Tips for Study Tech

I read two articles by Sato on the QED Insight blog.

How To Read A Mathematics Textbook
Posted on April 5, 2011 by Santo

and

“Students Don’t Read Textbooks”
Posted on April 8, 2011 by Santo


I have summarized the articles and added info where needed with the typical OU mathematics student in mind:

About reading:
* Find alternative books, which approach the subject from a different perspective than the course textbook.

* Read with pencil and paper by your side. By the end of each reading session you should have written out a nice list of questions to work on; If you can't answer the questions by yourself ask your tutor or visit a mathematics site like Planet Math, or The Math Forum

About exercises:
* Work through a large number of exercises. Top students when pressed for time, fall back on just doing the assigned exercises.
Some specialized books that you might consult for training in problem-solving are:
- The Art and Craft of Problem Solving, by Paul Zeitz;
- Problem-Solving and Selected Topics in Number Theory, by Michael Th. Rassias
- How to Solve Problems, by Wayne Wickelgren
- How to Solve Problems New Methods and Ideas, by Spyros Kalomitsines

About Study Tech:
* Daily work is key. Do your best to budget your time so that you devote some time every day to each of your courses.
* Be systematic. Keep a notebook of questions (might be electronic), and note your answers, too. This will become a wonderful record of the evolution of your understanding. Also keep solutions to your exercises and problems in a neat notebook. Review the notebooks often, ideally daily.

Always remember that a desperation for marks is counterproductive to learning.