March 30, 2004
A: FROM MENTOR CHARLENE CASSIDY IN SC
Sharon the first thing you should do is talk to you teacher. Explain your problem to her/him. If you get to keep your copies of tests and quizzes -- look back over the problems that you solved incorrectly -- try solving them again now to see where you went wrong. Are you having difficulty understanding the problem (what you are being asked to solve) or difficulty with the method you teacher wants you to use to solve the problem? Ask your teacher to go over the problems and solutions with you privately or even in class. Perhaps other students are having the same problem you are.

Another thing you can do is try to form a study group with a other students in your class -- limit it to about 3 or 4. You can work homework problems and study for tests together -- you may be able to help grasp and reinforce concepts taught in class.

Most importantly, don't give up. Sometimes it is hard to change the things we are used to or comfortable with, but with a little effort, you'll be able to do it. Best of luck.
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A: FROM MENTOR JO ELLEN HINCK IN MO
Sharon-
As you have found out firsthand, every teacher has a different style. I
think the fact that you recognize where you are having the problem (i.e.
test questions) shows you have the ability to overcome this. I would
suggest looking over the portions of the tests that you have had
difficulty answering. Are there certain types of questions you have
problems with every time? I would then talk with your teacher. A teacher
is there to help students succeed and would most likely be willing to talk
with you about your concerns. The last thing I would recommend is go into
your next test with confidence. With a 97% in the first semester, it
sounds like you are a serious student that prepares for tests. Keep this
in mind and don't get intimidated by the test questions!
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A: FROM MENTOR JOAN LUSK IN RI
You've shown that you can understand geometry when it's presented one
way, so let's focus on the matter of different teaching and learning
styles. If you can learn to cope with the new teacher's style you
will have gained a very useful skill, because you'll be encountering
other people's different styles all the way through school and at
work. (You do get to choose your friends!)

The most direct way is to talk with your new teacher about his or her
expectations. But first, I think, you should try to analyze the
difference between teachers. Go back over some material presented in
the old way and some presented in the new way and think about how the
methods differ. Did the old teacher prompt you with leading
questions and the new teacher expect you to find your way unaided?
Can you imagine what prompts the old teacher might have given, and
think of them on your own? When it comes to homework problems and
exams, does the new teacher expect you to put theorems together and
prove new things more than the old teacher did? You can practice
that skill - practice thinking "what if both these theorems are true;
what can they prove together?" And when faced with a non-trivial
exam problem, you will have the habit of combining what you know to
prove something new, rather than expecting just one theorem to be
enough.

You can try to talk with each teacher about the same material, asking
how each one decides to present it. Friends still in the first
teacher's class can tell you how that one presented it, too. One
teacher may stay close to the textbook's method and the other one try
a different approach in class; if you know what each is trying to do
you can learn from either. If you can articulate how the first
teacher approaches new material, you can try on your own to approach
it the same way even though the second teacher does it differently.
Very possibly the two styles complement each other, and when you can
use either one you will be better able to learn new math in general.

But if the difference in styles is less about the math itself and
more about attitude - the first teacher approaching the class with a
positive attitude ("we can all do this!") and the second more
negative ("this class of dummies is never gonna understand math") -
then you may have to be your own cheerleader. You've proved that you
_can_ do very well. Don't let a skeptical teacher discourage you -
you can show that you have the ability! Be one of those people who
take someone's lack of faith in them as a challenge, not a prediction.

I hope you find a way to continue doing well in geometry and to enjoy it.
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A: FROM MENTOR KRIS MOODY IN NH
If you haven't done it already, maybe the first thing you should do is
to go and talk with your teacher. If you have homework and you're doing
well on that, then the teacher is probably aware that you are a good
student. Maybe a little one on one time would help. Maybe you could get
some insights into the testing method, or maybe your teacher would be
willing to work privately with you to help you connect better with the new
testing method. Maybe you might even be able to find a way to do practice
tests in the style of testing that you expect to have in class. I think
talking with your teacher and explaining your concerns and your desire to
do whatever you need to do to overcome them is an excellent way to approach
the challenge.