Studying for (and succeeding in) math is different than other subjects. Math is cumulative, meaning it builds upon earlier concepts/skills. This fact alone is not necessarily a problem, but the pace at which teachers must move through the curriculum certainly is. Students needing more time or extra help to grasp a math concept quickly fall behind and are rarely able to catch back up.

So how can you keep yourself from falling behind?

Check out these ten tips for succeeding in math class:

1. Do Your Homework: Obvious, right? Even if you believe you understand a concept/skill clearly, do all assigned homework to really cement it in your brain. Imagine the questions as practice test questions; complete them correctly as homework and you’re more likely to complete them correctly come test time.

2. Know Your Textbook: Since math is cumulative, your textbook is a chronological guide to what is coming up next. Review chapters BEFORE entering class to prep your brain for the new lesson, and to get a head start on seeing how new material connects to previous material.

3. Ask in Class: If you get a sense that a new concept is harder to wrap your head around, ask for clarification in class. Not speaking up, then finding out you can’t complete the homework because something is confusing, puts you a day behind. While in class, listen to other students’ questions as well, as they may help you understand your own, or offer to complete questions on the board even if you’re unsure what you’re doing. Practice makes perfect.

4. Understand the Method & the Process: Knowing formulas is important, but if you don’t know how or when to use them, you can’t be successful. Take the time to understand the principles behind the formulas to truly understand math concepts.

5. Prime Your Brain: Math is easier if your brain is ready for it. Do a few fun brain teasers before sitting down to complete homework or study for a test to get your brain in the math mood.

6. Practice, Practice, Practice: If a concept is still a bit fuzzy even after you have completed your homework, find some additional practice questions online. It is important to not only complete questions until you get the right answer, but until you understand HOW you got the right answer.

7. Don’t Stress: If you’re struggling with a question or concept, set it aside, take a break, and return to it later. If still having difficulties, call up a classmate or ask a family member for help. If no one can help you out, make a note of the problem and wait to ask your teacher the next day. Struggling with a problem that you can’t answer will only increase frustration and cause unnecessary stress.

8. Slow Down: Completing work in class or finishing a test is not a race. Take time to understand, complete, and double check your work. Taking your time also lessens your chances of making silly mistakes or scribbling answers that are not legible.

9. Analyze Your Errors: When homework and tests are returned to you, take the time to go over wrong answers. Figure out where you went wrong and do a few practice questions to get the correct method locked in your brain. Ask the teacher if you need help figuring out your missteps.

10. Insert A Tip/Trick Here: Have a trick or tip for succeeding in math class? Leave a comment and share it with us!

Just as athletes need periods of rest when they are training, our brains need breaks as well. We all know the feeling when we just can’t read another page of notes or write another sentence. But how does the brain determine when it needs a mental break?

Time magazine reports that according to new research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, we receive a signal when we have reached our peak – think of the way our bodies screams out when we just can’t do another sit-up – and we are prompted by our brains to take a break. Once we have rested and are refreshed, we are able to resume the task at hand because the signal has quieted down.

But why are there days we seem to be able to work hard all day, and others when we seem to need a break every 20 minutes? Apparently the signal is not pre-set, and instead hinges on how much EFFORT is spent and what the reward for the work is. The brain is constantly re-calibrating the point at which it has had enough in relation to the work/gain ratio.

To read the full Time article on the study, click here.

To read more about how the brain influences us, click here.

Does your child’s math homework cause painful-sounding groaning noises to emit from the homework area?

A new study suggests that those sounds may not be kids overreacting. Researchers at the University of Chicago suggests that the same brain areas are active in people suffering from math-anxiety as people who suffer from the threat of bodily harm, and in some cases, physical pain.

However, if your child thinks this is an excuse to avoid math homework like the plague, think again: the research shows that the brain’s response is to the anxiety, not the math itself. Therefore, once an individual puts an end to the math-anxiety and actually begins completing the work, the brain’s negative response ends. Ian Lyons, a scholar from the University of Western Ontario who helped with the study says,

“The brain activation does not happen during math performance, suggesting that it is not the math itself that hurts; rather the anticipation of math is painful.”

So maybe the cure for the pain math homework causes is actually do the unthinkable: sit down and do the homework!

