How To Read Mathematics Textbook
Reading a math textbook is very difficult.
How to read mathematics textbook. It might take you half an hour to read and understand just one page. Let me share with you the first paragraph of my math textbook s preface. Instructors of other courses want students to. Reading a mathematics text is very different from reading ordinary english.
If you do not understand a word you are supposed to keep on reading. It is equally appropriate for a chemistry or physics textbook so please substitute science for math depending on your class. The flow of a math book is not like the flow of a novel. Students are taught to read quickly or skim the material.
This passage was written with math textbooks in mind. Every sentence in a math book is full of information and logically linked to the surrounding sentences. It is equally appropriate for a chemistry or physics textbook so please substitute science for math depending on your class. It is about how mathematics should be taught.
Here are some tips on how to learn math from your math textbook. Trying to read math the same way as a novel or a history text is certain to cause you. Reading a mathematics text is very different from reading ordinary english. The way you read a math textbook is different from the traditional way students are taught to read textbooks in high school or college.
If the example skips any steps make sure you write down each one of those skipped steps in the textbook for better understanding. A math book requires a different type of reading than a novel or a short story. T his book is a must read for math teachers. Miikka asked me how i read a maths textbook the other day and i didn t have a better answer than badly i ve mostly tried to read textbooks linearly cover to cover and this doesn t actually work i sometimes end up understanding the material but it s usually not until long after i ve finished or given up on the book.
How to learn from a math book reading a math book is different from reading other types of books and reading a math textbook is different from the traditional way students are taught to read textbooks in general. You should read the sentences carefully and think about their meaning.