Success in Math and Success in Your College Studies: Learning Strategies for All Students

By Hector R. Valenzuela, Ph.D.

With the challenges that every college student faces in getting their degree, there is an ever increasing need to help students pass their college-level math courses and provide each student with successful learning strategies to achieve their college degree. As you reflect on this critical topic whether you are a student, instructor, education Administrator, or parent, consider these questions: What are the most effective learning strategies to pass a college math course? What are the best learning strategies for achieving a college degree? As a student, what learning strategies position you for success in your college education? Dr. Valenzuela’s background in teaching and research at the college and university level form the basis for this critical topic. In this book, the reader will begin a journey with Dr. Valenzuela on discovering effective college learning strategies for all students. These strategies will assist them in passing their college math courses and help them succeed in their college classes. With the rising costs of a college education, this topic is of the utmost importance in our society.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Outskirts Press
• Release date: Mar 24, 2022
• ISBN: 9781977253880

Hector R. Valenzuela, Ph.D.

Dr. Valenzuela has 16 years of experience teaching mathematics to college and university students, and for 11 of the 16 years he has taught online mathematics to university students. Having been formally trained in the area of mathematics both in undergraduate and graduate school, he spent 15 years working in the applied fields of Management Information Systems, Business Finance, and Business Development (all for the same company). Dr. Valenzuela has a Ph.D. in Math Education with a specialty in college contextualized (applied mathematics) curriculum. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mathematics and a Master of Arts degree in Mathematics. His love of mathematics teaching extends to writing and researching mathematics where he is a published author in mathematical research on college curriculum research topics.

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Success in Math and Success in Your College Studies

Learning Strategies for All Students

All Rights Reserved.

Copyright © 2022 Hector R. Valenzuela, Ph.D.

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Acknowledgements

This book is dedicated to my amazing and loving children Cooper, Ellie, and Sophie. They are an inspiration and foundation for my success, eternal joy, and infinite ∞ happiness. My hope is that Cooper, Ellie, and Sophie each live a life of purpose, that they find and know their individual talents, and that they use their distinct talents to serve others. By doing so, they will live fulfilling and purposeful lives, and they also will be very successful.

Dr. Hector Valenzuela, Ph.D.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction

2. An Excellent Student

3. Overcoming Obstacles

4. Time Management

5. Learning is Not a Transaction

6. Setting Big Goals

7. Dealing with Catastrophic Events in Your Life

8. Ganas (pronounced Gaaa-Naas)

9. Remember Your Motivation

10. Pursue Graduate School

11. Math Shop Talk

12. Select a Mentor

13. Taking Care of You

CHAPTER ONE

Introduction

The Importance of this Book

This book is a necessity in our current environment in which many students are struggling, not only in their college math classes, but in their college education. With my experience of 16 years of university and college mathematics teaching, I bring a unique perspective regarding what I’ve seen as the challenges for college students as they seek to pass the course requirements their degree. Moreover, many of those challenges are not unique to students in face-to-face classes, but they extend to college classes taken online. In fact, students taking college math courses online may feel even more isolated, yet there are opportunities here too that will help students succeed in their college math courses and college education. There is also another major component to the failing of college math courses. It is not only very disheartening for students to fail a college course, but also very expensive for students to have to retake the failed math course or failed college course. Failing college math courses and not being able to get a college degree has a huge financial impact. Many students are borrowing money to attend school, and therefore, that money needs to be repaid whether a student fails or succeeds in getting their college degree.

Development of Successful Strategies

The development of successful strategies in passing a college math class is critical for all students. However, as students develop their skills for passing their math classes, they are also developing effective skills for passing all their college classes. As I refer to the term college in this book, this reference is for both colleges and universities. Colleges are now offering bachelor’s degrees and, in some cases, master’s degrees, and so, when I mention the term college, I am also including all colleges and universities in my reference to math courses or courses in general. Typically, the math classes required for a bachelor’s degree at a college tend to be specific math courses such as College Algebra and another required course might be Introduction to Statistics. Therefore, when you hear the term college throughout the book, keep in mind that I am referring to both colleges and universities.

My Own Personal Stories

I will be sharing my own personal stories to help motivate and uplift students on their math journey to complete their college education goals. The sharing of my own personal stories will offer a foundation of a sense of purpose and goal-setting that I used in getting my degree. Some might see people successfully reach extremely high levels of college achievement and think that they could never reach that level perhaps because of their lack of money or family background or history. The reality is that students can reach almost any goal and achieve any degree if they have the right strategies and motivation. My goal in this book is to provide those strategies and motivational techniques so students can succeed in passing their college math courses and succeed in getting their degree.

One of the first things that many of my college math students tell me is that they are not good at math. Therefore, I wrote this book for all students, regardless of their skill level and regardless of their level of math knowledge.

The strategies that I will review will not only help them build successful techniques for their math classes, but will also help students in other college classes as well. Hence, the title of this book: Success in Math and Success in Your College Studies.

My goal is to provide students a window into my own education and background, and how I have developed specific strategies and techniques for learning math and also successfully navigating the college experience in getting a college degree. For the most part, I’ve been in school most of my life, yet even with many obstacles in my life, I have been very successful in higher education. For instance, I was a first-generation college student. I paid for my own education by taking loans and working. I had a significant back injury at the age of 16, which left me with a lifetime of chronic pain. Even with these obstacles, I met all my higher education goals. I obtained my Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in mathematics. It took me four and a half years to get my bachelor’s degree. I then worked my way through graduate school to get my