I’m often asked by my middle and upper school students how best to prepare for a math test. There is only one way, actually, which is similar to how you prepare for a sports event—you practice.

Now, what’s important is to practice the right thing in the right way. The right thing is your homework, quizzes and in-class notes. Homework needs to be complete and correct with all steps shown. The same goes for your in-class notes and quizzes. If your test will also cover material that was on a previous test, then add it to your practice list. Make sure you have the corrections for each problem you missed.

Next comes the right way to practice. Take out a separate sheet of paper, write down each type of problem, and do it without looking at your homework, notes, quizzes and previous tests. You’ll know you’re practicing in the right way if you discover that you can’t do many of the problems. Those problems, the one’s you don’t remember how to do, you must redo until you can do them correctly without looking at your homework and notes.

The above process must be on-going, meaning you must practice every day, even if your teacher has not assigned homework for that day. Practicing every day has the added benefit of improving your grades on any pop quizzes that might come before the test. Waiting to study until the day before the test is called cramming, which usually yields poor results.

In addition to doing the above, you must also meet with your teacher whenever you discover you don’t know how to do a particular problem. From my experience, I can guarantee that you’ll see that problem on the test.

Remember, the secret to doing well is consistency. Work every day and you’ll reap the rewards.

by Rick Nau

First, a little perspective. The average teacher has to keep track of 60 to 120 students. This means that a teacher’s day goes by so fast that it often seems like a blur. It’s a little like the famous I Love Lucy episode where she works on the assembly line in a chocolate factory. As the conveyor belt goes faster and faster, she gets farther and farther behind. Pretty soon lots of chocolates never make it into the boxes, but into Lucy’s mouth, hat, dress and onto the floor. This means that you’ve got to go the extra mile in helping your teacher help you. Being organized and ready with the right questions is absolutely essential.

Here are some suggestions that will help you get the most out of these meetings:

• Schedule a meeting. Tell the teacher you want to go over a problem or two that you’re struggling with. It’s best not to do this on the day of a quiz or test.
• Before the meeting look for 2 problems that you missed on your homework. I’ll talk about this in more detail in another post.
• Show up for your appointment on time. Bring your book, paper, pencil and the 2 problems you selected.
• Ask the teacher to show you IN WRITING how to do the 1st problem that you brought along. Have the teacher do this on your own sheet of paper, not on the whiteboard or blackboard.
• Be sure that the solution to the problem shows every step.

HERE’S THE MOST IMPORTANT PART: Ask the teacher to give you a similar problem to do. You’ve got to see whether you can solo on the problem; i.e., do it without any help. If you can’t, have the teacher give you another to try that's just like it. Don’t stop until you can get the problem correct without any help whatsoever.

If the teacher has time, do the 2nd problem you brought along in the same way that you did the first.

Thank your teacher for helping you and leave. The whole meeting shouldn't last for more than 5 or 10 minutes.

Meet with your teacher on a regular basis. Don’t let problems go by that you can't do. If you can’t do them, then you’re guaranteed to miss them on the exam.

If you do the above, you’ll find that your teacher will become more and more like a personal coach. Any fear that you have about being able to do math or science will begin to disappear. Soon you'll realize that ordinary mortals can do the problems that you once thought to be impossible.

Also, remember that teachers dedicate their lives to teaching. They want their students to learn from them. If they know that they've succeeded, then they’re happy. Your success means their success.

Here are a few things not to do during your meeting:

Don’t go over old material that won't be on the next test or quiz. This includes correcting old tests and quizzes. Save this for the final exam or midterm. 

Be sure to have the teacher SHOW you how to do each problem (IN WRITING), not tell you how to do it. (I know that I've said this before, but I can emphasize it enough.)

Don’t leave the meeting before you are able to do a problem without help. (I know, I've also said this before.)
Whatever happens, don't give up. If the teacher is busy (this is normal), go out of your way to help the teacher find a time, even if this means sacrificing a few minutes of your lunch period or staying a few minutes after school. Remember, our success often depends on being able to do well the things we don't especially like to do. 

by Rick Nau

A recent article in The New York Times had scary words for some parents who are trying to help their children with their math homework. Seems that if these parents suffer from “math anxiety” their children may end up doing worse in math than before. Or so a study of first and second graders published in Psychological Science indicates.

What’s math anxiety? It begins with this: You look over one of your children’s math homework problems, thinking you may be able to help, but you don’t have a clue about how to solve it. Then: Memories of your school days flood your mind. You’re sitting in math class, without the slightest idea of what’s going on, staring at a math test written in a bizarre language from an alien planet. Finally, the nightmare: You’re standing onstage in a play and don’t know your lines (which are also written in that bizarre, alien language). Except this isn’t a dream; and what’s worse, the audience is your son or daughter.

