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I need some math advice, specifically test-taking...


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Dd is 15 1/2 and working thru Jacob's Geometry. She struggles with math, has for quite a while. Basically, she can get it - but it takes her some time. This year, she is having a hard time translating the work from the chapter to the test. Some of this is test anxiety, which we are coaching her thru. But there does seem to be a gap between the knowledge from the chapter and applying that to the test.

 

Can anyone help me with this? I am out right now but heading home in a bit...feel free to ask me questions if that will help fine-tune your thoughts and advice.

 

Thanks so much.

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This year, she is having a hard time translating the work from the chapter to the test. Some of this is test anxiety, which we are coaching her thru. But there does seem to be a gap between the knowledge from the chapter and applying that to the test.

 

 

What is the structure of the test? Are the test questions similar in format to the practice problems in the chapter?

Are these tests you give her at home? What would happen if you did not call it a test, but a "test preparation homework" - would she do better? (Sneaky, I know - but doing this may help pinpoint the problem)

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...but seem to require her to go a bit deeper in application of the topic. I do give here the tests at home.

 

After talking with dh, we think we have a variety of issues going on here. The test anxiety seems to be getting better this year...she had a great PSAT experience and seems to be less apprehensive about taking other exams. Tee is still a it of a confidence issue there, though - believing in herself that she knows this stuff.

 

As for the knowing the stuff :glare: we have learned tonight that she has been taking shortcuts in her studying. Still studying, but not thoroughly enough. That seems to be at the root of the problem today.

 

Honestly, I'm so frustrated I could cry. Dh and I require mastery in our school. Because she slacked off, we need to go back and redo this chapter. This is the 2nd chapter we have to do this with. I am concerned about even finishing up Geometry this year, and not having lots of Alg 2 before PSATs in Oct.

 

Sorry this ended up long. Thanks for your thoughts...I appreciate that you took the time to write.

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...but seem to require her to go a bit deeper in application of the topic.

 

I'd like to compare studying for tests with athletic training: you train harder than the actual race will demand of you.

When I design homework assignments and tests, I make sure that it is the homework that is harder - and the tests are the difficulty of the average practice problems, not the really hard ones, and certainly not more difficult than the homework.

Maybe there just is not a good match between tests and chapter problems?

 

As for the knowing the stuff :glare: we have learned tonight that she has been taking shortcuts in her studying. Still studying, but not thoroughly enough. That seems to be at the root of the problem today.

 

Honestly, I'm so frustrated I could cry. Dh and I require mastery in our school. Because she slacked off, we need to go back and redo this chapter. This is the 2nd chapter we have to do this with. I am concerned about even finishing up Geometry this year, and not having lots of Alg 2 before PSATs in Oct.

That is a problem - sorry to hear that. But in going back and having her redo it you are sending exactly the right message.

I don't think you need algebra 2 on the PSAT - I only looked at the SAT and there it seemed was no algebra harder than quadratic equations (and those don't come up every year)

 

Good luck.

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Wow...you have given me a couple of excellent ideas to consider...thank you so much. The problems on the the test do seem a bit more difficult to me than the ones in the chapter. I need to look more deeply into that. Perhaps I could design a test for her myself. Kind of intimidating to me. :)

 

And you are right - we are sending the right, strong message to dd by having her redo the work. I just feel as though the last few weeks have been a waste of time...but I do believe that this is character-building and will serve her well.

 

Off to ponder...

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Perhaps I could design a test for her myself. Kind of intimidating to me.

 

Actually, that does not have to be hard. Our math text does not come with tests; I look at the chapter problems and select a good subset of representative problems to give as a test.

If you feel able to do that, you can change the numbers. If not, no big deal, because nobody memorizes algebra problems. If I gave my DS a system of linear equations last week, I could give him the same problem today, he would have to go through the complete procedure to solve. He would have seen several similar systems and practiced on them, but having previously encountered this particular one would not make a difference.

It works like this with most standard math problems. Of course, if you go beyond standard and have a problem that requires some very creative thinking to see a "trick" (such as Math competition problems etc), having seen the problem before makes it easier - but that's not the stuff you'd normally put on a test.

 

I test only once a semester; so I select problems from different chapters, some that were solved three months ago - they might remember the story of a particular word problem "Oh yes, we did have one with apples and oranges" - but won't have memorized that math.

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