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March 29, 2024, 09:41:39 am

Author Topic: Should I follow teacher's recommendations? (3/4 Methods)  (Read 523 times)  Share 

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JR_StudyEd

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Should I follow teacher's recommendations? (3/4 Methods)
« on: February 02, 2019, 01:34:04 pm »
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Hello, guys and girls!
I know the thread subject doesn't give much away as to what my actual queries are, so here they are below:

1) What is your opinion on completing textbook exercises in reverse order of questions? (teacher's recommendations) Does it actually help your understanding? As it just means I dive right into the hardest questions and get stuck easier. (Like right now) Should I complete textbook questions in increasing order of difficulty, or decreasing order?

2) Is there anything I can do to ensure that the pace at which the content is taught doesn't leave me in the lurch EVERY SINGLE TIME? In most cases, I can't really control the speed at which my teacher teaches the content, and we have a course outline to follow. (I am quite frankly surprised that I wasn't able to find any topics relating to falling behind specifically in Methods)

3) How do I deal with a teacher who in class, teaches a few examples taking up lots of time, and when time is running out for the class, says 'do the rest at home'? Because that certainly won't help me stay on track either!

4) Is it a good idea to skip ahead a few exercises/chapters ahead of where the teacher is, and focus on areas I struggled with more so in Unit 1/2?

5) Is there some sort of arbitrary 'weight' or importance that VCAA places on certain topics on the exam? Are some topics more important than others?

I don't feel behind just yet, I just might need to wake up a little and start doing more work.

FYI: I had a tutor (sort of) last year, but the hefty costs drew me away from paid help. Essentially, no to tutors.

Thanks!
« Last Edit: February 02, 2019, 01:39:01 pm by JR_StudyEd »
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Re: Should I follow teacher's recommendations? (3/4 Methods)
« Reply #1 on: February 02, 2019, 04:47:46 pm »
+2
1) On which questions to complete. Make sure you have mastered basics. Mastery does not mean "I know what method to use when I see this sort of question". It means that you can complete it quickly and without mistakes. Beyond the basics, question interpretation is important, so make sure you are exposing yourself to a wide range of questions.

I don't think there's a single answer to your question, because it will probably vary topic by topic. Some areas of study you might need more reinforcement with the basics; others you might be ready to jump into harder questions. You will need to judge this yourself and use your teacher's advice.

2) If you find that you can't keep up with the pace of classes, then try working a bit ahead. This isn't necessarily doing all the questions ahead of time, but perhaps at first try reading the textbook's explanation and examples. Just try to get an idea of what the basic idea is, so then your work in class is more about fleshing out details. If your concern is more about having time to complete work, that's a broader question about organisation.

3) Discuss with your teacher. It's not unreasonable for a teacher to expect you to do some self-learning, but if you think your teacher is taking too long on simple examples and not giving sufficient instruction on tougher concepts, you should discuss it with them. As long as you present your concerns in a reasonable way, teachers are grateful for feedback. But it also sounds like other students may also be in this situation (since the whole class is being asked to self-learn), so you should try to set up a study group with some of your class-mates to teach each other the content.

4) You should always be concentrating on known weaknesses. It can be good to stay ahead of the class if you find it hard to keep up by just following the class pace.

5) Some topics are assessed more frequently than others. You can determine this by looking at past exams and discussing with your teacher.