Sunday 2 June 2013

Mathematics - Self Directed learning

(I) Cultivating Good Habits

1. Set aside time to review what is taught in the lesson. Research shows that immediate review increases long-term memory compared to do the same amount of review or day or more later.

  • Go through the handouts that were referred to during the lesson. You may login to the AceLearning Portal to watch the lesson video.
2. Practise to consolidate learning
  • If you have finished your homework (or if no homework is assigned that day), turn to the relevant chapter in the Maths Workbook and select similar questions to attempt. 
  • Consider setting aside 20-30 minutes everyday for regularly revision. You may login to AceLearning Portal to attempt the "Progressive Mastery Programme" to practise the procedure. 
  • Regular practice helps to improve your mastery of the procedure. It helps to improve the fluency and therefore the speed when answering questions.
3. All worked solutions to problems should be legibly written and well organised. Make it a habit not to skip steps, especially when you are first introduced to the concept or procedures. This will help you to present your thoughts clearly to the reader of your working.

4. Attentively review all the work returned to you. Read the feedback that is written on the handouts. Seek help when you do not understand how to do the corrections.

5. Do not say "I knew it". Often, when we observe a classmate worked out the solution at the board, we told ourselves that we understand and know how to do the same. The proof of one's ability is to do it and experience it. We need to "do" it so that we can remember the "how" to do it.

6. When solving problems, do not go straight into "working" on the problem using familiar methods. Read the problem carefully. It is essential to understand the problem. Identify the important information presented. You may need to break down the problem into smaller problems to tackle. Then, think of strategies that could be applied to the situation.

7. Do not expect all problems in examinations/ tests are similar to the assigned homework problems. It is important to apply what we learnt to solve new problems. Apart from the regular practice, make an attempt to read go through reference materials to see how similar concepts can be presented in a variety of scenarios. Think through how the problems can be solved (if you are unable to do all these questions).

8. Do not multi-task while studying. You need to give the material your full attention. Learning takes not only effort and time, but also intense concentration.
  • Organise your time so that you do not expect to be electronically interrupted while working.
  • Close the learning device when you are practising on paper. 
  • If you are using online platforms like the AceLearning Portal, limit yourself to just that "window"/"tab" in the browser. Turn off auto-notification from applications like Facebook and Chats.