Mastering Mathematics Smartly
by Wee Wen Shih
A unique self-help website that provides comprehensive coverage of mathematics at A-level & beyond, written in a student-friendly style.
On being stuck
Dear students,
I'd like to share with you the following words from a book I'm reading, so that you will know what to do rather than become discouraged when you learn mathematics.
Being 'stuck' is an honourable state and there are a number of strategies that can make this a positive experience rather than simply a negative feeling.
- Acknowledge that you are stuck - relax and recognise that this is a learning opportunity. Different people develop different strategies for dealing with being stuck. Whatever you do, do not panic.
- Next, try to identify exactly WHY you are stuck. This process is, in effect, identifying what you already KNOW and what you still WANT. Doing this can sometimes be enough to see a way of building a bridge between KNOW and WANT...and so become UNSTUCK.
Here are some possible strategies.
- If the question seems too complicated or too general, try SIMPLIFYING it in some way. For example, break it down into a subset of smaller problems or rewrite it using simpler numbers or easier words.
- If there does not seem to be enough information, LIST what else you think you need. (Some problems may deliberately not have enough information included.) Sometimes you may find that you do have the information but it was not in quite the form you expected.
- TELL someone: in trying to explain, you may find that you stress and ignore different parts of the problem and so be able to view it in a new light. Even if there is no one around to help, just saying something out loud to yourself can help considerably - saying it 'in your head' is not as powerful.
- Use the solution if available: you may only need to READ a little before you can see what is needed and can continue on your own.
- If you are still stuck, still do not panic: you may need to take a BREAK and do something quite different. Simply freeing your attention can 'unblock' the problem.
- If nothing seems to work, SKIP over the problem area for the moment. Later studies may help.
The way to make being stuck a more positive experience is to notice not only what helped to get you going again, but also what led you to getting stuck in the first place. This 'learning from experience' is then available to you for use in future situations.
Source: Success with Mathematics
Heather Cooke
pp. 119 - 120
I'd like to share with you the following words from a book I'm reading, so that you will know what to do rather than become discouraged when you learn mathematics.
Being 'stuck' is an honourable state and there are a number of strategies that can make this a positive experience rather than simply a negative feeling.
- Acknowledge that you are stuck - relax and recognise that this is a learning opportunity. Different people develop different strategies for dealing with being stuck. Whatever you do, do not panic.
- Next, try to identify exactly WHY you are stuck. This process is, in effect, identifying what you already KNOW and what you still WANT. Doing this can sometimes be enough to see a way of building a bridge between KNOW and WANT...and so become UNSTUCK.
Here are some possible strategies.
- If the question seems too complicated or too general, try SIMPLIFYING it in some way. For example, break it down into a subset of smaller problems or rewrite it using simpler numbers or easier words.
- If there does not seem to be enough information, LIST what else you think you need. (Some problems may deliberately not have enough information included.) Sometimes you may find that you do have the information but it was not in quite the form you expected.
- TELL someone: in trying to explain, you may find that you stress and ignore different parts of the problem and so be able to view it in a new light. Even if there is no one around to help, just saying something out loud to yourself can help considerably - saying it 'in your head' is not as powerful.
- Use the solution if available: you may only need to READ a little before you can see what is needed and can continue on your own.
- If you are still stuck, still do not panic: you may need to take a BREAK and do something quite different. Simply freeing your attention can 'unblock' the problem.
- If nothing seems to work, SKIP over the problem area for the moment. Later studies may help.
The way to make being stuck a more positive experience is to notice not only what helped to get you going again, but also what led you to getting stuck in the first place. This 'learning from experience' is then available to you for use in future situations.
Source: Success with Mathematics
Heather Cooke
pp. 119 - 120
