One of the most challenging of study skills to apply consistently across all subject areas is making sure you show your work. Though you are most likely to hear these exact words from your math teachers, the idea behind them can be applied in many different ways, depending on the subject and the type of assignment. Showing your work follows naturally from following directions, as the directions you are given often include steps you must follow. What makes both showing your work and following directions so challenging is that it is repetitive and time-consuming, which makes it tempting to cut corners so as to finish your work more quickly. Even if you think you can do your math in your head, or that directions in your other subjects don’t really need to be followed fully for you to show your teachers that you know the material, showing your work as asked is important, because being able to follow the steps in a process and express complete ideas are skills in themselves, and they in turn help you build the skills you need to be able do ever more challenging work as you progress through the grades.
Just as it does in other subjects, showing your work in math involves following directions, but in math in particular, it is about much more than that. Using formulas correctly, expressing answers in lowest terms and/or with the correct labels, and converting measurements are just some of the many possibilities you might need to consider besides calculating correctly, depending on the concept you are studying. Since math involves concepts that build on each other and are often cumulative as well, you may need to use many of these things within the same assignment, or even the same problem, so making the effort to follow directions and repeat certain steps and labels in an individual concept lesson or within a certain unit of study is a good way to make them seem more natural and easier to remember and use accurately when they are presented as part of a cumulative review. I’m sure you are well aware that making sure to show your work in math has the more immediate purpose of making your grades the best they can be, since many teachers will reduce credit and/or mark an answer wrong if you miss a step or a label. As frustrating as that may seem in the moment, and as much as you may not find it fair, an important part of developing good study skills is recognizing that what teachers ask of you is much more about the future than the present. Teachers and professors in later grades may not be quite as strict about some of these things, and you might find then that you do not need to show every step after all, but without the foundation that showing your work now provides, you might find it harder than it needs to be to complete the appropriate steps of the more complex problems you will face in the future.
When it comes to your other subjects besides math, following directions and showing your work can take many different forms. Writing complete sentences and paragraphs, answering questions as asked, and providing details and examples are ways to improve your writing and your grades. It might be challenging for you to follow directions regarding the proper form, length, and detail required in a certain assignment, but the more able you are to do it, the better both your current grades and ability to write in the future will be. It may not be as obvious as it is in math, but writing well also involves building skills that are cumulative in nature. As you learn the rules of good grammar and the ways you can express your ideas across various forms of writing and in your various subjects, using what you’ve learned will only become more important as both fact-based and creative writing concepts and topics become more advanced. Just as in math, it may seem frustrating and unfair if your writing grades suffer because you did not follow proper form even though you knew the concepts or had good ideas, but taking the time to properly follow directions and edit your work now will only pay dividends in the long run.
If you are someone who truly struggles to follow directions and show your work, whether in math, in writing, or across the board, there are steps you can take to improve these skills. Following not just the directions, but also any provided examples, can help, and not just for the first problem or the opening paragraph. Referring back to a math problem example again and again, writing down the steps at the start of each problem, and checking your work for proper conversions and labeling are all ways to increase both your grades and your ability to understand and transfer new concepts to long-term memory so you can call them to mind in cumulative situations. Checking each sentence you write, counting sentences in paragraphs, and reading your work back to yourself can help improve your writing form, while brainstorming, using graphic organizers, and preparing to write by finding and citing examples ahead of time can help improve your content and make your written answers more complete. Brainstorming and graphic organizers are also key to creative writing, as is reading back your work so you can make it as clear as possible. Even if you know that your teacher and/or your peers will help you edit your creative work before you receive a final grade on it, reading over it and making revisions where you can, even to your very first draft, is a good way to increase your chances for a better grade in the moment and improved writing skills down the line.
Even though showing your work, whether in math or written subjects, can be time-consuming, challenging, or both, it is important to the development of your study skills. Building a foundation of skills in both math and writing, applying them consistently, and checking over your work to see that it is as accurate and complete as possible is a good way to improve your grades in the present, and, more importantly, to build the confidence you need to be able to face even greater challenges throughout your academic career.