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March 29, 2024, 10:51:09 am

Author Topic: Methods is so frustrating to study for  (Read 16310 times)  Share 

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JR_StudyEd

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Re: Methods is so frustrating to study for
« Reply #30 on: July 04, 2019, 04:10:29 pm »
+1
Upon re-reading and reflecting on the major responses to the questions that I have asked in this thread, I have identified two main issues with my progress in Methods:

1) I don't enjoy studying maths (trying to learn and understand the content is still a pain)
2) The content is difficult to understand (I've tried asking my teacher, but I haven't found it all that helpful. Tutoring is not an option for me, given my family's financial situation. As I've previously mentioned, I've tried and expended so much effort into trying to understand, but it has been mostly fruitless and I haven't got much satisfaction out of it. Just letting you know that I've at least tried my absolute best to seek help, both on AN and in real life. I've used Edrolo, and it's a mixed bag in terms of its helpfulness.)

Now that I think about it, I think #2 is the reason for #1. (I find the content difficult to learn, understand and apply, hence why I don't enjoy it) I can't make the content easier to learn for myself, can I? And with probability to come, the dark clouds probably won't go away until early November.
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milanander

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Re: Methods is so frustrating to study for
« Reply #31 on: July 04, 2019, 08:27:22 pm »
+2
A few months ago, I asked this question in the Methods question thread:
This was the response I got:

As you can see, it's contradictory to much of the advice I've been given in this thread. No disrespect to those who like maths and problem-solving, but for the most part, I simply find it a chore and a drag. It doesn't help that the only way to 'study' for maths is to do practice questions. And I know that saying that something is boring, therefore I'm free to not do it is a poor excuse, but what else can I do?

Hi JR, I think the reason you're getting contradictory advice is because different people have different study methods and techniques. One study technique might be really helpful to some people, but not to others.

Like, with me when it comes to maths, I just smash through as many exam-style questions as I can to prepare, and it really works for me. Meanwhile if I had to sit down and read through the theory in that godforsaken textbook, I would drop dead from boredom on the spot. But I know people who find learning the theory useful and doing questions not so much. It's all about what works for YOU.

So I suggest you should just try a bunch of different study methods and see which one helps you the most.  Reckon a good place to start would be to adopt a positive mindset around maths, even if you do think it's a pain in the ***.

Btw have you tried online tutorials when it comes to concepts? I personally love khan academy, there are also a bunch of really useful (and free!!!) youtube series readily available, and some of them explains things REALLY clearly.
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Re: Methods is so frustrating to study for
« Reply #32 on: July 06, 2019, 10:17:27 am »
0
Hi JR, I think the reason you're getting contradictory advice is because different people have different study methods and techniques. One study technique might be really helpful to some people, but not to others.

Like, with me when it comes to maths, I just smash through as many exam-style questions as I can to prepare, and it really works for me. Meanwhile if I had to sit down and read through the theory in that godforsaken textbook, I would drop dead from boredom on the spot. But I know people who find learning the theory useful and doing questions not so much. It's all about what works for YOU.

So I suggest you should just try a bunch of different study methods and see which one helps you the most.  Reckon a good place to start would be to adopt a positive mindset around maths, even if you do think it's a pain in the ***.

Btw have you tried online tutorials when it comes to concepts? I personally love khan academy, there are also a bunch of really useful (and free!!!) youtube series readily available, and some of them explains things REALLY clearly.

if u can, pls pm me the name of the youtube series. I'm just trying to find as much resources for practice as possible .

JR_StudyEd

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Re: Methods is so frustrating to study for
« Reply #33 on: July 06, 2019, 12:21:27 pm »
0
if there’s a topic/concept you’re struggling in, as much as it’s boring and repetitive and time-consuming, the only way it will get easier, is to do MORE of those types of questions.

Once you ask for help, things will start clicking into place. Methods is not an easy subject by any means, and I know you know this, but you won’t see results unless you keep pushing.

I definitely understand the feeling of ‘Mt Everest worth of work’, and you and I have probably heard this a million times, but you just need to take that step and start again. Once you start, you will keep going, Methods is only for 6 more months, not for a lifetime. Try your best to keep going and pushing till then.

You can’t give up, I can tell you, with effort, time, dedication and perseverance, it will all work out, and you will see results.
The quote that I've highlighted in bold is so many levels of ironic that it's almost funny. :P Like, you're telling me that doing work will make it easier for me? How? Won't I just get confused and stuck on a difficult question? And the cycle continues.

As I've said, I've most certainly tried to learn and be engaged in this subject, but I haven't had much success. I don't know if it's perfectionism, but it genuinely angers me that I can't understand a good majority of the Methods course. Sure, I know a few things, but even that knowledge is crumbling with the awareness that those exam questions are even less forgiving. I acknowledge that I do have weaknesses. But what do you do if you feel like you're struggling with the entire course?

