Tips for Success

Some tips to help you succeed:

  • Be an Active Participant - Be involved in the course by answering the questions, sharing ideas, considering the ideas of others and revising your own ideas when warranted.

  • Ask Questions - If you have a question, chances are, other people do as well. If something doesn't make sense or you are confused about a topic or problem, ask questions in class or email your instructor. Ask a question you are a fool for 5 minutes. Don't ask a question, you're a fool for life.

  • Do Assignments - Assignments will help you practice and refine the concepts. Just like an athlete, you need to practice to succeed in physics.

  • Be Organized - Organize your response to questions, problem solutions, and course records so that you can use them as a resource.

  • Study Buddy - Look for a person you can use to study physics outside of the classroom. You'll be able to bounce ideas off this person and ask each other questions.

  • Explain to Someone Else - If you can explain a topic or problem solution to someone else, then you really understand it. Explain it to your friends, parents, or siblings.

  • Redo Problems - As stated above, practicing physics is key to success. To get more practice, redo problems after we go over them in class. Then you will be able to compare your new solution to your notes.

How can parents help?

  • Review Course Records - Look for records to be neatly organized, easy to follow, and thorough (all problems completed). Also, look for students to incorporate corrections and class notes in a different color.

  • Encourage Questions - To succeed, students need to ask questions when they have them. Best to ask in class or even to the instructor by email.

  • GUIDE - Look for students to follow these steps: G(iven) - what are you given; U(nknown) - what are you asked to find; I(dentify Tools) - what concepts or equations can be used to find the unknown; D(o Math) - plug in numbers and do the math; E(valuate) - does the answer make sense.

  • Listen - Have students explain concepts and solutions to you.