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1.4
Best Practices for Learning Mathematics
P
urpose
The role this topic plays in quantitative reasoning
An important aspect of quantitative reasoning is expanding your quantitative tool set. The longer you
study and work on learning mathematics, the more opportunities you have for expanding the depth and
breadth of your analytical tools. This also help you improve your mathematical thinking, modeling,
quantitative problem solving, and learning. The faster and more effective that you are with these par-
ticular processes, the more likely you are to embrace the opportunities to add to your analytical and
quantitative toolsets. In many ways, success makes future success more likely. In this learning activity,
you will be exposed to several learning tricks, techniques, and short cuts in learning mathematics. These
best practices have been contributed by a variety of mathematical experts, from those who teach in the
classroom to those who use applied and analytical mathematics in the real world. The techniques they
demonstrate will enhance your use of both the LPM and reading process. Additionally, they will be
introduced and explained in a way that allows you to make the most of your prior knowledge of math-
ematics, helping you to dramatically decrease the amount of time you spend on learning mathematics
and producing generalized knowledge that can be transferred and used in new mathematical learning or
quantitative problem solving. The enjoyment and fun that comes from being an effective and efficient
learner of mathematics can open many new doors for you.
L
earning Goals
What you should learn while completing this activity
1. Identify five of your current practices in learning mathematics that you want to change.
2. Gain proficiency in five new practices that you value and will use throughout this course, future
courses, and your life.
3. Recognize when a best practice in learning mathematics will be effective for you.
D
iscovery
Finding out for yourself
When was math easy for you to learn? Think through the different stages of your life to determine when
learning mathematics seemed easy and worthwhile. Consider that young children have been known to
track game statistics of their favorite baseball or football players and can even argue about who is the
best player in different aspects, based upon a range of statistical data. When it comes to cooking, halving
a recipe is a direct application of fractions. We also find fractions applied by many musicians, when they
use and adapt musical notations. Probably the most common mathematical expertise is that having to do
with money: obtaining it, using it, and exchanging it.
Identify five situations where you thought that math was easy. Give at least four reasons whymathematical
language, structures, or tools were easy to grasp and use, based upon your own experiences
W
hat Do You Already Know?
Tapping into your existing knowledge
1. What are your current best practices when it comes to learning mathematics?
2. How often do you draw pictures to represent some aspect of math?