Help With Math: 5 Key Strategies For Success In High School Mathematics Courses

By: Linda Hinkle

Achieving success in a high school mathematics course doesn’t just happen. Granted, some students seem to breeze right through with little or no effort. But for the majority of students, math courses are the most difficult to master.

I believe one reason students have more trouble with mathematics courses is because they tend to apply the same study techniques as in other courses. Learning mathematics is more than just reading and recalling facts. It requires a deep level of understanding, and logical reasoning and critical thinking skills are essential.

The following strategies are some of the most fundamental for students who desire to succeed in mathematics courses.

Don’t get behind. It’s hard to play catch up if you miss out on key concepts. Mathematical concepts build upon one another. Understanding today’s lesson will probably require using something you learned from yesterday’s or last week’s lesson. If you have trouble understanding a new concept, be sure to not just “let it go”. Take care of it by asking the teacher questions, getting some extra help, whatever it takes to make sure you master that skill before going on to the next.

Take notes in class. Many students have the misguided perception that math class shouldn’t require taking notes. For some reason they readily accept that they should be taking notes in history or English classes, but feel that for math courses they just have to “work the problems”. What often happens is that students follow along and understand the teacher’s examples and explanations during class time, but when they later start to do their homework and apply what was presented in class, they have forgotten some key principles. Students should copy in their notebooks any examples worked by the teacher and make notes about presentations or lectures given in class. The notes need not be elaborate and should be written for the purpose of having something to refer back to later to facilitate understanding.

Ask questions in class. I know this can be difficult for some students. They don’t want to appear “dumb”. Any good teacher will encourage students to ask questions and will nurture a classroom environment that makes it easy to do so. I often told my students that if they were having trouble understanding a concept, then probably a large number of others in class were having the same problem and they needed to let me know that.

Do a quick review before class begins. This is even more important if the school happens to be on a block schedule that meets each class on alternate days. Spending just five minutes or so reviewing what was presented in the last lesson can make a huge difference in how well information is retained and internalized. Homework may have been done two days ago, put away and forgotten about. Spending just a few minutes looking back over it can help reinforce concepts and critical thinking skills used.

Reflect on your results. Try to do a little more than just “work the homework problems”. Students have a tendency to rush through the assigned problems, slam their book shut, and feel relieved to be finished with it. After working a problem or group of problems, go back and think about what you had to do in each one. Think about what skills were used, what old and new concepts were applied. Reflect on how different groups of problems required different skills and how you may have had to adjust your thinking. Spending just a few extra minutes in reflection before you slam that book closed can reap huge rewards with regard to real learning.