For me, Maths definitely has the potential to be interesting. I am aware of its applications and beauty. It's just unfortunate that this beauty is outside the scope of the study design and I feel like I am stuck with trying to decipher an alien language. It feels like total luck whether I learn something in class or not. It's either I understand what is being taught, or I don't. If I 'get it', great! If I don't, well then that's just too bad, I'll never understand this.

Do I ever walk away from maths class exclaiming, 'wow, I learnt something new today?'. No, I don't. I feel like we're just studying to do well on an exam, not genuinely trying to understand the mathematical processes involved. And when we do go over mathematical processes, I feel so lost and even further behind than I already am. I guess that's just the nature of VCE, which I can't do anything about.

I feel helpless. I feel that I am unable to improve my situation in Maths.

I apologise in advance for what I'm about to say:
I feel like I don't genuinely learn or understand anything in class. It all seems like a fruitless exercise, like a waste of time.
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SmellsLikeTeenSpirit

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Re: Methods is so frustrating to study for
« Reply #34 on: July 08, 2019, 09:36:39 pm »
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JR,
MM is not the easiest exam, but is quite doable. And judging by your choice of subjects, you are keen and capable. If there are topics that give you headache, there are two options:
1) Go through the past exams, and practise solving them; or
2) Check whether they actually matter much - maybe they bring few points, and are not worth your time.
Online guides can help with both!

Cheers
Nirvana


Mod edit: removed advertising
« Last Edit: July 20, 2019, 10:55:00 pm by Bri MT »

milanander

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Re: Methods is so frustrating to study for
« Reply #35 on: July 08, 2019, 11:10:12 pm »
+2
if u can, pls pm me the name of the youtube series. I'm just trying to find as much resources for practice as possible .
Hey sorry it took me so long to reply!
There are plenty of different youtube series which all work pretty great depending on personal taste. I mostly rely on Worm's maths academy which is specifically made for VCE methods. They do very detailed solutions and work-through's for past VCAA exams too and explain things very clearly.

Link to their channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/andrewworm

The quote that I've highlighted in bold is so many levels of ironic that it's almost funny. :P Like, you're telling me that doing work will make it easier for me? How? Won't I just get confused and stuck on a difficult question? And the cycle continues.
Duh! How would you expect things to get easier if you don't do any practice?
Sure, you could get stuck, but once you figure out how it's done you won't be getting stuck on future questions as you've mastered a new concept, and it will soon become easy.

I think you need to change your attitude towards methods, bc it seems that you hate this subject to the core.

Quote
Do I ever walk away from maths class exclaiming, 'wow, I learnt something new today?'. No, I don't. I feel like we're just studying to do well on an exam, not genuinely trying to understand the mathematical processes involved. And when we do go over mathematical processes, I feel so lost and even further behind than I already am. I guess that's just the nature of VCE, which I can't do anything about.

That's what I'm referring to by attitude. Your teacher is there to help you do well on the exam, but if you want to learn about real-world applications and all that jazz, then go the extra mile to learn about it yourself. It's not the nature of VCE. In most subjects, things can be very applicable.
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Re: Methods is so frustrating to study for
« Reply #36 on: July 09, 2019, 08:12:21 am »
0
Hey sorry it took me so long to reply!
There are plenty of different youtube series which all work pretty great depending on personal taste. I mostly rely on Worm's maths academy which is specifically made for VCE methods. They do very detailed solutions and work-through's for past VCAA exams too and explain things very clearly.

Link to their channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/andrewworm


Thanks so much !  :D

JR_StudyEd

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Re: Methods is so frustrating to study for
« Reply #37 on: July 09, 2019, 08:52:56 pm »
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I think you need to change your attitude towards methods, bc it seems that you hate this subject to the core.
How do you reckon I should go about replacing my negative attitude towards maths with a more positive mindset?
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Ionic Doc

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Re: Methods is so frustrating to study for
« Reply #38 on: July 10, 2019, 01:14:50 pm »
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How do you reckon I should go about replacing my negative attitude towards maths with a more positive mindset?

remind yourself that there are only 120 days till the final methods exam.

and after that
 
         Goodbye Methods  👋
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milanander

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Re: Methods is so frustrating to study for
« Reply #39 on: July 20, 2019, 05:13:07 pm »
+7
How do you reckon I should go about replacing my negative attitude towards maths with a more positive mindset?

Idk, you know yourself the best so I think you need to take personal responsibility about changing your own attitude.

For me, I never really liked maths and was never good at it, until some late night research led me to read up on how maths is incorporated into art which was really interesting, and gradually my attitude towards the subject changed when I was able to apply it to stuff I actually liked.
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caffinatedloz

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Re: Methods is so frustrating to study for
« Reply #40 on: July 20, 2019, 08:05:03 pm »
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For me, I never really liked maths and was never good at it, until some late night research led me to read up on how maths is incorporated into art which was really interesting, and gradually my attitude towards the subject changed when I was able to apply it to stuff I actually liked.

