Building Enthusiasm for Maths

As a tutor, my approach to building enthusiasm for maths in years 9 to 12 starts with confidence. It is difficult to be interested in a subject if you look at every question and think you will get the answer wrong. Tutoring should be a space where students feel comfortable saying, "Wait- I don't get that."

To build that kind of environment, we need to be patient, ask questions, and think of new ways to explain concepts. Sometimes, working through one confusing step together is more useful than making a student do a whole worksheet of questions.

I also think that is important to understand what each student enjoys. Sports they play, games they like, and music they listen to, or even shopping, can all provide starting points for exploring mathematical ideas. Comparing discounts or looking at sporting results and statistics can give a topic a clearer purpose. These connections should feel natural and spontaneous, encouraging the student to look for patterns all throughout their life.

Recognising progress is another important part of tutoring. It is often better for the student to highlight that their approach was correct than to simply focus on whether the answer that they got was right. Even for students in Year 11 and 12, who are simply trying to focus on perpetual upcoming exams, it should still be a big focus for tutors to focus on building an understanding of processes and their relation to the surrounding world, in beteween covering practice questions.

My goal is to help students approach maths with curiosity, enthusiasm, and willingness. They may not love evry topic, but feeling able to ask questions, try a new approach, and work through a challenge can make learning new maths and even doing revision, a much more positive experience for every student at First Education