Basic HTML Version
Q
uantitative
R
easoning &
P
roblem
S
olving
34
© 2014 Pacific Crest
3. Where do you use math and why?
4. How often do you teach someone else math and how do you go about doing it?
M
athematical Language
Terms and notation
best practice
— a practice that experts use that is tested and verified (and sometimes researched) for
its effectiveness and quality
context
— a situation in which knowledge can be applied. While some are common place and familiar,
others may be situations that you have never seen or experienced.
I
nformation
What you need to know
R
eadings
S
trategies
12 B
est
P
ractices
for
L
earning
M
athematics
There are many best practices you can use when you encounter a mathematical concept or skill that
is fuzzy or difficult to learn, especially when you are stuck. The following 12 practices are alternative
learning capabilities or paths that you can use to become unstuck, see things differently, and increase
the efficiency of your learning.
1. Draw a Picture
2. Find What is Similar
3. Start Simple
4. Analyze Examples
5. Analyze the Differences
6. Ask “Why?”
7. Understand before Applying
8. Apply a Methodology
9. Ask “What if`?”
10. Validate
11. Generalize
12. Change Perspectives
The Practice
1. Draw a Picture or Diagram
to clarify the situation
Description
When/How to Apply
When you can visualize the situation, 1) Include essentials 2) Minimize non-essentials
The aphorism that a picture is worth a thousand words is often true when it comes to learning
mathematics. In many situations, a picture will clarify the situation. In some cases it is a diagram (e.g.,
a Venn diagram or flow chart), graph, or schematic. Remember that the notation and explanation of the
picture is as important as the picture itself.
Examples
On a sunny day, you want to calculate the shadow of a second person, who is 4 feet tall, given
that a first person who is 6 feet tall casts a shadow of 9 feet.
If there are 25% more boys than girls in a class of 36 students, what is the ratio of boys to girls?
The Practice
2. Find What is Similar
Description
When/How to Apply
Every time you start new learning, 1) List similarities 2) List what you don’t know/understand
Prior knowledge may make up 20 to 80% of this new knowledge. When we learn mathematics, we build
upon our previous understanding of mathematics. Identifying what you already know that is similar to
what you are learning reduces the learning challenge.