Maths can be a challenging subject for many students, and many of them are desperately trying to learn all of the complicated math formulas and concepts thrown at them by their teacher. So, teachers repeat specific concepts again and again until all the info is hardwired into their students’ brains, but this is not the best technique for teaching math.

In fact, it may bore students to a point where they are no longer motivated to learn maths. There are many maths strategies out there. Although the current maths curriculum calls for very specific methods in solving certain math problems. But most of the time, students are given the option to use alternative methods as long as they still get the correct answer.

Solving a math problem
A good maths tutor will know that there are several ways to solve a problem, so they allow their students to explore various math strategies to achieve the final answer. This is the best way to motivate and engage students since this will encourage them to learn more about maths. We shouldn’t force them to stick t only one math method. In fact, their ingenuity, lateral thinking, and self-confidence might be affected if we only stick to one strategy. Giving them more independence to choose which method is more applicable is crucial for successful learning.

Allowing students to make mistakes
Great tutors allow students to make mistakes since this will provide them the opportunity to discover new and more effective mathematical methods. Therefore, incorrect strategies and poor performance are not the result of inaccurate lessons and information but rather how that info is conveyed to the students, especially in a classroom setting.

The ultimate goal for maths tuitions should be to encourage students to engage in an interactive learning experience using various teaching methods and learning strategies. The discussion between the tutor and the student must be more casual since this will make learning maths a more rewarding and engaging experience.

We must prepare students for higher maths since this subject is rapidly growing and used in various fields. They must be competent enough to take on the challenges in their respective fields. Also, teaching maths can only be effective when it impacts the student’s learning.
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Overall, teaching practices can make a significant difference, and using the right method can provide the best outcome for students in the long run.
 

We all have different opinions when it comes to the traits and characteristics of a great maths tutor. But one thing remains unchanged, and those outstanding tutors have certain qualities that distinguish them from the rest. These traits allow them to produce great results for their students.

Here are some characteristics every great maths tutor has:

In-depth knowledge of mathematics
Every maths teacher must have an extensive understanding of the subject. Therefore, they need to undergo a thorough training process in a college or university to acquire the skills and knowledge they will use to teach learners. This includes statistics, geometry, algebra, calculus, and arithmetic.

In fact, they get the knowledge from this institution that will give them the confidence and proficiency in explaining various mathematical concepts to their students. So, great tutors can efficiently help a student solve problems without consulting answers at the back of the teacher’s guide booklet.

Engaging
Successful maths tutors do not force their students to follow their method or approach. Instead, they only act as a guide or facilitator, and they allow students to offer suggestions or a different way of solving problems on their own when they are stuck. Also, they work with their student and give them the motivation they need.

Outstanding tutors will also identify where their students went wrong so they keep working on the problem until it is answered correctly. Most importantly, they provide the proper support and guidance where necessary.

Good motivator
Good maths teachers know and understand that their students have different tastes. So, they are flexible and motivate students based on their interests. For instance, their student wants to become an accountant; they will then give them mathematical problems related to their ambitions.

The same applies to other students who want to become doctors, scientists, engineers, and other related fields. They regularly converse with their students to help them develop the right problem-solving skills that are related to the professions they want to pursue. So, their students are always looking forward, and they never lose interest in studying maths.

Constantly learning
Maths tutors know that it is essential to read new materials because they need to constantly update their knowledge. They also can enrol in supplementary courses, especially in their areas of specialty. Doing this will allow them to better themselves so they can provide more value to their students.

In fact, once a tutor learns about a new maths concept, they will let the student know about it, which could lead to better grades and more effective learning.

Overall, the traits mentioned above are some of the key characteristics of a great math tutor that you should look for when hiring one for your child. At Maths Tutors Melbourne, we hire only the best and most experienced maths tutors. 

Students who have reached high school are expected to develop skills in higher maths like geometry, algebra, and statistics. Unfortunately, many of these kids have a fear of maths and may suffer from a lack of motivation. Also, they rarely have a strong foundation which is a requirement for high school maths classes.

In fact, according to Joseph Davis, author of Essentials of High School Maths, students often need to relearn some basic concepts before moving forward to higher mathematics. That is why they need extra help from their parents or guardians to increase their maths skills. They also need to understand that even careers that don't require maths will still use basic abstract and fundamental concepts.

Here are simple ways to help high school students build their maths skills:

Give inspiration
Students who struggle with maths will most likely lack the confidence to learn it, and they may even avoid the subject entirely. So, it is important to give the student a boost of confidence, and the best way to do this is to find an area that interests them and show them how mathematics can be involved in that field. If they get stuck, it's not an issue, just encourage them to trial and error a variety of techniques to work through the problems. It is vital that we inspire our kids to continue their hard work to overcome complex subjects like maths.

