Improving your grades in honors math classes
Honors math classes, such as honors algebra 3-4, are designed to be fast-paced and challenging for all students, even students who have always been 'good at math'. Sometimes good students who are used to getting As in their math classes, find that they aren't getting an A and wonder, 'what is wrong?' The truth may simply be that this is the first time you've really been challenged in a math class - and that is a good thing, not a bad thing. But it does mean that you might need to work harder in this class than you have in previous math classes in order to receive top grades. Below are some things that might help:
Things you can do at home...
1) Complete all homework assignments on time, and spend more time on your homework - Often students, especially honors students, have so many things going on that they are just trying to get their homework done as quickly as possible for the sake of getting the homework points, but homework is really supposed to be a process of trying something, checking your answers, seeing if you get things correct, and if not, asking questions until you do understand. This does, unfortunately, mean that homework takes more time...but if students aren't checking their answers, they sometimes don't find out they don't really understand something until the next quiz or test. Planning to leave more time for homework may help.
2) Re-read the textbook explanations and examples - Our textbook is actually very good and has good, detailed examples and explanations. Sometimes, students get so used to learning only from the class lessons that they forget that there is another explanation of the material in the textbook. Just reading the ideas again or getting the book's slightly different explanation style might help in understanding.
3) Watch the Khan Academy learning video links on my website - At the bottom of our class page on my teacher website I have a 're-learning' section with links for each chapter. These lead to other webpages with links to specific videos on the Khan Academy or other online video learning websites that match the topics we are covering in that chapter. Whenever I come across a good explanation video online, I add a link to it here. These 7-10 minute long videos can be watched from home and provide another explanation of things similar to what we are covering in class.
4) If you have a test coming up, you have homework - to 'study for the test' - I don't see this as much in honors classes, but some students think if we are done learning new material and there is an upcoming test, but there is no 'assigned' homework, that they don't have homework. But studying for the test is homework, and typically should take at least as long as completing a new-learning homework assignment. Traditional test studying techniques like making flash cards, reviewing notes, reworking chapter review worksheets until they can be completed without errors, and working additional problems from the textbook are all things that can be included as part of studying for a test. Studying for the test should begin as soon as possible after new material is finished for the chapter.
5) Complete all extra credit assignments and projects - Extra credit points count the same as any other points, but they are added 'on top' of the required points, so they have a large effect on overall grade. A 10 point extra credit project, such as the ellipse project in honors algebra 3-4, has the same effect as receiving 10 extra points (one letter grade) on a chapter test, so take advantage of all extra credit.
Things you can do in class...
6) Ask many questions in class anytime you don't understand something - With 35+ students in class and class periods of only 58 minutes, along with the pace we move through material, there isn't a lot of time in the calendar for many assessments to check understanding. This means that, in honors algebra 3-4, students need to take more ownership of determining for themselves whether or not they understand a concept than in a typical class. Students also need to take the initiative to ask questions if they don't understand. I try to make the environment in class one in which students can feel 'safe' in asking questions to encourage students to ask as many questions as they need to ask in order to understand. Consistently, the students with the best scores on tests are those that won't give up asking questions until they truly understand a concept, so asking more questions is a great way to improve understanding.
7) Volunteer to do 'board work' for the goodie jar - The goodie jar contains slips of paper with extra credit points and homework passes. These are all good ways to increase your grade by participating. Even if you are unsure about how to solve a problem, if you make a mistake on the board, this is actually a good thing. Our whole class gets to examine a common misconception so we can see why we should avoid that mistake when it counts - on the test. The extra credit points from the goodie jar add up over time and help your overall grade.
Things you can do at school...
8) Come in before/after school for tutoring - The time constraints and number of students in the classroom sometimes does, unfortunately, mean that not every student will get all of their questions answered during the classroom time. There are times when a student can sense that, as a whole, the class is ready to move on to a new topic, but they still don't understand something, so they stop asking questions. For these occasions, we provide the free tutoring before/after school in the math office in C114 to any student who walks in. I realize that schedules are tight, particularly for honor students who are involved in extracurricular activities, but sometimes just a periodic 'tune up'...a 20-30 minute tutoring session once a week, can help students get past whatever misconception is holding them back. It is true that there is a limit to how many students can be served this way, but 1:1 tutoring by a DV math teacher is a good, very focused way to revisit math concepts. In general, after school tutoring is more effective than before school tutoring because fewer students are in the math office and there is no time pressure after school to finish up so we can get to class.
9) DV student assigned peer tutoring - We have some advanced math juniors and seniors that can provide 1:1 scheduled tutoring on a regular basis at DV. They typically do this for no fee (because they are earning community service hours.) I can provide a list of student tutors which you can contact to make arrangements.
10) 'Institute of Academic Excellence' tutoring (new) - A brand new program is starting to provide tutoring in all subjects provided by a combination of students and teachers as tutors. This service is provided before and after school in the DV cafeteria and covers all subjects. No previous appointments are needed...students check in with a receptionist in the cafeteria and are assigned to a tutor for that session.
Other things you can do...
If you've tried the above ideas and they aren't working for you, or you just can't make before/after school tutoring work in your schedule, there are other options that are very effective, but most costly.
11) Professional tutoring - If the above options have been tried and aren't working, or aren't available due to scheduling issues, a more major step would be to engage a professional tutor. Some math teachers in the district provide 1:1 tutoring services in students' homes in the evening for a fee. The cost is typically quite expensive (typical rate is $50/hr) but this can be a very focused, high quality tutoring experience for a student who is far behind and needs to get caught up. This type of tutoring can sometimes be done for a short duration, just long enough to 'catch up' and then other, less expensive options can be used to maintain good understanding. I can provide a list of teachers (from Corona del Sol and Mountain Pointe) who do such tutoring (I personally never tutor my own students for money due to professional ethics/conflict of interest).
12) Math learning centers - Sylvan learning center and Mathnasium have programs designed to improve math understanding, although I believe these programs can be expensive, and typically involve the students attending at the learning site at scheduled times/days.
I've had students use combinations of everything above (except #10 which is brand new) with good results, so I know that these thing work. Different things work better for different people, so try different things to find what works best for you!