"I never failed once. I invented the light bulb.  It just happened to be a 2,000 step process."
-- Thomas Edison

dreaded “brain... uh... toot.”  (That last one was edited for my more sensitive

audience!)

          I’ve taught thousands and thousands of students…  Believe me when

I tell you that, when a student gets a “D” or an “F” on a test, the student really

just doesn’t know the material very well…  even though he THINKS he does

          So, how does a student really, genuinely think he knows the material and

doesn’t? 

          Studies show that many students make the simple mistake of confusing

familiarity with the material to actual mastery of the material.

          When studying, students start by looking through their notes and/or

homework and it all looks very familiar…  So, they feel comfortable and think

they know the stuff.  This is VERY different than seeing a problem out of

context, so you don’t know what section it’s coming from, and being able to

work all the way through it from scratch without peeking at any formulas or

hints.

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