Graphing Logarithmic Functions with Honors Precalculus (OM013) Peer Tutor Edithe Lam

In this article, the Board of SASS interviews Honors Precalculus and Trigonometry peer tutor Edithe Lam. We hope that this article will help current and future Honors Precalculus and Trigonometry students in their academic journey!

What did you enjoy about Honors Precalculus with Trigonometry (OM013)?

I enjoyed the discussion sections that my class had in the main room. My instructor explained the concepts on the board while I did the problems on a notebook, which led me to understand the material that was being covered more thoroughly. I especially enjoyed working on the problems on the board in break out rooms, so that I could discuss with a smaller group of students and apply what was taught in class.

What challenged you the most in Honors Precalculus with Trigonometry (OM013)? How did you overcome those challenges?

Since this course was one of the first courses that I took in an online class setting, it took me some time to get used to participating in class. I first had to find a motive to want to participate. I realized that by participating, I was learning the material more in-depth. From there, I got more confident participating in class after each time that I proactively chose to raise my hand and speak. Over the course of the school year, with a supportive instructor and peers, I learned to seek more opportunities to participate in class.

What tips do you have that could be useful to students taking Honors Precalculus with Trigonometry (OM013)?

When in class, I would take notes and do the problems in a notebook. That way, I could follow along with the instructor while they were teaching the concepts and look at how other students were doing the problems. For MyMathLab (MML) and Problem Sets, try to do the problems on your own. If you need some help, emailing your instructor and going to office hours is really helpful. I found that there were some units harder than others, so I would go back and do more problems in those sections that I found more difficult whenever I had time.

About how much time did you spend a week working on assignments and preparing for discussion sessions in Honors Precalculus with Trigonometry (OM013)?

In the fall semester, I spent 4-5 hours. In the spring semester, with more difficult material being covered, I spent 6-9 hours.

What did the typical week in Honors Precalculus with Trigonometry (OM013) look like?

There were lectures and textbook chapters that I looked at before class. I wrote notes from the lectures and what I read in the textbook. I also did the problems that were provided in the textbook. There were MyMathLab assignments before and after class and a problem set due a few days after the 2nd class.

What was your favorite topic covered in Honors Precalculus with Trigonometry (OM013)?

I think my favorite was the trigonometry section. I especially enjoyed graphing trigonometric functions.

Do you have any resources (i.e. study tips, useful websites) to share with students who want to take the course?

Before every unit, I would briefly look through all the material that was going to be covered in my textbook, which helped me plan how I wanted to approach the new content. When studying for midterms and finals, I would suggest looking over lectures and textbook chapters that are going to be covered on the exam. I would also suggest doing the problems that were harder for you on MML and problem sets. If your instructor provides the slides that they used for the classes, especially the slides used to review for exams, look over and do the problems on the slides as well.

Edithe Lam is a peer tutor for Honors Precalculus and can be found on the Writing and Tutoring Center.

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