math_tutor_throwaway [any]

  • 0 Posts
  • 23 Comments
Joined 2 years ago
Cake day: December 9th, 2022
  • math_tutor_throwaway [any]toaskchapo•*Permanently Deleted*
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    2 years ago

    Ah I'm sure you can do it with some practice, it's more about your input time than actually knowing the math facts haha. Besides, the "score" isn't the point, it's just a good way to encourage intentional practice with measurable results. Seeing that number creep down as they get more confident is an amazing feeling.

  • math_tutor_throwaway [any]toaskchapo•*Permanently Deleted*
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    2 years ago

    I usually lurk but I'll log back in to my old throwaway account because this is something I actually know about and have opinions on. I've been in education for about a decade, my training is in disability studies, I'm licensed to teach high school math, and I've been working as a tutor specifically for kids with learning differences almost that whole decade, etc

    As other commenters have noted, this is likely the result of a combination of factors: undiagnosed processing disorders, attention disorders, teachers or admins not noticing, etc. But in terms of what you actually DO about it:

    I see this CONSTANTLY, with math specifically. Math builds on itself in a way that most other subjects don't, so if you fall behind early, it compounds for the rest of your life. Reading is the same way, but there's more support for reading and more practice reading in your daily life than there ever is for math.

    So there's two things I care about: the kid passing the class (I'm paid to do this) and the kid actually learning something and building their skills and confidence (what I actually care about). We can solve these at the same time with a two-pronged approach.

    Prong 1: short-term solutions, getting the kid participating in learning a bit more by accommodating his needs so that he can follow along. This is a combination of calculator use and training (may need formal accommodations for this), learning to take practical notes that help on assessments, and probably a lot of individual review and checking for understanding. All of this, especially if he has formal accommodations, is the teacher's responsibility, but it seems like that's unlikely to happen. You can help here by making sure any formal accommodations are made, and by filling in the gaps (calculator training is a good place to start, you can gloss over the mechanics of the tough stuff so that he gets big picture stuff for now) if you can. That's a lot for you to take on, and he'll notice if any supports go away, so it's a serious commitment to make--don't do it unless you can follow through.

    Prong 2: long-term solution, actually learning math and filling in those gaps. Just like a student who struggles to read will have trouble analyzing Shakespeare, a student who struggles with arithmetic will have trouble with... everything past that. So he's got to just learn his basic arithmetic cold. That means single digit addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, off the top of the dome, no exceptions. Multi-digit he can use notation for, but the single-digit stuff is not optional--it simply has to be memorized. This is actually easier than most students think. There are a lot of games (commenters in this thread mentioned some good ones) to help with this, which can help with buy-in from the student. In terms of pure return on time spent practicing, nothing beats drilling times tables. Every day, 15-20 minutes, computerized flash cards, spaced repetition, DRILL THAT SHIT.

    I like to measure progress towards proficiency with a website like this: https://www.timestables.com/speed-test/. If they can do the 0-12 times tables with perfect accuracy and average time under 3s, I consider them proficient. Some students like this naturally, others need an incentive: I have a standing $100 bounty to any student who can beat my times, and a lot of the middle schoolers respond really well to that.

    Only after that's done can you move onto other stuff--as you said, there's no point doing anything other than definitions/concepts until the arithmetic is done, because you can't do any practice, and the practice is what cements the learning.

    So that's to get started. That's a lot of work for you, so if you're committed to doing it, try to find an ally or two to help. Parents are good, if possible. Siblings, too. Peers are best but that's tough. Mentor types, like an older kid your students thinks is cool, are great--ideally that's the role you fill.

    Hope this was helpful, happy to answer questions here or in a DM if you have them

  • math_tutor_throwaway [any]tomemes•Really stuck on this one
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    2 years ago

    i know you didn't ask but as long as i'm here and there are impressionable minds around: this is only true if you're looking for the One True Solution to a system of equations like this. There are infinitely many (I think? I didn't check but there are a lot) solutions to this equation, it's just that very, very, very few of them are ONLY integers. that's where the difficulty comes from