How To Not Make Silly Mistakes In Math

Copying Incorrect Data From Given Questions During Board Exam

One of the silliest mistakes students make during the Math exam is copying incorrect data from the question paper.Due to exam tension or lack of time, some do not read the questions properly in a hurry, they copy the incorrect data which will result in incorrect solutions/answers.This can be avoided by reading the questions carefully and noting important data/points before solving.

Why Is A Growth Mindset Better Than A Fixed Mindset

It is important to understand that labeling children as weak students or good at math students is never going to help. Unfortunately, teachers as well as parents tend to do this constantly.

Research has shown that students who are labeled weak students when young, tend to underperform throughout their academic lives. Its as if they internalize the label and keep reinforcing this weakness in their minds.

On the other hand, students who are always praised for being strong in math might become complacent and not strive hard enough to excel further.

Thus, we need to get rid of this fixed mindset framework of bucketing children into fixed ability categories and move towards a growth mindset framework, which implies that every child’s ability can grow and grow significantly.

To know more visit: Growth Mindset

If we do a root cause analysis of the problem why the child is currently struggling with math we will find that it is almost entirely due to the way the child has learned math or has been taught math.

Every child is born with never-ending curiosity. And mathematics is a subject which has the potential to give any child a playground to unleash that curiosity.

Unfortunately, from a very young age, children are exposed to math in a highly rote-memorization oriented manner.

Children are expected to mug up facts and formulas and solve repetitive drills based on this superficial learning and not the basic concepts vital in understanding math.

Learn From Others Mistakes

No matter how much you know or think you know, it always important to learn from the mistakes of others. What silly mistakes did a co-worker make that caused a big stir in the office? Make note of it and intentionally try not to make the same mistakes too. Some of the greatest lessons are those we learn from others. So pay attention to past mistakes made, what they did right, what they didn’t nail and how they got out of the rut.

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Encourage The Child To Ask A Lot Of Whys In School

We have seen a lot of examples where students hate mathematics because their curiosity regarding math was not addressed properly by their school teachers.

They were discouraged from asking too many questions.

Because teachers are time-pressed to complete the syllabus, there is a tendency to skim through concepts without spending a significant amount of time on any basic math concepts.

This reason is one of the biggest contributors to a childs eventual struggle with math.

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How To Avoid Mistakes At Work

It is okay to wander off with your mind when too much is happening at work. However, during that wander do not leave the door open for tricks to slide into your work and make you vulnerable to making mistakes. To prevent that, follow these 8 ways to avoid mistakes and you will never have to worry again!

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Take The Pressure Of Marks Off The Childs Mind

The child is already struggling with math.

Adding the pressure of doing well in school exams on top of this will only increase the childs misery, and push the child further away from a genuine fundamental understanding of math concepts.

Do not impose your expectations of marks on the child.

Know how to improve the academic performance of weak students, know the p\appropriatereport card comments for weak students.

Remember that the education of a child is a long-term marathon rather than a short-term sprint.

It is alright if the child loses a sprint focus on the marathon. Just telling your child that you place more importance on true understanding math rather than marks and the child should work towards that goal rather than marks will create a dramatic creative space in your childs mind.

And yes, good marks will come as a consequence of fundamental understanding, but fundamental understanding will not come as a consequence of good marks.

So which would you prefer?

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How To Stop Making Silly Mistakes On Math Exams

• Read the question multiple times: When reading the question, make sure you read it at least twice. If you dont understand what youre being asked to do, chances are you will not get the question right.

• Read the entire question: Read the question in its entirety, especially when it has multiple parts. I cant count how many times i only worked the first part of a problem and forgot to work out the remaining parts.

• Take deep breaths: Before starting your exam, close your eyes, take a couple deep breaths and remind yourself youve prepared well and will demonstrate it on the exam.
• Stay focus on your work: Dont worry about what the person next to you is doing. Dont get distracted by what may be happening outside of class. Anything can really be a distraction, its on you not to let distractions break your concentration.
• Get a good night sleep: I know this is foreign to most college students but its time to get acquainted with it. Coffee will never beat the benefits a good night rest brings.

How To Avoid Careless Mistakes At Work

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Mistakes at work are a common thing. And when we work too much, careless and silly inaccuracies happen, especially when you are a perfectionist and want everything to work excellent. Sending an e-mail to the wrong person, overlooking a number in the reports, it all happens to everyone. But mistakes are not intentional, they happen because we get distracted.