To read more on the study about math anxiety and how it effects the brain, click here.

To learn how to lessen the stress when it comes to exams and homework, click here, or call your local Oxford Learning centre to ask how we can help.

Does chatting online with friends, playing video games, using social media sites, and watching television outside the classroom have a negative impact on students inside the classroom?

Mashable shared findings in a recent study by Common Sense Media that suggest heavy media use by children is impeding their ability to perform well in the classroom.

The study reports that 71% of teachers say media use hurts children’s attention spans, and students themselves report that media use harms their ability to communicate face to face and has had a negative impact on their writing skills. Teachers also report that the now 7.5 hours (on average) of daily media use by children for entertainment purposes impedes their ability to complete homework timely and effectively.

However, the study reveals that media use is not all bad. The report suggests that 63% of teachers indicate that media use allows students to find information more quickly and efficiently, and that some teachers believe media use has a positive impact on children’s ability to multitask.

To read Mashable’s article, and for a link to the full study, click here.

What do you think? Is media more helpful or harmful when it comes to children’s study/school habits? Leave us a comment!

“This book is so BORING”
“This book is so OLD”
“This book is TERRIBLE”

Heard one (or all) of these sentences come out of your teen’s mouth when referring to required school readings? Are they just being disrespectful and lazy, or do they (maybe) have a point?

Most students won’t reach the end of high school without reading (or being assigned to read) some ‘classic’ literature. The Scarlet Letter, Wuthering Heights, Great Expectations, Heart of Darkness, Madame Bovary, and The Catcher in the Rye are just some of the books your teen may be assigned to read. But are these classic novels doing more harm than good to your child’s motivation to read? Are the endless lessons about symbolism, metaphor, and imagery in books they can’t relate to boring students to the point of not wanting to read at all? Or are kids just lacking an appreciation for anything that doesn’t have a screen attached to it?

Unfortunately, students and parents are not going to be able to change what the teacher assigns. So how can you encourage your child to engage with ‘boring, old’ books and not develop distaste for reading completely? Here are some tips:

1. Ask – If children say they don’t like a book that has been assigned, they should be able to articulate why beyond ‘because’. Ask them what they would rather be reading, and why. If they say the main character is ‘stupid’, ask them to which part of the book made them think that. You will quickly realize whether your child is forming engaged opinions or simply spouting opinions without backup.
2. Read – Read the book yourself! Discuss with your child which parts you liked (and which parts bored you too!) If your child is able to tell you specifics (even if they are bashing the book while doing it), at least you know s/he is reading and remembering the story.
3. Find – Often old material is recycled. The same themes can be found in modern movies, books or TV shows that appear in the classics. Your child may be too distracted by the language and archaic references to realize (for example) that the ‘love triangle’ plot in Wuthering Heights between Catherine, Linton, and Heathcliff is also found in the Hunger Games between Katniss, Peeta, and Gale (and many others!).
4. Pay Attention – Students sometimes disguise misunderstanding as dislike. If your child isn’t comprehending what s/he is reading, there is no way s/he is going to enjoy it. The book may not be too boring or old at all; your child may not be at the reading level required to understand and enjoy it. Get him/her the extra help s/he needs so they don’t have to hide behind excuses

What’s your opinion on/experience with students reading ‘classic’ literature in school? Comment below!

Think that your child has too much homework? You are not alone.

Homework is not only a hot educational topic; it’s a political one. France’s president is even making the issue of homework a major part of his reelection campaign, promising to abolish homework if reelected.

And it’s not just France that is looking at instituting homework reform. Changes in approaches to homework are happening all across Canada and the US.

Educators and parents alike are saying it’s time to take a serious look at the homework issue and adopt some new guidelines to tackle some of the biggest problems associated with homework.

Some of those issues include:

• Too much homework has been linked to increased student stress, increased instances of cheating, and increased disparity in the achievement gap.
• That homework can interfere with home life and after-school activities that promote balance and a well-rounded life outside of school by placing too much of a demand on students’ time.
• That there has been no real research to prove that homework benefits before kids are in high school.
• Homework contributes to the gap between the rich and the poor.
• According to education experts, the goal of homework should be ultimately to help kids become deeper thinkers who are more excited about learning.

