Learning math tricks

http://www.thattutorguy.com/tips-and-tricks/

Tip #2:  Avoid using the "search videos" button!

We know it's tempting to just go straight to the "search videos" blank at the right side of the site and start taking stabs at what you think the particular video you're looking for is called. However, when you only use the search function, you're basically bypassing the organization of the site, organization which is designed to help you succeed. Remember, Chris has tutored all these classes tons of times, so he knows not only the best way to explain each topic, but also the best order to explain topics in. When you search for the just the video you want, you're probably missing some key concepts in the video or two before that, concepts you might not even realize would be helpful. Also, you're not even going to understand everything in the video you want because it involves skills from the video before it.

By all means, use the search blank as a last resort, or to quickly find a video you've already watched and just want a refresher on.  But if you're watching a topic on the site for the first time, it's really best to watch it in the chapter it came from.  It can be tricky to find the right chapter, but spending 5 minutes now to find the right chapter will save you points in the long run.

"But I couldn't find the chapter I needed."

If you don't see your chapter right away when you look at your class page (Algebra 2 for example), a great way to search the page quickly is to use the "find" function on your browser by hitting Control-f (or Command-f if you're on a Mac) and just enter a word or term you're looking for.  You can also use the green "Highlight a term on this page" form at the top of all the class pages to get the same effect, then just scroll down to see where that term is highlighted. (It's only going to match the exact phrase you search for, so less is more.)

"My class isn't even listed!"

Many schools these days are using new-age names like "Integrated Math" or "Discrete Math", or they just call it "Math 57" or "Math 90"...  But just because your class has a funky name doesn't mean you're not learning the same topics in roughly the same order as students in the "standard" classes we list at the top of the site.  Math has been taught in roughly the same order for hundreds of years, and your school is going to stick pretty close to that because there's no other way.  Just like you must walk before you can run, you've got to learn how to solve equations before you can solve inequalities, fractions before percents, and derivatives before integrals.  So no matter what the classes are called, everyone learns the same topics as everyone else, in about the same order.

How does that help you find what you're looking for?  Well, if you're taking a class that comes before Calculus, you're in Precalculus by another name. If you're taking a pre-requisite for College Algebra, you're probably in Pre-Algebra.  If you're just learning how to solve equations for the first time, you're in Algebra no matter what your school is calling it.  Like I said above, you'll get tons more out of the site if you watch the videos in roughly the order they were intended, so it's worth taking the time to find the class most similar to the one you're in and work the videos in order.

Tip #3:  Do your homework

I know you don't want yet another person telling you to do your homework, but if there's one thing that most struggling students have in common, it's that they don't keep up with homework.  Students who do well in math class aren't all math whizzes; they just keep up with their work, doing homework before the next class period introduces new material so that they're not lost in lecture and have plenty of time to ask questions.  Unfortunately, it's becoming more and more common for teachers to either make homework optional, or make it all due the day of the test.

You might think these teachers are doing you a favor, but they are actually killing your grade.

If you give 10 students the option of not doing their homework on a given night, 9 of them are going to take you up on it.  Even though all 10 realize that homework is there to help them learn, and even if they intend to keep up, it's just human nature to procrastinate.  Teachers know this, so the good ones "help you help yourself" by just making it due each day, but if you don't have one of those teachers, you've got to make the effort to keep up.

That's where ThatTutorGuy.com comes in.  The most common excuse students give for not doing their homework is "I tried but I couldn't figure it out."  But that's why our videos are so great!  Even though his videos might not include the exact problems in your book, Chris works enough examples that if you work the video problems along with him, you'll be able to do similar problems on your homework.  And doing your homework each night is going to bring your grade up 10 points at least.

Tip #4:  Stay ahead of your class

Even if you've been with us up to this point, you're probably laughing now.  Who's got time to work ahead of the teacher?  But you won't believe how much more you'll like lecture if you've seen the material already, and it will actually save you time by making lecture a learning experience rather than nap time.

For example, have you ever had to retake a class?  Do you remember how much less scary the material was the second time around? You could have that feeling every day if you've watched Chris's videos the night before.  And it won't matter nearly as much that your teacher sucks at explaining stuff if you've already seen it explained by Chris. During class, instead of taking panicked notes that you have no idea what you're writing down, you'll be thoughtfully psycho-analyzing your teacher, figuring out how his problems are different from the ones Chris taught you, and figuring out what your teacher is going to put on the test.

It's a wonderful feeling to not be lost in lecture!