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Me and School problems (already)

Discussion in 'Coming Out Advice' started by AnimeFan4Ever, Sep 3, 2008.

  1. AnimeFan4Ever

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    I feel like a total idiot today because I badly failed my first Algebra test and now I have C, D, or F (I'm fairly sure it's now a high D) even though I studied really hard and thought I knew the awnsers. Anybody have any studying advice because I can't fail a class if I want to stay on my school's swimming and diving team.
     
  2. The thing about math is there's no concrete way to study it. The only real thing you can do is make sure you know how to solve the problems they give you. Keep practicing the material and make sure you know how to go through the problems. Nowadays the focus is more on how you get the answer as opposed to when our parents were in school and all they cared about was that you just got the answer. That's why a lot of the time even if you don't get the right answer, if you know how to go about getting there you'll still get some credit.
     
  3. Endlessnight500

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    What was the test over? What are you studying now?
     
  4. smilealways

    smilealways Guest

    Also, focus on the stuff that you arent good at. Like where you lost most of the marks. Knowing the basics is also important, otherwise you wont be able to do the harder questions.
     
  5. Shrug

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    i agree, ppl tend 2 study the easy questions over and over kuz they know they kan do them! so go over the hard quetions a bunch, and it mite be gud if you go see your teacher 4 help, b4 or after skool!!
     
  6. paint

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    Yeah, she/ he will have plenty of advice, and should be appreciative of your going to see her/ him for said advice. :icon_bigg
     
  7. AnimeFan4Ever

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    Thanks for the advice guys! Hopefully that will be useful.

    To Endlessnight500- It was over ways to add, subtract, multiply, and divide. Simple stuff like 9x times 6 times (2 times 7y) plus 4z.
     
  8. Jim1454

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    Having a test that early in the school year probably is to give the teacher a sense as to what level the class is at coming into the course. Don't worry too much, or put too much weight on it. So if you didn't do well, it means you've got some work ahead of you to get up to speed. If you're concernced, let the teacher know that you might need some extra help or tutoring and get their advice.

    Staying silent suggests that you don't really care. And obviously you do care! Good luck.
     
  9. silentsound

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    Don't sweat it, you have time to fix it. Math is tough, it's actually the only subject I have ever really struggled in (yay dyslexia) but I would try talking to the teacher about it. (S)he can give you extra practice, talk you through what you're doing wrong, or set you up with a tutor. The worst thing you can do is suffer in silence.
     
  10. sexyalex

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    here is the thing. people are gonna tell u to focus on what ur good at but -ERRGHH!- wrong!:lol:
    don't focus on it. Concentrate on it. Focus, should be given to area ur poor at. really, poor at. :slight_smile:

    So u flunk algebra huh? don;t worry...so did I.:icon_redf Atleast until i got help. SO

    1. never get help from friends on a subject, they will be opinionative and cut u slacks which in the end does not help u mentally at all.:eusa_naug

    2. never go back to the teacher who taught you to explain it to you. They will be short handed and very few will take the time out to even explain it propperly.

    3. Never go to the same teacher who teaches you extra classes. Whatever they failed to teach in class or were poor at teaching it in class mean they won't make any dam sence to you in extra lesson and it will be a complete waste of time, and waste of money.:eusa_naug

    4. Go to a different teacher ffor a different class, but same subject and ask them to explain it to u when THEY have free time.:icon_bigg

    5. Don't waste time after swimming practise, go home and spend half hour-1 hour every night of every day you have that particular subject your weak in and reflect on what you learnt, that way it stays in your head better.:thumbsup:

    6. don't write in class. If your high school or collage is like mine, strict, established, traditional and all the mombo, never take notes...atleast not in class. Stop what your doing, take a front seat, listen carefully to what the lecturer is doing and try to comprihend it as you go along. Remember, its your time and money so fear not. Suck it up and be a man! ask questions in class. As many as possible, even if it means the other kids get it and you don't. But never let the educator move on without u understanding (the only time u don;t ask question is if it's a teacher who has a question and answer session after lecture).

    7. when you leave class, create little index cards with notes and pointers of all the important things u learnt in class and keep this in a safe place, to always slip out and brouse through when u know ur gonna have a test soon.

