Perhaps schools are too busy with social engineering to teach math. We have found that many students really struggle with math, and it doesn’t have to be that way.
I remember when I was a child and I encountered two major problems in math class. One, I didn’t like the teacher. Two, he had no idea what he was talking about.
Let’s tackle the second problem first. Having no idea was mainly caused by a shaky foundation in basic arithmetic and math. Since the foundation was weak, there was no way I could assimilate and advance to higher levels. We find that many students are in this situation.
Hating the teacher was just a distraction and reflex as she hated being “out of place” and looking stupid. It’s easier to blame the teacher than oneself, isn’t it? Of course, the mere fact of hating the teacher made learning that much more difficult as he tended not to listen and the problems were exacerbated.
I was very lucky when my best friend’s father gave me some much needed advice. It seemed crazy at the time, but it worked for me. I wouldn’t recommend it for everyone, nor would it be practical for most. What he told me to do was go teach math in the afternoons at a technical school. This was right after I got kicked out of college. I failed math, you see!
To teach mathematics I had to know how to explain it and for that I had to study with renewed vigor and total concentration. Believe it or not, my math skyrocketed and after I went back to college I graduated with honors and first in my class! That – was a victory after years of suffering.
You can imagine, I’m not advocating this route for you, but just showing you that we really understand the underlying issues and empathize with struggling students.
An experienced tutor should be dedicated to helping overcome these problems by making sure all students have a solid foundation and then helping them climb the math ladder. This has been proven time and time again to be the fastest way to great results. Shortcuts don’t work as they bypass the basic principle that any building must have a strong foundation and the higher the building, the stronger the foundation.
Mathematical calculators are a good example of an important problem. It’s easy to follow the instructions and press a few buttons to get an answer. But how many students really know what the calculator did? How many know how the numbers behave and the real story behind the buzzing chips?
We have found that walking through these problems and solving them with pencil and paper can do wonders for a student’s understanding of basic mathematical principles. It may sound scary, but it works.