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There Are Several Common Ways In Which Smart People Manage To Shoot Themselves In The Foot

Scientists might finally have an explanation for why this is the case. Intelligent people tend to blurt out answers with confidence, explained Bradberry. The research explained why rational thinking and intelligence dont tend to go hand in hand.

Two universities found smart people were more likely to blurt out the wrong answer because they actually make more mental mistakes when problem-solving, Bradberry wrote. Smart people are more prone to silly mistakes because of blind spots in how they use logic. These blind spots exist because smart people tend to be overconfident in their reasoning abilities. That is, theyre so used to being right and having quick answers that they dont even realise when theyre blowing it by answering without thinking things through.

There are several common ways in which smart people manage to shoot themselves in the foot. Among them:

Smart people are overconfident. A lifetime of praise and pats on the back leads smart people to develop an unflappable faith in their intelligence and abilities, Bradberry wrote. Smart people often fail to recognise when they need help, and when they do recognise it, they tend to believe that no one else is capable of providing it.

Yoshiharu Ueki, president at Japan Airlines Company

If you find yourself falling into this trap, there are things you can do to change your ways, Ueki wrote.

Encourage The Child To Explore And Make Mistakes

Many parents tend to believe that math is all about getting the right answers. Making mistakes is frowned upon. Children are taught complex algorithms and then expected to apply them flawlessly. Parents fret about their children making silly mistakes.

To read more about silly math mistakes visit: Math Mistakes

In our opinion, this focus on outright accuracy is ridiculous. Research has shown that even when children make mistakes, they learn. In fact, in some cases, they might learn more.

We should encourage children to learn math by exploring ideas rather than memorizing them and in this exploration process, it is alright if they make a few mistakes. Let them fall as many times as they may eventually they will learn to walk and even run!

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Its Time To Start Thinking

Indeed, thrown in at the deep end with any kind of complex problem to solve, many novice learners will have too much to think about, become overloaded and will struggle to find a solution.

This is a key reason why approaches such as problem and inquiry-based learning posing questions, problems or scenarios, rather than simply presenting facts have promised so much but delivered so little. Yet such methods remain highly popular.

You may have heard the argument that knowledge is now available at the click of a mouse and so there is no longer any need to commit this to memory.

The problem is that you cannot think with information that is lying around on the internet. Knowledge that is in our long-term memory can be effortlessly brought to mind when required.

In fact, this is what tends to happen when we critically analyse sources we bring our own knowledge to bear on what is being presented. If there is a mismatch between the two then we take a sceptical stance or request more information.

Mistakes But Not From Carelessness

Often what looks like carelessness is in fact a lack of mastery. Sometimes a student knows enough to get started on a problem, but they havent sufficiently consolidated their understanding to the point where they can consistently apply what they know.

For example, a student might be able to solve a straightforward multiplication problem, but when theyre faced with solving one that requires multiple steps, they appear to have forgotten basic facts. A student who can correctly recognize that the reciprocal of will complete the equation x ____ = 1 may not see that the same answer will work for x ____ = 22 – 3, even if they can simplify 22 – 3 to 1. This isnt carelessness but a result of split attention. If the student hasnt consolidated foundational skills, more complex problems become much more difficult because there are simply too many pieces for the brain to keep straight.

When we see these mistakes, we know that the student needs more work with the concept, but also more opportunities to see the concept in different contexts. We need to help them move from an isolated understanding to an integrated one. We also need to be clear that this isnt an easy transition for students to make.

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How To Avoid Stupid Mistakes In Math

< p> I feel SO stupid…I just got a few math tests/quizzes back and I got Bs/Cs/Ds on all of them due to stupid mistakes …and having a tough teacher isn’t making things better.< /p>

< p> Basically how do you guys avoid doing this? Any tips at all? I’m in Honors Alg. 2 by the way.< /p>

< p> I usually double check my answers by redoing all the problems . If there’s more than one way to do the problem, I’ll sometimes do it a different way to make sure I get the same answer.< /p>

< p> I’m in alg 2 hon too…i usually do a lot of practice problems, and take it very seriously when I make a “stupid mistake”. As in, literally get angry, and rewrite the problem 3x . Like, even today, I did one practice problem for the quiz I had, and realized I had forgotten something stupid that would have messed up my whole quiz if I hadn’t had done it. Good luck, hope that helps< /p>