    8. When your at home, and around your parents, bring up whatever you learn in school as much as possible..and i mean as much as possible. I have found, getting into heated debates with my mom and my dad over subjects like Business, Accounting, Home Ec. Consumerisim and History, aids me in remembering what i learnt better. It will also help u write better essays. Trust me :icon_wink

    9. Even if u miss your homeworks(lets face it, no one does homework pfft!) be sure to be vigulent, prompt and zealous about your projects, any projects at all. Never procrastinate on them and do as much research as u possibly can. Even if it means bothering EC for help :thumbsup: Researches aid u in self supervison and u learn futher things ur teacher maybe never told u or missed out in class, which not only means extra bonus grades for you, but when exam time comes along (mid-semester and end of year) you don't even have to study. Just bearly revise; while those other punks kram their heads overnight trying to remember what they learnt 5-6 months ago :lol:

    10. Don't worry over quizes you fail. It is important to remember, quizes are only surveys for students for teachers to see how well you understand the subject, so far, in what they have taught in class. Just always take back your test papers, and quizes, correct them where u went wrong, get them marked over again (unofficialy) and put it in a scrap book, date it, and you will have that to skip through when exam time is around INSTEAD of studying through ur classnotebook, with scrabels, and bits and peices of info that u may time forever to find find it's location, even in a 200page composition note book. Also, the scrap book with ur quiz and test papers, makes it easy for revision when neccessery. :eusa_danc


    So all calm and be still dear :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes: Its only th begining. there will be many more tests to come and many more chances to improve. Just follow those 10 steps and u will be good to go. I promise you. They worked for the duncest kid in school (me) and it will work for you. I mean come to think of it, over 50 hours online per week, plus cheerleading, plus Drama Club, plus tracks training plussss general class. It soo helped me. Fool proof it will help yah. :thumbsup::grin:

    So, summary-
    • never go back to teachers who u don't understand at all
    • find a different teacher than ur regular teacher for tutoring
    • be persistent about swimming but leave promptly after training and reflect on what u learnt for the day by urself or with a close friend
    • concentrate on all subjects, but focus on the ones u are weak in.
    • do all projects, do extensive research and get them in ontime
    • create shuffle index cards; with pointers and analysis of what you learnt in class for quick study (and best to draft cards in break period)
    • and build a scrapbook with all your past test and quiz papers, correct them, date them, sign then, and use the scrap book for quick revison (hastle-free) whenever exam time is around.
    • Exams hold usualy 50-60% of the term grade or report average, so its important to do ur best at exam rather than just ur average quiz.

    Wish you luck with the rest of the school year. peace!:smilewave
    -Alex.
     
  11. spencer

    spencer Guest

    Have you ever heard of the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology? They offer free (I think) math and science tutoring for Indiana middle and high school students. I have never used it so I don’t know how good it is. They offer it online and by phone. I think the web site is www.askrose.org or something like that and you can probably find the phone number on the web site.

    I hope that helps.
     
  12. Kenko

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    Math has always been one of the courses that has given me the most problems (funny that I'm in engineering now), Here's some hints:

    -Get extra help. Be it with the teacher outside class time or with a tutor I find this helps A LOT. If I don't understand something, I can spend hours spinning my wheels going nowhere then give up. Getting 1-on-1 instruction can clear things up pretty quick, and can give you confidence and motivation. Seeing the teacher is also good because they can go over the parts that you did poorly on, and it shows that while you may have done poorly in the test, you still care about the class and WANT to do good. They will be more likely to give you the benefit of the doubt in the future.

    -Spend time on it. There's absolutely no way to avoid this. You have to spend a fair bit of time going over the material, which leads right into...

    -Practice, practice, practice. Most people can only truly learn math by practicing questions. Looking over questions and saying "I can do that" doesn't cut it. You have to physically do the questions. The more you do, the better a grasp of the material you have. Normally I start by working through example problems, then work through easier questions, and then through the tougher ones.

    -Look for additional resources. The textbooks I had in high school were pure crap. My university books were better, but some material wasn't covered very well. There's TONS of sites on the internet and a lot of books out that can give a different perspective that your textbook lacks, and some have good interactive applets that can really show you what something means, and give you more understanding of what's going on.

    -As you go make your own notes. Make a really condensed "How to" that covers everything you need to know, and then condense it even further into a formula sheet. Keep any other reference formulas handy. Keep these sheets for future courses as well.
     
  13. AnimeFan4Ever

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    I'm not going on askrose.com just because I've tried to e-mail them a question and ask them some help on the 1-800 number, no one ever sent me an e-mail, and no one ever picked up when I called them last year.