Mobile phone apps can take the place of a lot of workshops for improving test scores. Start by downloading apps and looking at a lot of test questions to prepare for the SAT and other standardized tests. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VjcDoQ_70k A demonstration on a smart phone
When you complete 18 minutes of SAT test prep using mobile apps, give yourself a reward: put a check mark on a calendar. You can collect a check mark for every day that you study at least 18 minutes.
You can find more test prep ideas at the Facebook group (Free SAT Test Prep) and the page "Free Test Prep." You can also get tips on Florida Test Prep (please take the tour) While you are here, click and increase the hits on this video....
Many athletes (and other students who invest time in extracurricular activities) don't have time to take a weekday or weekend workshop to improve a test score. You can learn about the Free Test Prep system below. Perhaps the "loose style" and independence will appeal to you. Start at Florida Test Prep.com Key ideas a) Many students don't work independently. They need a push. You can ask me to send you reminders ... call me at (954) 646 8246 and text me your phone number so I can text you reminders. b) Some students can use mobile phone apps to learn "on the go."
c) Often we can learn OUTSIDE school. Why not skip the workshop (where many students wait for the teacher to give the next problem) and instead "go to the lake"? d) Perhaps family and friends can teach us, too. Ask your parents, "How do you remember these difficult words? What stories do you tell yourself to remember the meanings of these words?"
Principles for the Free Test Prep system (1) Leave a paper trail. Write how you found an answer so you can recheck the process that you used. Write the steps in a calculation. (that's why we encourage you to leave the calculator at home). (2) Use free resources and materials. (a) See SAT Math questions (DOWNLOAD THIS FILE) (b) Free math questions at majortests.com (c) http://www.freevocabulary.com/ (d) get the free apps for mobile phones
(3) Expose yourself to a lot of problems. This is what I call "go to the Lake." In 1975, I took the SAT and got 570 math, 550 verbal. Then I spent three weeks on a lake in Canada with my grandfather. No TV, just my workbook. 3 hours in the morning, 1 hour in afternoon, one hour at night, 5 hours x 6 days x 3 weeks = about 90 hours of study. I looked at every math problem in the workbook. My math score was 800 (perfect score) and my verbal score was 720. This Free Test Prep method depends on you. You can push yourself to see more words and identify confusing math problems. You can start by looking at this video
(4) Talk. When you speak, you create connections that add to the learning that you did when reading. When you see a new word, start to use it in conversations. (5) Volunteer to teach via video. I teach test prep classes at Broward College and my students there are interested in hearing "real students talk about math." You can find a problem that you know well and video your performance.
How to look at math problems: put a check mark if you can do the problem in under 1 minute. put "FASTER" if you find the answer but you took more than a minute and you need a tip to get faster. put "???" next to problems that you can't do at all. Send the "FASTER" and "???" to TheEbookman@gmail.com and I'll post on Youtube some answers showing the faster ways to do these problems. Here are some examples: Let's be flexible (a 1-minute talk by Steve) Students look at a chart Students show how they solved this Rectangle problem
BONUS Get a lesson from a professor (at the beach) Beach Math 18 minutes per day with vocabulary practice x 7 days ------------- 126 minutes per week or 2 hours per week In 26 weeks, that's 52 hours of study. That's close to the 90 hours that I put in to get my results. Then you just need to add one hour a week of scanning for difficult math problems. Send the difficult problems to TheEbookman@gmail.com. I'll post video answers on my channel. Did you DOWNLOAD THE FREE MOBILE APPS?
Here's an interesting paragraph from an article in the New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/12/technology/personaltech/12smart.html?_r=0
\\\ ACT/SAT Math Booster is another interesting one for Android users who bring a Texas Instruments TI-83 or TI-84 calculator into the test. The calculators can be programmed to include shortcuts for complex equations like the quadratic formula, and Math Booster offers step-by-step instructions for doing so.
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Comment by a math teacher: see the note about the Paper Trail below... Students, try to exist without a calculator.
Principles for the Free Test Prep system (1) Leave a paper trail. Write how you found an answer so you can recheck the process that you used. Write the steps in a calculation. (that's why we encourage you to leave the calculator at home). (2) Use free resources and materials. (a) See SAT Math questions (b) Free math questions at majortests.com
(c) http://www.freevocabulary.com/ (d) get the free apps for mobile phones (3) Expose yourself to a lot of problems. (4) Talk. When you speak, you create connections that add to the learning that you did when reading. (5) Volunteer to teach. I teach test prep classes at Broward College and my students there are interested in hearing "real students talk about math." You can find a problem that you know well and video your performance. Here is an example:
True, this is not an SAT or ACT or GRE class, but the example in this video is from a math class. Just point the camera or smart phone at the paper and start talking. Your explanation might be what another student needs.
(a) Upload your explanation to Youtube and
(b) send the link to me. TheEbookman@gmail.com. Thank you.
The purpose of this course is to make better use of your time ... this includes asking you to look for patterns. You can often do better math if you use a pencil and paper. Leave the calculator at home.
