Maths Lit.

If you have an exam that allows a reference sheet, then make sure you practice using it. This has the following 5 advantages:

1. You become familiar with where formulas are located, instead of searching during the exam.

2. You will identify missing components that you may want to add.

3. You will notice which parts are confusing or unclear and can improve them.

4. By checking your work, you will learn when you are applying the wrong formulas, or the right formula but incorrectly.

5. The next time you need to create a reference sheet, you will have a better idea of how to structure it, and how to write your formulas

Why do some students forget things they thought they understood?

A lot of students will say, “I understood it in class, but I just can’t remember it now.”

That’s not laziness or lack of ability—it’s often how the brain handles unfinished learning.

There’s a psychological effect called the Zeigarnik Effect, which means we tend to remember incomplete tasks more than finished ones. If a student thinks, “Yep, I’ve got this,” they mentally close the tab, even if their understanding is still shaky.

The trick?
Get them to pause before saying they’ve got it. Ask them to explain the idea in their own words, or show how they’d use it in a slightly different situation. That moment of friction can keep the door open just long enough for the learning to stick.

I use this in my tutoring all the time—it’s one of the quiet strategies that makes a big difference.

Should you study Maths during the holidays? Absolutely.

Think about athletes during the off-season. They don’t stop training completely—they adjust their routine to stay in shape. Why? Because taking months off makes it much harder to get back on track. The same is true for Maths.

You’ve worked hard this year, and you deserve time to relax. But 20-30 minutes of daily practice will help you maintain your progress. If that feels like too much, start with just 5 minutes. Solve one question, review a key concept, or watch a short Maths video. If you miss a day, that’s okay—just pick it up again the next day. A little consistent effort now will make all the difference when the new term begins.

Strategies for Maths word problems:

Try to extract the important infomation from the problem:

Is there a diagram you could draw, it could be a shape or even just a picture. A quick sketch can make tricky questions much more accessible (it doesnt have to be neat).

List the numbers from the problem. If you notice any connections or can identify what any of the numbers represent then include those in your list as well.

Do any formulas come to mind for the question? Write the related formula and try to identify which letter each number corresponds to. If you can match a number for most letters then thats a good sign, if the numbers don't match your letters then you probably chose the wrong formula.

Dont spend longer than 20 seconds in your head. You need to start writing. You want to extract the useful infomation early so you wont have to reread the paragraph over and over. If you can't think of anything, then come back to it later.

If you can think of step 1, then start. Sometimes you know step 1 but aren't sure where to go from there. Sometimes you will find that with each step completed the next step reveals itself (even if it dlesn't you can recieve partial marks and return to the question later). After completing step 1, if youre still not sure what comes next check to see if there were any numbers left over from the problem, they can give you a good indication of what to do next.

Skipping a tricky question and focusing on the ones you know how to solve will boost your confidence and refresh your mind. Hopefully you will come up with fresh ideas the second time around, but even if you don't at least you've made sure to complete everything you know, before exhausting your time on the questions you struggle with.

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How to solve problems in Maths:

You want to get out of your head and onto the paper as quickly as possible. Too may students are reluctant to start writing until they have the whole problem planned out.

You want to start immediately. Write down every relevant piece of infomation you can think of.

Diagrams make problems easier. If they didnt provide one, is there a chance you could draw one to help you visualise.

Is there something you're thinking that probably wont work? Write it down. As soon as you see it on paper you will understand your idea so much better, this will usually lead to suddenly realising how to make it work or at least understanding why it does not and coming up with a new idea.

Finally trying to solve problems while allocating some of your brain space to remembering what youve done do far will only hinder your abilities. Writing things down means you can stop remembering prior steps and focus solely on what comes next.

You CAN excel in maths:

There is a common misconception among students and parents where many believe that some students just aren't destined to succeed in Maths.

It is important to look at Maths with a growth mindset. The two main requirements to excel in Maths are:

1. Strong foundations (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division). These foundations can be built through repetition and practice.

2. Knowing how to approach problem solving. This can be much more challenging to learn. Often times students who seem talented in Maths are the ones who naturally know where to look and where to start when they see a problem.

Problem solving is definitely a tricky skill to learn, but the skill is within the reach of all students. You want to view mathematics like a sport. Having strong foundations is like having high levels of physical fitness,
but physical fitness will only get you so far if you don't have the skills required for a given sport.

There are many ways to build problem solving skills which I will discuss in a later post, these methods include:

Drawing pictures to help visualise the problem you're solving.

Experimenting with different methods when attempting problems, even if you don't think they will work.

Creating a simple similar problem that your can solve, and trying to imitate the steps on your more complex one.

Practice solving different word problems.

Watch Videos that involve in depth solutions, pausing and attempting the next step on your own.

Looking for patterns in your questions solved. Sometimes it's important to build skills when solving the simple problems, rather than waiting for the complex ones.

I will be breaking down these methods in subsequent posts.

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There are many factors that will contribute to success or failure in any endeavour. This article addresses 7 barriers to success in Mathematics, these barriers come in the form of common phrases your child will likely hear throughout their lives from, friends, family, and even teachers. Addressing these barriers can significantly improve your child’s mathematical performance irrespective of their current level of Mathematical ability. While this article focuses on Mathematics, each of the arguments can be applied to any subject/learning endeavour.

#1 “I'm bad at Maths”

When we learned to walk, we fell. When we learned to run, we fell. When we learned to ride bikes, we fell. We are not bad at walking, nor running, nor riding bikes, not anymore. We succeeded, because we never gave up and we certainly never declared, “I’m just not good at walking”, instead, we practiced and persevered. Instead, we grew.

When children fall in Maths, we need to encourage them to persevere. Their hard work will pay off. For many children, Maths will bring about their first academic experience with failure, this can lead to stress and anxiety. When a child is struggling with a Maths problem or concept, we should encourage them to explain the problem/concept or draw a diagram. Exploring problems visually can help students understand the problem better and solve it on their own.

We must encourage our children to persevere and emphasize the subsequent feeling of accomplishment that comes when they inevitably succeed.

Ask to receive your free copy of the full article, or view the full the full article at: https://mathslit.com/blog/post/2211257/breaking-down-barriers-to-math-success-7-challenges-and-how-to-overcome-them