directly relevant to the opinion must be provided for each text. This may also include responding to links between: -   text and self (e.g. personal contexts and prior knowledge) -   text and world (e.g. connections with knowledge, experience, ideas and imagination from social, cultural, literary, political or historical contexts). For example: (This one has been annotated) Flawless by Sara Shepard I strongly admired Emily‟s character. I felt her character made the story more interesting and twisting. The “Emily was the shy, skate-ranked swimmer who had a lot going on under the surface-if you just got to know her” straight away posted across my mind as to how busy her life must be and what‟s going on under the surface. I also think that Emily has a strong attitude and doesn‟t like getting told what to do. I like the character Sara gave Emily as she seems very strong and stable; she also is a swimmer which was interesting for me to come across because I am a swimmer so I can relate to part of her life well and when reading I hardly ever come across swimming characters. Ali, Aria, Hanna, Emily and Spencer are five close friends who at the beginning, they do everything together, „the five of them went white-water rafting and rock climbing‟. Their bond was a true friendship, unbreakable. Sara had created a great friendship between these five characters. I wondered if every friendship was like that, but there are those friendships that are on and off, fighting and fighting. Then my friends and I get along like blue and green. These characters as I said had an unbreakable friendship until a death and receiving texts from so called „A‟ starts to mess with their minds. “Construction workers had found ……..‟s body under a concrete slab behind what used to be her house” They had all acted unreliable the night of a sleepover and something went wrong and as every situation goes, there are always consequences and this time was the worse. While reading Flawless by Sara Shepard I thought about all the horrible obstacles they had to face in high school. I think all five of the characters handled it very well and much better than I would have. I feel Emily‟s character grew softer towards the end, she became very emotional and upset. I think I would have been in the same boat as Emily Clear response is given. Quotation links clearly to personal response. Personal response is explained. Link between the text and self is identified Plot point with evidence, which leads to reflection. Reflection and link to personal experience. Quotation	Written and/or oral convincing personal responses for at least six independently selected and read texts must be submitted. ·       Responses must demonstrate evidence of personal understandings of, engagement with, and/or viewpoints on the texts which are generally meaningful. ·       At least four written texts must be included, two of which must be extended texts. ·       Supporting evidence (either quotations or specific details) that is directly relevant to the opinion must be provided for each text. This may also include responding to links between: -   text and self (e.g. personal contexts and prior knowledge) -   text and world (e.g. connections with knowledge, experience, ideas and imagination from social, cultural, literary, political or historical contexts). For example: Marked by P.C. Cast The book „marked‟ by P.C. Cast is a very exciting but emotional book about a teenager who is marked and must be taken to a vampire school and learn how to live like a vampire if she wants to survive. The argument between Zoey and her mum was completely realistic and relates to most people’s lives, where their mother or father has remarried and they feel like they must consult their partner before helping or even listening to their son or daughter even if it isn‟t their partners child in the first place. Then the teenager tells their parent that they have a problem and that their mother or father never listens to them anymore and always has to tell their partner before doing anything about it, and this makes the child really angry and so they get really upset just like Zoey did when her mother wanted to tell her new husband what had happened,when Zoey didn‟t want him to know anything because he wasn‟t her father. This argument made me feel really sad and sorry for Zoey especially when Zoey got home and said she had a problem and her mother instantly said “what have you done now?”, this was really devastating to read because it is saying that Zoey‟s mother didn‟t even think about whether is was Zoey‟s fault or not and just blurted out” what did you do now” as if to say Zoey must have done something wrong. I know if my mother or father said that to me when I wanted to tell them I had a problem, that would make me feel really betrayed in the fact that my own parents don‟t trust me, and instantly think I did something wrong if I had a problem. I really enjoyed the part of the book when Zoey was in the canteen at the school and she asked the girl behind her if vampires really cant stand garlic and she said “ that is a lie”, and then Zoey was hoping vampires drinking blood was a lie to and then the girl said “no,that is completely true”. Zoey was so sarcastic about that and said “oh great wonderful”, which made me laugh as you could see in your mind her face and how she was so upset that it wasn‟t a lie, and how she was so excited. I was really excited at that point as Zoey was very disturbed by the fact that she will have to have blood eventually and that she really isn‟t really looking forward to howshe will have to if she wants to survive at all or even as a vampire, which really put a smile on my face. Reading this book made me feel a lot of different emotions in different parts and aspects of the book. I felt really sad when Zoey‟s mum didn‟t really want to know what her problem really was but instantly wanted to know what Zoey had done wrong and didn‟t even think about whether it was her fault or not. I think I am really lucky that for one,my parents aren‟t split up and I don‟t have another woman or man in my life trying to be my mother or father, and that whenever I have a problem I can go to my parents and they will help me whether I caused the problem or not. Unlike Zoey‟s mum.Overall I really enjoyed this book and thought it had a lot of different events happen which made me feel all sorts of emotions but it was really awesome to read.	Written and/or oral perceptive personal responses for at least six independently selected and read texts must be submitted. ·       Responses must demonstrate evidence of personal understandings of, engagement with, and/or viewpoints on the texts which shows some insight in thought or reflection. ·       At least four written texts must be included, two of which must be extended texts. ·       Supporting evidence (either quotations or specific details) that is directly relevant to the opinion must be provided for each text. This may also include responding to links between: -   text and self (e.g. personal contexts and prior knowledge) -   text and world (e.g. connections with knowledge, experience, ideas and imagination from social, cultural, literary, political or historical contexts). For example: The Help by Kathryn Stockett The Help, by Kathryn Stockett, is a moving novel about 3 women putting their differences aside and coming together for a risky project that will change the way everyone views each other in Jackson, Mississippi forever. I absolutely admired one of the main characters Eugenia Phelan or better known as „Skeeter‟. Skeeter was a white girl who had no issues with the privileged world she lived in; she never really gave it any thought. But slowly she started to notice how hard it must be to be a black person in the society she lived in and how badly they were treated. I was inspired by Skeeter, for she had the guts to embark on a daring project that aimed to show everyone that black and white people are not as different as everyone thinks. I was amazed by how brave Skeeter was to do this, to be willing to give up and risk everything –her friends, her boyfriend, her own safety. „You got nothing left here but enemies in the Junior League and a mama that's gonna drive you to drink. You done burned ever bridge there is. And you ain't never gone get another boyfriend in this town and everbody know it.‟ Skeeter had such a good life and it all turned to custard so quickly, so I felt quite sorry for her, but at the same time I thought that maybe she was better off leaving everyone behind; the friends she had weren‟t true friends if they didn‟t support her decisions. Another quality of Skeeter‟s that moved me was that she made decisions for herself, and stood up for what she believed in, „All my life I'd been told what to believe about politics, coloureds, being a girl. But with Constantine's thumb pressed in my hand, I realised I actually had a choice in what I could believe.‟ Skeeter is everything I would want to be when I get older; prosperous, well educated and strong-willed. My society needs more people like her, people that aren‟t afraid to lead and to go against the crowd in matters they believe shouldn‟t be acceptable. I couldn‟t put this novel down, it was a great read. It made me think about the racism in this world and how it is completely unfair. I was stirred by a quote in this book, „We are just two people. Not that much separates us. Not nearly as much as we thought.‟ It is completely true; we are all human and shouldn‟t be judged by the colour of our skin.

Final grades will be decided using professional judgement based on a holistic examination of the evidence provided against the criteria in the Achievement Standard.