How to Succeed:  You will need to work hard and learn a great deal outside of the classroom.  This is how college is most different from high school.  The pace is faster (perhaps two to three times as fast) and the understanding expected is deeper (beyond working template problems).  Some habits that will help you learn actively (both in and outside of class) and succeed in this course are:

• Read the section before we discuss it in class.  Do not expect to understand everything the first time.  But reading the material ahead of time and trying some problems will help you
(1) be familiar with the basic ideas so you can participate and understand more in class, and
(2) identify what you do not understand so you can ask questions in class or office hours.
 
• Read actively so you will understand and retain the material better.  As you read, write down all questions you have, observations you make, and examples or computations you work out.  Take notes, make outlines, summaries, and lists of results in your own words.  Read when you are alert.
  
  
• Form study teams and discuss what you read and learn with others.  Talking to someone about the material will strengthen your knowledge and make studying more fun, even if that person is not in the class.  Working together you can get further than you can separately.
  
  
• Formulate, record, and ask questions.  If you work hard on a problem yourself and become stuck or do not understand an idea, seek out help from me, the Math Center, or fellow students.  Attempt assigned homework early so you have time to ask questions about it.
 
• Attend every class session on time if at all possible.


• Participate actively and respectfully in group work and discussion during class.
 
• Take thorough notes in class, using your own shorthand and abbreviations in order to keep up.


• Re-read the material again after it is covered in class. Nearly everyone (including me) must read mathematics several times and think hard about it to fully understand it.  You will understand the material more deeply when you re-read it and connect it to ideas in this and other classes.
  
  
• Focus on definitions, conclusions, and methods. Mathematics is a language and it is absolutely necessary to understand the precise definitions of key terms.  Understanding why statements are true is also crucial.
 
• Learn from mistakes of your own and others (including me) made on homework or in class.


• Be organized, clear, and accurate.  Follow the writing guidelines posted for each assignment.
  


• Work productively by developing efficient and effective study and problem solving skills.  Work at least 2-3 hours (on average) outside of class for every hour in class.  If you are working many more hours than this then you are probably not working productively and you should make changes in your study habits.  There are resources available (me and the Math Center) to help you with this.  Keep a time log of how you spend each half hour of the day for a couple weeks to become more aware of your use of time.