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VCE Stuff => VCE Mathematics => VCE Mathematics/Science/Technology => VCE Subjects + Help => VCE Specialist Mathematics => Topic started by: Greatness on December 03, 2010, 10:22:38 pm

Title: study over summer hols...
Post by: Greatness on December 03, 2010, 10:22:38 pm
Sooooo my spesh teacher reckons it may not be the best idea to learn the spesh course over the holidays, even if you do get a tutor...
I would think she would be one to trust. In recent years (last 2-3) she has had quite a fair amount of students achieve 40-45 raw, i think aorund 10-12 sutdents. She told me that she told those students not to do anyhting on the hols except for chp 1, but just rest and relax so taht you're ready for next yr.
It seems that her advice does work. Im quite confused now... She is an assessor for methods or spesh one of them.. lol dont know which one. The main reason she didnt want me to selflearn the course is that there may be important things that i miss or that the book explains poorly.
thoughts?
Title: Re: study over summer hols...
Post by: 98.40_for_sure on December 03, 2010, 10:24:34 pm
Tsk tsk tsk i wouldn't take that... she's implying that you're gonna slack off during the year
Title: Re: study over summer hols...
Post by: Greatness on December 03, 2010, 10:39:32 pm
hmm yeah maybe.... but i like the way she explains concepts, in this week she has already shown me so many shortcuts to solving trig equations etc
i think i'll learn the concepts but not do entire exercises, ill do a few questions to ensure that i understand what ive learnt
Title: Re: study over summer hols...
Post by: dptjandra on December 03, 2010, 11:18:19 pm
I had a wonderful 3/4 Methods teacher, but I had still learnt the course entirely beforehand.  Don't think it could hurt to have done it, as long as you keep listening in class to complement your knowledge with hers.  I mean, you probs can just learn the concepts without doing all the problems, then you won't be "corrupted" by a method that's different to hers, but you'll be familiar with the concepts.  That's kind of what I did with Spesh.
Title: Re: study over summer hols...
Post by: shinny on December 03, 2010, 11:22:02 pm
Yeh, I can see where she's coming from and it's something I've warned against when people suggest doing the entire course themselves. Personally never did it myself and never been a fan of this myself more so due to laziness and procrastination reasons, but it's fine so long as you don't get complacent during the year as a result of having done the entire course yourself. As long as you still pay attention in class, it can't hurt. However, the extent of the benefit is questionable since it does take a heap of effort and motivation to do.
Title: Re: study over summer hols...
Post by: samiira on December 03, 2010, 11:34:51 pm
i would say if u can selflearn some spesh chapter over the holidays then do it. It actually makes it actually makes it wayy easier for u when ur learning it the second time with ur teacher. I hardly ever listened in my spesh classes all i did was eat in class ( even though we had two ppl) and i actually offered the teacher food..  but i had done probz half spesh course over the holidays and it kinda helped.
Title: Re: study over summer hols...
Post by: Greatness on December 03, 2010, 11:39:36 pm
Well ive decided ill learn the methods course because most of it is just extension of what we already know, ill just read over the differnet topics for spesh maybe try learning it so that when we learn it in class it wont seem so foreign.
It's good to know that students who havent learnt the course beforehand but still end up achieving very high score :D
Title: Re: study over summer hols...
Post by: Greatness on December 03, 2010, 11:40:34 pm
i would say if u can selflearn some spesh chapter over the holidays then do it. It actually makes it actually makes it wayy easier for u when ur learning it the second time with ur teacher. I hardly ever listened in my spesh classes all i did was eat in class ( even though we had two ppl) and i actually offered the teacher food..  but i had done probz half spesh course over the holidays and it kinda helped.
lol sounds fun :P good to hear that it helps, ill try learning some of it
Title: Re: study over summer hols...
Post by: pi on December 04, 2010, 09:59:30 am
i would say if u can selflearn some spesh chapter over the holidays then do it. It actually makes it actually makes it wayy easier for u when ur learning it the second time with ur teacher. I hardly ever listened in my spesh classes all i did was eat in class ( even though we had two ppl) and i actually offered the teacher food..  but i had done probz half spesh course over the holidays and it kinda helped.

+1, that's what I am aiming to do (from a book that is different to the one used at school, so that I get two sets of questions)
Title: Re: study over summer hols...
Post by: bar0029 on December 08, 2010, 09:18:28 pm
i would say if u can selflearn some spesh chapter over the holidays then do it. It actually makes it actually makes it wayy easier for u when ur learning it the second time with ur teacher. I hardly ever listened in my spesh classes all i did was eat in class ( even though we had two ppl) and i actually offered the teacher food..  but i had done probz half spesh course over the holidays and it kinda helped.

+1, that's what I am aiming to do (from a book that is different to the one used at school, so that I get two sets of questions)

exactly what i am doing

Moderator action: removed real name, sorry for the inconvenience
Title: Re: study over summer hols...
Post by: Readinya on December 08, 2010, 10:53:57 pm
Many of my classmates struggled through methods 1/2 because they weren't exposed to the concepts/topics before, But i actually learnt most of with my methods tutor the year before... It definitely helps to have some background knowledge/practice of they concepts before you do them in class. (I have a teacher who is really good, but teaches a bit fast)

I think what i will aim to do during next year is keep at least one chapter ahead of the class - that way, it means that i don't slack off and i get a heads up before it's being taught in class...
Title: Re: study over summer hols...
Post by: cohen on December 08, 2010, 11:37:52 pm
i would say if u can selflearn some spesh chapter over the holidays then do it. It actually makes it actually makes it wayy easier for u when ur learning it the second time with ur teacher. I hardly ever listened in my spesh classes all i did was eat in class ( even though we had two ppl) and i actually offered the teacher food..  but i had done probz half spesh course over the holidays and it kinda helped.

+1, that's what I am aiming to do (from a book that is different to the one used at school, so that I get two sets of questions)

What book are you guys using at your school? We're using heinemann for specialists D:

Moderator action: removed real name, sorry for the inconvenience
Title: Re: study over summer hols...
Post by: Greatness on December 08, 2010, 11:44:44 pm
We're using essentials for spesh and heinamann for methods.
Just download the ebook for essentials spesh and do those qns at home :)
Title: Re: study over summer hols...
Post by: madoscar65 on December 09, 2010, 11:03:25 am
I was just wondering where I can download the Ebook for Essential specialist??
Title: Re: study over summer hols...
Post by: Greatness on December 09, 2010, 05:48:29 pm
here's a link: <redacted>