Help at home
Maths skills can also be taught at home, and parents must sit with their children and help them with their homework since they can make a world of difference. You should set aside a specific time each week where you can review your child's homework and answer any lingering questions they may have.

Get a tutor
Sometimes it is better to have someone else help your child with their school work, and this is where a reliable maths tutor comes in. However, finding someone with a solid background can be tricky, so you need to do your research and hire a tutor that can provide the best learning experience for your child.

Let them use maths daily
It is also a great idea to allow your child to practice every day.  They can use maths in any daily situation like tallying the cost of the groceries, or they can calculate the waiter's tip if you are in the restaurant. Also, activities at home like cooking, knitting, and gardening can provide an excellent opportunity to practice their mathematical skills.

Overall, students can be encouraged to develop their maths skills, but it will take some hard work until they build their confidence which is essential for their academic success in the future.

he maths curriculum is an essential tool that you can use to develop your students’ understanding of mathematics in the real world. Research has shown that a deep knowledge of maths and statistics are essential for any maths teacher or tutor. In fact, the curriculum provides a big-picture that can help you and your students progress.

It also shows how students respond to certain problems and how they apply skills and knowledge in more complex ways. Therefore, it will provide important data about your students and what lessons you need to focus on in your class or one-on-one tuition.

How do you use the mathematics curriculum?
The curriculum can help you plan your lessons and classroom program. It also prompts you on which program provides the most opportunities for learning across all aspects of maths.
It is essential for your students to develop their understanding of the curriculum so they can use it confidently in various academic areas and their professional careers. We should also understand the strong connection between statistics and mathematics, so the curriculum will identify your student’s current level of expertise, how well they are progressing in this subject and where they may be stuck.

What is the purpose of the curriculum?
Curriculums can offer guidance to educators for implementing content standards. In fact, the maths curriculum will describe the most effective instruction needed by students to achieve proficiency. It will also provide the guidelines within the curriculum and how educators will implement the relevant content to ensure optimal benefits for all students.

The importance of illustration in lessons
Illustrations can highlight tasks that students can focus on to improve their conceptual understanding, which can promote reasoning and problem-solving. It can also simplify rich classroom activities that many teachers are familiar with. Illustrations can emphasise the most effective route for students to take in terms of learning maths and statistics.

In fact, it will engage them to think, make sense, reason, and explain the concepts they are currently learning. Illustrations can also show how they can use various entry points and varied strategies in solving problems. It will also provide students rich learning tasks that can provide challenges no matter what range of knowledge and skills they have in mathematics.
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Overall, the mathematics curriculum is a tool conceived with the goal of developing students’ problem-solving skills and critical thinking. Teachers can use it to gauge the current level of their students and what adjustments they need to take to effectively teach maths and statistics.

As parents, we know how essential for our children to have a good foundation in maths, because that will make their lives easier in the future. But we should also understand that our children will encounter some roadblocks along the way, like when they are struggling to learn the times tables.

During these times, you must be your child’s biggest supporter and inspiration as they learn the most difficult concepts in maths. So we’ve put together this list that may help you motivate your child in maths.

Praise them for their effort
Every child will be stuck on a maths problem or concept at some point. You should reward your kids for their effort, especially if they try their best to solve mathematical problems. This will build their resilience, an essential quality that will keep them trying to improve. In fact, this trait is more valuable than just talent alone. So, kids who are always rewarded for being ‘smart’ or skilful are more vulnerable to setbacks, and they can quickly get discouraged or don’t take risks at all for fear of failure.

Point out progress
It is better to break down big goals into manageable chunks, so your child can reach these goals easily. In fact, they will be motivated to learn more about maths if they can learn simple concepts and skills before delving into more advanced topics.

Be always on their side
With so much learning to do, including other extracurricular activities, your child can sometimes feel overwhelmed. So, if your child has hit a wall, you need to sit them with them and find a better solution together. When talking to them, use language like “let us work together” or “we’ll find a way to solve this problem.” This will make your child feel like you’re in it together, and that will encourage them to keep trying.

Be organised
We should always gather all the required materials for our child’s study session, so it’s all ready to go. This will ensure that they are not distracted with things like searching for materials that they need for their homework.

Be patient and consistent
You should understand that learning is a slow process, so that you can consider it as a marathon rather than a sprint. So, expect that your child will get stuck along the way. When that happens, you need to be patient and consistent so they can also develop their resilience and be motivated to move on and not give up.

Overall, learning maths is not a walk in the park, so you need to be there to assist and help your child develop their skills. You may also want to consider some of our recommendations above because this might help you motivate your child to learn maths.

 AThe further your child gets into learning maths, the more time they will spend time being stuck as the problems just get harder. We don’t want to see them struggle, but it is something we cannot prevent. Many parents are tempted to help out, but that’s not always the best thing to do.

