How do you study mathematics?

Question

There is more to mathematics than do problems. When students say they are "studying" math, they tend to only work on problems. This is only part of studying mathematics. Students need to understand what is being asked in the problem and how to pull the problem apart to get the answer.

Answer 1

This really depends on the level of math. Solving problems may well be the best option for elementary students who need to build fluency in basic arithmetic. The mistake students make as they get older is they tend to practice the same types of problems in rapid succession. If the problem is a formula they may memorize a particular form of a formula but lack the algebra to derive alternative forms or they expect word problems to have the same grammatical structure. As you get into math like calculus it becomes more important to understand the why such as a physical interpretation or being able to write the steps to a proof.