How to Improve Your Math Skills

Video Transcript

"So, how do you improve your math skills? Hi, I'm Jimmy. I have been teaching college math for nine years now, and a lot of folks, as you and I both know, think that math is a really difficult subject and in some cases it is. But, here are some ways that you can improve your math skills over time. And one strategy is a tried and true strategy, not just for math but for any subject is practice makes perfect. I can't stress that enough; practice, practice, practice. Do all the homework that you're assigned, and for example, if you're given all the odd problems and you do them, and you still feel you need practice there's nothing that says you can't go back and do the even ones and really drill, you know, as much as you can. Now, that kind of fits with the second strategy, if you don't use it you lose it. Practice as much as you can. If you have a new lesson one day think about practicing the older lessons that you learned in previous courses, because chances are likely that you're going to be asked to incorporate the older and the newer lessons together. One thing I always recommend as well is do cumulative reviews. A lot of math textbooks have cumulative reviews that incorporate the current chapter with other chapters. The more cumulative reviews that you do the more comfortable you're going to be with the material, and the stronger you'll feel in the math subjects. And last but not least, if you're takin' a college course for the first time in a few years chances are likely that you may not have had a chance to apply them or practice them lately. So, if you know you have to sign up for a math class, and it's been a long time there's nothing wrong with going to a bookstore and picking up a basic math review book just to kind of test yourself to see how far you might have remembered, or what material that you may have forgotten. That's certainly okay, because that's what basic math review books are designed to do, and that is improve your skills as you go along. So, I'm Jimmy, and this has been how to improve your math skills."