What now? Run screaming from the stage? Certainly not. Then what’s the answer? You know it already. You knew it when you helped your children learn to walk, to talk, to read, to spell, to tie their shoelaces, to throw a baseball, to swim, to plié, to play the trombone, to do a backflip, and a thousand other things. Never did you tell them it couldn’t be done. Never did you discourage them. You nurtured your children with a patient, loving, uncritical spirit that encouraged them to succeed, the same spirit you’re going to call upon to inspire them to succeed in math.

Good. Now that you’re in the spirit, it’s time for some basic instructions (which apply to all levels of math) on how to attack those pesky math problems. In order to avoid the irritating “his/her” problem, I’ll be using the word “children” throughout these instructions, though I’m obviously talking about working with one child at a time.

HOW TO HELP YOUR CHILDREN SOLVE MATH PROBLEMS

• Locate The Target Assignment: This will be the latest math assignment.
• Set The Goal: The goal is to teach your children how to do a target problem in this assignment.
• Select The Target Problem: This will be one of the examples you’ll find in the text or in the teacher’s notes for the assignment, one that is meant to guide you through the problem in a step-by-step fashion until you arrive at the solution.
• Teach Yourself: Do this alone, not while your children are watching. You’ll have to practice (in writing) until you can do the problem without looking at the solution guide (no peeking).
• Prepare Yourself Mentally: Like the last step, do this alone. Remind yourself that you’ll need to be patient. It may take your children three or four tries before they can do a problem. It may take even more. However long it takes, assume that each time they redo the problem, it’s the first time. Never say anything about how long it’s taking. Also, be ready for questions such as “when will I ever use this?” or statements such as “I hate math”  or “that’s not how my teacher does it.” This is normal. When it happens, remember to react with your own good sense of humor and keep moving forward.
• Demonstrate: Write the target problem on a clean sheet of paper and walk your children through it, answering their questions along the way. Use a step-by-step method. Never skip a step. 
• Guide: Have your children recopy the problem and do it on their own (in writing). If they don’t understand a step, help them along until they can make it to the next step. Keep working on the problem until you get to the end. Do this again and again until it looks like they can solve the question without your help. Remember, this usually takes three or four tries.
• Test: Recopy the problem and have your children do it one more time (no help from you; no looking at their previous work). If they get it right, you’re finished with this problem. If they don’t, practice some more and then test them on the problem again. Keep doing this until they pass the test.
• Retest: Make up a similar problem (one with different numbers) and have them do it. Do this two or three times until you’re convinced they’ve got this type of problem down pat.
• Counsel: Tell your children to meet with their teachers one-on-one, to do more problems with them (in writing), and to bring their written work home. Don’t be surprised if this doesn’t happen. You’ll have to keep the pressure on—not too much, but just enough to make it happen.
• Contact: Get in touch with your children’s teachers (email is perfect for this) and ask them what you can do to help your children improve. Tell them you’d love them to spend some one-on-one time with your children and to let you know how the meetings went.
• Network: If your children are at higher grade levels, it may be that you’ll want to bring in a tutor to help. Speak with the teacher and/or with other parents to see whom they recommend. Remember, you’re adding the tutor’s help to yours.
• Encourage: Convey a positive attitude to your children. If progress seems to be slow, be patient. Eventually, everything will fall into place.

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There you have it. Once you’ve begun the process, you’ll find you already know it. You use it every day to overcome life’s hurdles. When they arise, you work hard until you find ways to overcome them. Doing nothing is not an option. Such is the lesson you want to teach your children. This will require an investment of time on your part, but in the long run the reward will be tremendous.

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If you’ve got questions or comments about helping your kids do well in math (or any other subject), feel free to drop me a line. I’ll be glad to help.

Contact Rick

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About The Author: Rick has been working with students for over 20 years, helping  them achieve their highest potential in math, science and standardized tests (SAT, ACT & ISEE).

by Rick Nau

1. Collect all tests and quizzes that you have on hand.
2. If you are missing any tests or quizzes, get copies from your teacher or friends.
3. If your final will cover a chapter not tested, collect all homework and handouts on this chapter and staple together.
4. Arrange tests, quizzes and item 3 material in reverse order by date (most recent on top).
5. Write the chapter number at the top of every page (front and back).
6. Working backwards by date, redo in writing all questions that you got correct.
7. Get complete solutions to all of the questions that you missed (except extra credit problems).
8. Working backwards through your tests and quizzes, learn how to do as many of the questions that you missed as possible. This may require sessions with your teacher, a tutor, or with friends who are good at teaching math, chemistry or physics.
9. Working backwards, redo all problems (in writing) a second time. If you are running out of time, concentrate on the problems you are most likely to forget without practice (usually the ones with more steps).
10. Working backwards, mentally practice all problems. Go through them in the same order (2 or 3 times, if possible) until you can see all of the problems on each page as you would the pictures in a book.
11. Get enough sleep the night before the final and have a good breakfast before it.
12. Use the concentration methods that you've learned in sports, theater, dance, music or other areas to help you relax and focus during the exam.