If this interests you, there is heaps about this online. I know that the Bridges conference is a conference where mathematicians spend an entire week focusing on how maths connects to creativity and art. There is also Maths Craft Australia who I was lucky enough to volunteer with a few times. They run events open to the public the involves the blending of maths and art. It involves a lot of fibre work and origami (and also a wide variety of other things).

There are also a lot of things in maths that relate to crochet. ( This and this and also this.)

My mum is a maths lecturer who loves to knit and crochet so we have a lot of items on those lists just around the house. There is lots of hyperbolic crochet and modular origami but the most impressive is the Lorentz Manifold that just randomly sits in the corner of our loungeroom.

SmellsLikeTeenSpirit

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Re: Methods is so frustrating to study for
« Reply #41 on: July 20, 2019, 09:37:47 pm »
+1
Hi JR,

1) It is easier said than done, but you have to work towards eliminating your paralysing fear of Maths Methods. Do not be like a frog that gets paralysed at a sight of a snake , and then becomes an easy prey instead of easily hopping away to safety.
2) I believe this could help for starters: post here two or three most painful problems that caused you grievous harm, and then we can help you by providing step-by-step solutions. Sometimes a student needs just a little bit of assistance to gain traction and overcome the initial obstacles.

JR_StudyEd

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Re: Methods is so frustrating to study for
« Reply #42 on: July 27, 2019, 03:57:20 pm »
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So I have managed to get a tutor for Methods. Desperately needed one, as I was running out of options. I'm going to try and not let my emotions affect my perceptions of this subject and my performance in tests, but I'm human. It's inevitable that my feelings will influence how I do problems. I know I have to do a lot of practice in order to get better, but I don't even feel like I will improve all that much. I fail, and fail again, without getting much out of it other than knowing that I suck at Methods. Other people are simply better than me. The pain will linger until November.

All this wouldn't be a problem if I was at least passing. But I'm not even passing. I'm on the cusp of another SAC, this time on Differentiation and Integration. I am reassured that I won't be kicked out of the subject. Why did I even choose Methods? Because I thought I was capable. Ha.

This subject makes me feel a cycle of sorrow, anger, fear and apathy. I get no joy out of it, other than knowing that it will all be over soon.

Painful problems, where do I even begin? I've already posted one on the Methods question thread. But in case you haven't seen it, I'll leave a pdf attachment. My tutor couldn't even help me. He said that you need to fully understand Differentiation and Integration first.
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SmellsLikeTeenSpirit

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Re: Methods is so frustrating to study for
« Reply #43 on: July 27, 2019, 09:36:44 pm »
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Hi JR!
OK, this is a typical complex problem of the type that comes in Test 2. It consists of several sub-problems, involving several different topics. I will go step-by-step and address (a - d) tonight.
a) This is a basic geometry problem involving a triangle, and is solved with Pythagoras. The distance d is the longest side of the triangle ACx, and is therefore the square root of the sum: 1502 + (200-x)2, i.e. the square root of 22,500 + (40,000 - 400x +x2) =
=( x2 - 400x + 62500) (1/2)

b) In general, velocity = distance / time, hence time = distance / velocity. In this case, distance is the 'd' calculated above, divided by Wendy's velocity. Here I see a possible trap. (i) If Wendy runs over grass, her velocity is vg. Hence, time = d / vg. Since vg = 1 m/s, time (in seconds) is:
 ( x2 - 400x + 62500) (1/2).
---> But, (ii) what if x = 200, i.e. Wendy does not run over grass at all? The formulation of the problem does not exclude this, which complicates the matter. Then d would be 150 m, and Wendy's velocity would be vc, and the time would be d / vc = 150 m / 2 m/s = 75 s.

c) The total time T(x) is this sum: Wendy's time over the distance x + Wendy's time on the grass. The time on the grass is as derived above, in (b). The time over the distance x, which is concrete, is x / vc = x /2:
(i) If Wendy runs over grass at all, T(x) = ( x2 - 400x + 62500) (1/2) + x/2
(ii) If Wendy runs over the concrete only, T(x) = (200 m + 150 m) / 2 m/s = 175 s.

d) The domain of T(x) is the range of x. If Wendy does not run over the grass, x = 200. If Wendy only runs over the grass, x = 0. Since both x  = 0 and x = 200 m are possible, those values are included in the domain and it is [0, 200].


SmellsLikeTeenSpirit

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Re: Methods is so frustrating to study for
« Reply #44 on: July 30, 2019, 02:46:01 pm »
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Hi JR,
I have now added the solutions to the problems (e-j), presented reasonably neatly in the attachment.
Before I proceed to the remaining problems, please let me know if the solutions provided so far are helpful.
Cheers  :)