For some, math and science courses are courses that they enjoy taking, as they find the content interesting, and enjoy working through the types and questions and problems that are presented in these courses. For others, math and science courses are a necessary evil, which they are required to take in order to either acquire their diploma, or pursue certain post-secondary programs. In these cases, finding the motivation to study and practice can be challenging. Here are a few helpful tips to get you motivated to study, if you don’t particularly enjoy your math and / or science courses.
Find a Textbook or Workbook That Works for You
There are so many textbooks and workbooks for each of the math and science courses, and each book will present information differently, and provide different types of problems and questions. As long as the book follows the BC curriculum, it will present all key concepts and problem types to you, so regardless of what book you are given in school, find the right book for you. Take some time at the beginning of the course to research what other resources are out there, and find the one that you find easiest to work with. Using a textbook or workbook that you feel like you don’t understand, or you don’t feel supports your learning style, will only add to the frustration of working through the course, so make sure you have the resource in hand that will put you in the best position to succeed.
Study with Friends
I am a huge supporter of social learning for many reasons. It promotes problem solving, teamwork, allows students to share problem solving techniques and strategies with each other, and potentially most importantly, it makes studying fun! It takes a bit of effort to make sure that you stay on task, but if you are able to stay focused, working and studying with friends can be a great way to make studying a subject you hate fun.
Make the Studying Manageable
Often, when we are about to start studying for a subject that we don’t enjoy, the prospect of sitting down and doing hundreds of practice problems to prepare for a quiz or test can be discouraging. Sometimes, it’s discouraging to the point that we decide not to study. If you are faced with this, break the studying up into manageable portions, and mix in lots of breaks. Tell yourself that you are going to read one chapter, and then take a break, or that you will work through 10 questions, and then take a break. This way, the prospect of studying doesn’t seem as daunting, and you can work through the content in manageable chunks.
Studying for a subject you hate can be daunting, and discouraging, but given that studying and practicing are required to succeed in math and science courses, it’s helpful to try to find ways to motivate yourself so you can get your studying done. Whether it’s by working with the right textbooks or workbooks, studying with friends, or breaking the content up into reasonable chunks, finding ways to stay engaged, and ideally, make the studying process fun, can ensure that you can study hard, and put yourself in the best position to succeed in your math and science courses.