In fact, it can be counterintuitive since you don’t want them to be too dependent. On the other hand, being stuck in maths is just part of the process, so you must guide them towards the process because this will help them develop strategies for getting unstuck themselves.

Talk about the question but never give away the answer
The most effective way to get unstuck is to let your child explain the problem. In fact, explaining a problem will help them organise their thoughts. Also, you need to know what’s holding them up and what they have already tried, and why it didn’t work. This is often the only way to crack the problem wide open.

As a parent, you should ask your child questions that will force them to think analytically and look at the question differently. A qualified Maths tutor can be very helpful with this particular strategy.

Ask them what they know
Asking your child what they know will help them clarify what bits of the answer they know, so you can determine where the gaps are. So, it’s best to ask them to write everything on a piece of paper and let them turn the problem into a picture or diagram.

You may also require them to break the question into parts that they recognise, because this will help them make links between different parts of their learning. You can also ask them why this is different from the last question or problem you did. This will encourage them to try similar methods and see where they fell short.

Asking them about symbols and words
It is also a great idea to ask them about words and symbols because this can start a conversation about the question. Since maths uses various symbols, your child must know their purpose and their uses.

Overall, helping your child get unstuck in maths without giving away the answer is a good habit to get into. This habit will also help them become more independent because, at some point in their school career, they will need to answer difficult mathematical problems that even you don’t know the answer yourself.

Many parents feel lost when their child asks for help learning maths, especially if the topic is too complex or they have not learned those concepts in school before. We need to understand that maths is not static as we might like it to be. Mathematics is evolving, so the human brain and the ways we teach maths will inevitably evolve.

Sometimes maths can be daunting, particular with learning at home during pandemic lockdowns, and this is completely understandable, but sometimes this mindset is more related to how teachers, peers, and parents talk about it than anything related to your brain.

Here are some tips on how we can help your kids with maths:

• Avoid saying you’re bad at maths. Try to always stay positive.

Staying positive and avoid passing math anxiety to your child is essential, especially in boosting his confidence. As a parent, you should focus on difficulty and effort and say something like, “I understand how difficult this subject is for you, I had problems with it too. You may not understand it yet, but I am sure that we can work it out together.” Encouraging your child to do their best in solving or completing their assignment will give them confidence, especially if they know that you will be there for them.

• Talk about maths

Talking about maths doesn’t mean that you need to make some statistical analysis or debate on some far-out equation. Instead, you bring maths to your conversation, even as simple as counting clouds or guessing heights. This is crucial, especially for young kids who need to feel comfortable with mathematics because they need to understand that this subject is part of their world.

So, depending on your child’s age, you may need to incorporate maths into any topic you are talking about. You also ask your child questions like:

•  How many is that?
• How could you split this equally?
• What is the chance of that happening?
• How many cards will I draw?

 

• Have your child teach you maths

Another great way of encouraging your child to learn mathematics is to let them teach it. In fact, if they explain maths concepts, even if it is that simple, they are forced to consolidate knowledge, and they will try new ways of explaining it.

In addition, if they are faced with a question that they can’t answer, they will try their best to research more on that topic so they can explain it to you better. Letting them teach maths in their own way may spark insights and may even develop their mindset and study habits.

Overall, you can help your child learn maths better by encouraging them and giving them a chance to change their mindset over the subject. As a result, they will be more confident in tackling difficult maths problems in the long run since they no longer dread the subject.

Over the past decades, maths tutoring has been on the rise because more and more parents are seeking the help of tutors in advancing their child’s math skills and developing their study habits. Some parents think that private tutoring is rather expensive, and they wonder if it is worth the money.
You need to understand that every private tutor is not the same, and there are various factors to consider if a tutor is worth your investment or not.

Factor that determine if a maths tutor is worth your money

• Maths tutor’s skill set and qualifications

Before you hire a tutor, you’ll need to know if he or she as has the qualification to teach the subject. This will ensure that that they will not only help your child accomplish their homework but will also guide them in answering difficult maths problems.

You may want to check their certificate, especially if they have an education degree and a major in mathematics. Having the credential is proof that they are trained and capable of teaching maths.

• Assess their teaching ability

A teacher or tutor may know maths but knowing how to teach maths is a very different ability. So, a skilled tutor should be aware of the different learning styles, and they must be able to adjust their lessons and teaching style based on the needs and requirements of their students.
In fact, they must be able to engage their students fully, which could help your child get better grades at school.

• A private tutor’s teaching experience

A good maths tutor will often have experience teaching in various schools and levels, and they are likely to have a good grasp of different student learning styles, personalities, and effective methods to cater to the needs of their students.
Therefore, a tutor who can skilfully involve children in the learning process is likely to be charging more than someone who has a lesser qualification and skills. So, investing in a maths tutor who has teaching experience will be more cost-effective in the long run.

