4 ms·

Unfortunately this ideas doesn't apply for maths related exams.

by mfalcon 17y ago

oscardelben 17y ago
I think math is actually one area where you can apply similar techniques. Not sure if it can be compared to the author's technique, but take a look at this http://betterexplained.com/articles/how-to-develop-a-mindset-for-math/ http://betterexplained.com/articles/how-to-develop-a-mindset...
- est 17y ago
  Unfortunately it applies only to below-highschool math > Math provides models; understand their relationships and apply them to real-world objects. Advanced Math like analysis or algebra can be very abstract and sharp, you can't easily find any real-world reference or grab your existing experience. To me, math is like twisting your ideas, blend your thoughts and blow your mind. It's painful but fun :)
est 17y ago
Exactly. Sometimes you have to stare a formula for hours and after tons of practice to achieve comprehension.
pbhjpbhj 17y ago
My greatest struggles in maths were in remembering formulae and reproducing proofs. Generally I'd have to start from basics to reproduce formulae so I could apply them to a problem - this probably meant better understanding of the derivation and application but at the cost of a lot of exam time. I can see how memorisation techniques would have helped me to improve my exam scores in some exams even though at Uni in some modules I came close to 100% scores.
nazgulnarsil 17y ago
that comment reveals how deeply flawed math instruction is. math is not fundamentally different from other subjects and yes this technique does work for math. I know because i had a differential equations exam friday that I hadn't opened the book on until ~5 hours before the exam. math should be taught as a natural web of ideas that are intimately connected because that's what it is even more so than any other subject. forget a formula? if you understand the topic you can re-derive it trivially. I've taken this philosophy to such an extreme that I often forget basic facts about manipulation because i know i can just figure it out with a quick proof if need be. but hardly anyone is taught this way. since we never learn to think critically about the methods we're learning from a young age we certainly can't suddenly start in college. this is the main reason I believe there's such a heavy washout rate in higher math. all of a sudden you have to think critically about what you're actually doing with those symbols on the page and its just an extreme shock because it's literally the first time for many people. this is echoed in A Mathematician's Lament (great read BTW) where the author says that (para) kids who thought they were good at math suddenly discover they were only good at following directions.

Unfortunately this ideas doesn't apply for maths related exams.

by mfalcon 17y ago

Unfortunately this ideas doesn't apply for maths related exams.

I think math is actually one area where you can apply similar techniques. Not sure if it can be compared to the author's technique, but take a look at this http://betterexplained.com/articles/how-to-develop-a-mindset-for-math/ http://betterexplained.com/articles/how-to-develop-a-mindset...

est 17y ago
Unfortunately it applies only to below-highschool math > Math provides models; understand their relationships and apply them to real-world objects. Advanced Math like analysis or algebra can be very abstract and sharp, you can't easily find any real-world reference or grab your existing experience. To me, math is like twisting your ideas, blend your thoughts and blow your mind. It's painful but fun :)

est 17y ago

Exactly. Sometimes you have to stare a formula for hours and after tons of practice to achieve comprehension.

pbhjpbhj 17y ago

My greatest struggles in maths were in remembering formulae and reproducing proofs. Generally I'd have to start from basics to reproduce formulae so I could apply them to a problem - this probably meant better understanding of the derivation and application but at the cost of a lot of exam time. I can see how memorisation techniques would have helped me to improve my exam scores in some exams even though at Uni in some modules I came close to 100% scores.

nazgulnarsil 17y ago

that comment reveals how deeply flawed math instruction is. math is not fundamentally different from other subjects and yes this technique does work for math. I know because i had a differential equations exam friday that I hadn't opened the book on until ~5 hours before the exam. math should be taught as a natural web of ideas that are intimately connected because that's what it is even more so than any other subject. forget a formula? if you understand the topic you can re-derive it trivially. I've taken this philosophy to such an extreme that I often forget basic facts about manipulation because i know i can just figure it out with a quick proof if need be. but hardly anyone is taught this way. since we never learn to think critically about the methods we're learning from a young age we certainly can't suddenly start in college. this is the main reason I believe there's such a heavy washout rate in higher math. all of a sudden you have to think critically about what you're actually doing with those symbols on the page and its just an extreme shock because it's literally the first time for many people. this is echoed in A Mathematician's Lament (great read BTW) where the author says that (para) kids who thought they were good at math suddenly discover they were only good at following directions.