As I mentioned in my "About" page, I studied cognitive psychology, which includes learning, memory, problem solving, and insight. All of these are very important aspects of mathematics and all other fields of education. I am going to let you in on some "secrets" about your brain!
How to study (Learning and memory tips):
It is very important to use spaced studying (studying a little each night) rather than mass studying (cramming the night before). This is because every time you study, you brain is going to strengthen its connections, so you will be able to access your knowledge quicker and more accurately! If you only study one time, your brain doesn't get a chance to do this!
When you sleep, you are getting free study time! As you sleep, your brain automatically strengthens those connections that I mentioned above. Therefore, the more you space your studying over different days, the more sleep you will get between studying, and the stronger those connections will be!
The more connections you have to a certain piece of information, the more likely it is you will remember it. If you are having trouble remembering some topic, look it up online and read websites that talk about it. This extra exposure will make the topic more meaningful to you, and therefore make you more likely to remember it. If you can think of a personal example that relates to the topic, you will be even better off!
You are more likely to remember something you have created yourself, rather than just seeing examples someone else made. Therefore, try to make your own definitions for words or create your own practice problems to solve. This will increase your chances of remembering the definition or procedure.
What to do if you get stuck (Problem solving and insight tips):
A scholar named George Polya described a problem solving method in one of his books. This is very helpful if you experience MEGO (My Eyes Glaze Over) when you are doing your homework or taking a test. It has four steps:
- Understand the problem (write the problem in your own words or determine what the problem is asking you to do)
- Devise a plan (look at how you solved similar problems, write down equations you know, make a table)
- Carry out the plan (solve it)
- Look back (check your answer, if it doesn't work, then start over)
Many cognitive psychologists have attempted to explain how insight works. Insight occurs when you are stuck on a problem and suddenly figure it out. Some scholars believe that if you are stuck on a problem you need to take a break to let your brain work on it subconsciously. When you come back from the break, you might have a new idea! This break can be listening to music, sleeping, talking to a friend, or (especially if you are in class) just working on another problem for awhile. If you are doing your homework after school and get stuck, try to do the problems you missed again later in the day instead of giving up on them... you might surprise yourself!