Keep in mind, a tutor with prior teaching experience can provide references and certificates. This can help you assess if they are a good fit or not.

• A private tutor’s teaching approaches

You may hire a maths tutor who simply follows a course book rather than encouraging your child to develop their analytical skills. On the other hand, you can choose a private tutor who is more hands-on and can motivate you to learn maths in a more systematic way.

That is why you will need to check their teaching styles and approaches. Hiring a good maths tutor will be more beneficial to your child especially during times of extended home learning. As a result, they will be more eager to learn mathematics and retain the information for longer.

Many children develop their understanding of basic addition and subtraction at home, and this can be before they start school. That is why it is beneficial for parents to provide informal activities at home, so their children will have a head start when they start learning maths in school.

However, early maths does not mean giving your children the calculator during their playtime. Instead, we can help them develop their understanding of addition and subtraction through simple interactions. For example, we can inject maths through our stories or daily routines like counting steps as they go up and down the stairs.

Other things we can help our children with will include the following:

• Understanding shape, size, and patterns
• Proficiency in counting numbers verbally
• Identifying less or more of a quantity
• Understanding and recognising numerals
• Matching sets or one-to-one correspondence

What are the key maths skills for school?
We need to understand that advanced mathematical skills are based on early maths concepts and methods. So, we need to build a strong foundation for these skills by introducing ideas that include the following:

• Number sense - this is the ability to count forward and backward and to see the relationships between numbers.
• Representation – representing mathematical ideas through words, symbols, pictures, and objects. For example, a child laid out his or her plastic picnic toys, which includes four plastic cubs and four plates which is based on the number of family members.
• Problem-solving – This is an essential skill because kids need to think through a problem and to recognise more than one path to answer. This means using logical thinking skills to find an answer.
• Measurement – technically, this is the ability to find an object's exact height, length, and weight using measuring units like pounds, inches, and feet. Measurement of time will also fall under this category.

Fun activities to develop your kids' maths skills
Here are additional activities to help your kids develop their math skills

• Let them help you with baking and cooking

A good way to develop your child's mathematics skills is to encourage them to help you when baking or cooking. Let them read the instructions on the recipe book as well as do the measuring and weighing of ingredients. This will let them become more familiar with fractions, temperatures, quantities, and cooking units. This could be a fun at home activity during the pandemic related lockdowns.

• Get them involved in budgeting and food shopping

Budgeting and food shopping are ordinary activities, but they can be fun practice for maths. So, encourage your children to compare brands and prices, budget, and find the best deals. This will help them understand numbers, prices, and how to value money.

• Encourage them to do some maths every day

Even for ten to fifteen minutes a day, you should let your children do a little bit of maths like problem-solving or doing simple arithmetic. These short but focused activities will get your child thinking and use their mathematics knowledge.

A growing number of families today are seeking the help of maths tutors to develop their children’s mathematical skills and study habits. In fact, getting a tutor will provide several advantages for both you and your child.

Here are some of the reasons why maths tuition is good for kids.

Maths tutors are more qualified than parents
Let’s accept the fact that many tutors are experienced teachers, and they are qualified to teach the Victorian national curriculum. While it is great sometimes to show your child your own way of solving a maths problem, you may not be using the method and language your child understands. So, you may confuse them even further.

A qualified tutor will understand the current curriculum, and they are trained to adapt their teaching style based on the learning needs and preferences of their students.

Personal attention will give your child an advantage
A one-on-one tuition is beneficial for your child, especially when it comes to maths. In fact, when your child receives personal attention, they will progress more quickly, and they will be taught in the learning style that best suits them. This is particularly important during the Covid-19 lockdowns as students are struggling with online learning during the pandemic. 

Also, their concerns and questions can be addressed more quickly, and there is no pressure felt from peers and classmates. Maths tutoring will also let your child learn the concepts and skills at their own pace. This will let them understand the concepts more clearly, and that will build their confidence in solving difficult maths problems.

Stress-free learning
If your child struggles with maths, they are likely to hide it because they are worried about what their friends will say. In fact, it will be stressful for them to be in a classroom environment. Also, they may be reluctant to ask questions even if they don’t understand those concepts or stop trying to avoid failure.
Maths tutoring offers a more relaxed learning opportunity and each session is commonly done in the comfort of your own home. This will greatly reduce stress and encourage your child to try new things and to ask questions more often, so they will absorb more of the information given to them by their tutor.

Regular feedback
As parents, we want to be regularly updated with our child’s progress, but getting the feedback we need from their school teachers is tricky. However, maths tutor can provide immediate feedback about our child’s current level and how we can help the tutor reinforce those maths concepts by supplementing the learning needs of our children at home.

Overall, parents hire math tutors so they can help their children develop their confidence and understanding of complex maths concepts because this will help them achieve better results at school.