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Make The Same Mistake Again: Problem Solving Worksheet: Never

This worksheet provides a template to help students systematically analyze mistakes made on math problems to prevent repeating them. It prompts for details of the question, type of mistake, reason for the mistake, and plan to avoid it in the future. An example is given of mistaking the maximum rate of change with the stationary point. The worksheet is intended to build a deep understanding of topics to solve problems more efficiently.

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268 views

Make The Same Mistake Again: Problem Solving Worksheet: Never

This worksheet provides a template to help students systematically analyze mistakes made on math problems to prevent repeating them. It prompts for details of the question, type of mistake, reason for the mistake, and plan to avoid it in the future. An example is given of mistaking the maximum rate of change with the stationary point. The worksheet is intended to build a deep understanding of topics to solve problems more efficiently.

Uploaded by

zentropia
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Problem Solving Worksheet: Never

Make the Same Mistake Again


Worksheet by iCanStudy Student Louis Huynh, contribution by Derrick Mah

Important note

Be as specific as you can be. The more specific you are, the better you can fix your issues
and NEVER. MAKE. THE SAME. MISTAKE.

Why is this important?

We have the notion that doing questions over and over again will make us better and
improve our grade. While true in a sense, the students who ace their math exams can solve
problems within the time limit and 100% accuracy. Not only this, but some top students
seemingly spend significantly less time focusing on maths and more on other subjects such
as chemistry, biology, digital solutions, history etc.

So, what’s the trick? What’s the life hack? Just be born smart? No. The answer is simple.
They have a deep understanding of the topic and do not need to spend time doing 100
variations of a question asking for the same thing. Instead, they just need to do 5.

Having a deep understanding of a topic is a whole different ballpark but if you want to see
tangible results and save more time, then here is a basic guideline in never making the same
mistake.

After a while, you find that you start automatically asking these questions when you get a
question wrong. At that point, you can refrain from having to use this worksheet.
What was the What kind of mistake did Why did you make this mistake? How will you ensure that you will never make this
question? you make? Was it due to misunderstanding the mistake again?
Format: Topic title, question Even if you got an answer correct, question? A lack of working? Or was it due Will you relearn the topic? Will you add more to your working out?
type (SF, CF, CU) was it the best possible method to to a gap in your fundamental understanding
achieve that answer? If not, then of the topic?
consider it to be a mistake.
Example 1: Unit 3 Exam To find the maximum rate of I mistook finding the maximum rate of Firstly, I need to understand that “maximum rate” implies
revision Question set 4, change, I calculated the x- change with stationary point. calculating the derivative, which is the rate of change at any
question 4, CF intercept of the derivative. given point on a curve. To find the maximum rate, I have to
calculate the maximum turning point of the derivative
function because that is the highest rate. The x-intercept of
a derivative graph means that the rate of change is 0.
Alternatively, I could find the derivative of the derivative and
its x-intercept for the same value.

Example 2: Sometimes, I used the circumference of a I was thinking about the previous Next time I will write out the whole formula from the
you can come up with circle instead of the area of a question, which asked for formula booklet and double-check whether the formula I
your own questions circle to find the shaded area circumference. I wasn’t in the correct wrote out helps me answer the question. I can also visually
mindset due to misinterpreting the shade the area that I want (i.e. whole circle - sector)
word “shaded area”. This was due to a
lack of logic regarding what the
question was asking me for.

Example 3: I incorrectly identified the I had poor logic in understanding how Next time double-check the value of the interior angle by
You will find that you get interior angle of the bearing as bearings work, as I didn’t measure first drawing the true bearing and then finding the
used to this column 30 degrees instead of 50 from true north. I also didn’t try and get complimentary angle from that.
more quickly than
degrees. The question said the the interior angle in various ways.
others.
true bearing was 050, but I
measured the 50 degrees from
the 90-degree line instead of
true north.

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