Watch this video about the issues with homework.

What are your thoughts on homework?

We’d love to hear them! Share them with us in the comments.

Want to read more about the subject of homework? Check out these other Oxford Learning articles:

• Hack Your Homework
• Six Important Rules for Finding Your Homework Groove

We’ve discussed some of the reasons that students are likely to procrastinate before, but this great animated video from asapSCIENCE digs into the scientific reasons that cause procrastination.

Here’s the gist:

Procrastination is linked to rewards. Rewards in turn are linked to motivation.  If there is a choice between two things to do, one that brings immediate rewards and one that has rewards that won’t be given for a while, the brain chooses the immediate reward. The closer the reward, the higher the motivation.  So techno distractions (YouTube, Facebook, endless Tumblr memes) have have more immediate value than getting an A+ on next week’s test.

HOWEVER, the closer that a reward seems, the greater its value. So the night before a test, suddenly the good grade seems more important. That means cramming.

Here’s another scientific factor: Choosing immediate rewards releases dopamine, the feel-good brain chemical. And dopamine is habit-forming.

So what’s the solution?

The video offers some great tips to help students of all ages trick science and their brain to overcome habit-forming dopamine and beat nasty procrastination for good.

1. Since the brain is seeking rewards, provide rewards in intervals.

2. Use a time to set a time frame for reward intervals. (The Science-y name is the Pomodoro technique.)

3. Acknowledge your procrastination.

4. Impose your own deadlines.

5. Put a positive spin on how you think about the work.

6. Make a list of the reasons why completing a task is a good idea.

7. Remove temptations.

Now take three minutes to watch this great video and get a better understanding of procrastination.

The always controversial topic of homework was making headlines again recently as French parents and teachers considered a two-week homework ban.

Most parents of school-age children can sympathize: homework is a common issue in many households.

So we decided to put the issue of homework to a poll by asking what is your family’s biggest homework struggle?

1. Disorganization: leaving assignments to the last minute, forgetting work at school, etc.
2. Distractions: too much TV, Internet, video games, texting
3. Scheduling: lots of extracurricular activities, not enough time
4. Comprehension: not understanding questions, which can lead to frustration

What do you think the biggest issue is?  You can still vote on our FB poll!  We’d love to hear from you!  And don’t forget to “Like” us while you’re there!

Want to make your homework simpler? Check out our 4 tips to take your homework habits from headache-inducing to hassle-free. Homework might be an unavoidable part of school, but it doesn’t have to be the worst part.

Use your agenda.

The brain is capable of great feats, but it’s not perfect. So don’t rely on it to remember every little detail of what you learned in school. When a teacher assigns homework, write it down! Most schools provide agendas to students for free (or for a small charge). That’s because they are the best organizational tools available. The trick is to not just write everything down in class, but also to remember to take it out of the school bag at night, open it up, and remind yourself of what’s on tonight’s to-do list.

More agenda tips here.

Remove distractions.

Computer on, TV on, texts messages incoming…it’s not multi-tasking, it’s distracting. So shut off all the electronics and focus on the task at hand for a set period of time. You’ll find that it’s easier to concentrate and that tasks take less time.   Studies have also found that learning isn’t as deep and that retention suffers when kids multi-task.

Think actively.

The majority of the time, simply getting tonight’s homework done is the name of the game. And rightly so, but what happens if you’re struggling with a question, or can’t figure out an answer? Before giving up to frustration, take a small break then come back and take a look at your textbook. Flip to the beginning of the chapter and read what the chapter is all about. Do the same with the next chapter. Move ahead a few questions and see if the next section can help explain a little better. If not, use the Internet.  Don’t just stare at the question in front of you; ask yourself how this question relates to what you’ve been learning overall.  And keep in mind the point of homework: to reinforce concepts learned in class.

More active learning tips here

Get organized.

Homework is as much a part of the daily routine as waking up in the morning and going to bed at night, but it’s often the most disorganized part.  So streamline the process: keep all the homework-related accessories you need in a bin or a bucket so you don’t waste time searching for pens or for a calculator, pick the same spot to do your homework in every night, and (when possible) do your homework at the same time every night to get your body’s clock into the a natural homework rhythm.