Get Organized

We all know how important it is to learn good organizational skills and get organized.  Imagine discovering a new law of physics and not remembering where you left your proof!  Keeping organized is one of the most important ways to DO MaTh and DO it successfully, so here are some tips to keep you or your student organized.

  1. Keep everything together.

All of your MaTh assignments, notes, quizzes, tests, and homework should be kept together! Get a binder, and fill it up! Use dividers to separate different categories of assignments, and keep your assignments in order.  All of this will help you to easily reference your materials, just in case you need to go back and find something.

      2.   Keep your notes in order.

A lot of MaTh builds on top of itself.  Something you learned in chapter one could be used in chapter three.  Keeping things in order will make it easier to go back and reference later, just in case you need to.

      3.  Organize the work itself.

We all know those lines on the paper are supposed to be used for something.  Show your work step by step on your paper! This way, if you get an answer wrong, you can easily go back and see which step you messed up on.  This is especially helpful when using order of operations.  Finish a step?  Write the next one on a new line.  Simple, easy (and also very helpful to your teacher who is grading your work).

      4.  Keep your homework separate and check those answers.

Homework is the most important part of learning MaTh because it’s where you DO MaTh.  Check your answers as you work.  Did you get one wrong?  Go back and explore to see why (look at those steps you’ve been writing out line by line).  Ask questions!  Whether in class or at MaThCliX, your teachers or tutors are there to help!  It’s our job and we are thrilled to do it!

       5.  Organize your space and make time.

We all know MaTh takes time!  And practice makes perfect, so be smart with the time you have.  MaThCliX is a great place for you to come and DO MaTh, but it can’t all be done here.  Set aside time every day to DO MaTh.  Just 30 minutes a day can greatly improve your understanding and techniques.  You should also have a specific space in which to DO MaTh. This space needs to be organized, neat, and distraction free.  This will help you focus on your work and learn effectively.

Becoming more organized will help you or your student become less stressed and more confident in facing problems head on.  Using these tips, make a plan.  Organize a space, make time, work it out, and come to us with questions.  Have your work neat so we can see exactly what you are doing, and overall be confident!  Everyone can DO MaTh, and being organized is just one way to make it easier.