Hi Guys,
I thought I would write about what I have observed in the past and what I have tried to adopt into my tutoring that works best when it comes to tutoring students in Mathematics at all levels.
1 Assessing A Students Current Understanding of Topics/concepts.
When tutoring a new student I think it is extremely important and beneficial to asses the student’s current Maths level and understanding on certain topics before starting on a new topic or concept.I have found that one of the best was to do this is through mini quizzes or textbook chapter reviews where you start by asking the student to solve a few problems on their own, and observe their thought process. This allows me to pinpoint areas of strength and weakness for that topic where I cab then plan out what weakness we will target in each future session going forward to consolidate students understanding of that topic.
2 Use Visual Aids and Real-World Examples
Math becomes more relatable when students can visualise concepts or see real life applications. I like to try and use graphs, diagrams, real-world examples or even physical objects to demonstrate concepts. This is especially useful to the younger students who struggle with the more basic topics like fractions and percentages where I can get up number lines, use images, pizza fraction colouring in worksheets etc.
3. Encourage Active Participation
Instead of simply explaining how to solve a problem, I encourage students to work through it with me. I ask them to explain their reasoning as they solve the problem. This active participation reinforces learning and helps them identify where they go wrong in questions and learn the correct way to approach and solve a question. I think its extremely beneficial to use guiding questions to lead them toward the correct solution rather than giving it away
In summary, these tips and tricks are what works best for me when it comes to tutoring Maths to students of all ages and hope they provide valuable insights to other tutors.
Bianca Douroudis