< p> take a LOT of time reading over the questions– sometimes i’ll circle the numbers i’ll need to use, or mark key words so i actually answer the question.then when i finish the problem i make sure the answer actually seems logical, and if there’s time plug it back into the problem or redo it on scratch paper just to check.< /p>

< p> When you do your problems, use lots of parentheses. It will help you keep track of which terms are being squared, which are being subtracted , etc.< /p>

Tip: Pay Close Attention To The Mistakes Others Make

No matter how much you know or think you know, it is always important to learn from the mistakes of others. Remember, mistakes are meant to teach you not break you. So if you make mistakes, it only shows us that sometimes we need to take a different approach to getting things done.

Mistakes are meant to teach you not break you

No one wants to make mistakes I sure don’t. But that does not mean we should be afraid of them. I have made quite a few mistakes in my work life, which has only proven that I need to be more attentive and that I need to ask for help more than I usually do. So, take the necessary steps to make fewer mistakes but at the same time, don’t beat up yourself over the ones you make.

A great resource on mistakes in the workplace, Mistakes I Made at Work. A great resource on focusing on less and increasing productivity, One Thing.

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For more musings, career lessons and tips that you can apply to your personal and professional life visit my personal blog, www.careyleedixon.com. I enjoy working on being the version of myself, helping others to grow in their personal and professional lives while doing what matters. For questions or to book me for writing/speaking engagements on career and personal development, email me at

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Stop Making Stupid Mistakes

ou missed because you added wrong, bubbled the wrong answer on the answer sheet, misread the question, didnât answer in the right units, didnât. . . .

Youâve been there. We all have. Maybe youâve learned how to curb your errors, but if youâre reading this, you probably havenât cut them down as much as youâd like.

Two keys to minimizing stupid mistakes are developing good habits and organizing your work.

Top Reasons For Weakness In Math And How You Can Help

If you ever want to read it again as many times as you want, here is a downloadable PDF to explore more.

If your child has scored low, it is not entirely his/her fault. There are many factors that affect a childs grasp of math.

Everyone has a different understanding of math concepts and some children may be slower to pick up than others. Sometimes, even if the child is great at math, he/she is not able to perform because of ‘math anxiety’. If your kid is not performing well in maths, it does not mean that they are not smart or are lazy.

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What Is Cognitive Load Theory

Imagine that I asked you to remember the random sequence of letters, XJGTYR. How long do you think you could remember it for?

What about if I asked you to remember, HYSIDHWGDXBU. Clearly, this second task would be harder.

It has been known for some years that the number of items that we can remember like this over a short period of time is between about five and nine. So the first sequence might be possible but the second would be difficult unless you employed some sort of memory technique.

However, imagine that I now asked you to remember the sequence of letters, INDEPENDENCE.

There are 12 letters, just like in, HYSIDHWGDXBU. However, your chances of remembering the sequence are far greater.

This is due to the fact that you have a concept of what independence means that is stored in your long-term memory. You can therefore assign meaning to the sequence of letters so that it becomes effectively one single item rather than 12.

Read The Question Carefully

This tip may seem obvious, but so many silly mistakes come from not actually answering the question!

For example:

In the above SAT question, I might automatically solve for x, and pick the answer A) 2.

But thats not answering the question! It asked for the value of 8x, so the answer is C) 16.

If you find yourself making this type of mistake often, make yourself always box or underline key words in the question to ensure that you are actually answering the question. In the above example, you would underline value of 8x to remind yourself you are solving for 8x, not x.

Lastly, after you solve, check one more time before moving on that you have answered the actual question.

Remember, good habits are the key to catching or preventing silly mistakes.

Here is another math question example from the SSAT, a high school admission exam:

In this lengthier word problem, its even more important to read carefully, and box/underline important ideas:

If I dont read carefully, I might make the silly error of picking E) 6, because I didnt pay attention to the part of the question that told me there must be at least one official in each of the 4 limos. Or I might pick A) 2 because I thought after 4 officials each went into 4 limos, the other remaining 2 officials also had to split up.

But thats not what the problem states! I only need at least one in each limo, so the highest number would be B) 3 because the remaining 2 officials could get into the same limo.

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