Teaching math to elementary school students can be challenging. In elementary school tutoring, it is often difficult for the kids to grasp math concepts easily. They find it difficult to deal with the numbers. A tutor can make math fun and easy by following some strategies.
1- Picture books:
The best way to teach math is to use picture books. From counting to simple multiplication, you can find several books that demonstrate the concept easily.
2- Play games:
Children love to play games. Digital games and printable games are helpful as students learn with fun and enjoy their class. There are several games and physical activities that you can conduct in the classroom. These include Concentration, BINGO, war etc.
3- Ask questions:
Children love to talk. If you ask them more question, they will participate more in discussions. For example, ask them how did they solve a problem? Or why did they use this specific method? Tell them that there are many other ways to solve a problem. It will motivate them to find those ways, and they will give their best to solve questions.
4- Give real-world examples:
If you use real objects to teach math, it helps the students to memorize concept for long terms. You can use creativity when teaching topics like geometry, graphing, addition, subtraction etc. It will engage the students, and they will work with excitement.
5- Guide them:
Instead of showing them how it is done, a tutor should guide the kid through the solution process. They would find it hard to understand if you show them how a problem is solved. Instead, let him do the job and help him if he gets stuck at a step. If he does not get the correct answer, look out for the error in his solution and guide him. Make sure that the student focuses on getting the concept instead of only getting the answer.
6- Discuss Concepts:
The goal of tutoring is learning and not just getting the problem solved. Try to make your students more independent in solving the problems. Discuss concepts rather than showing them how it is done. If they understand the concept well, it will help them remember those concepts and procedures and will help them learn new concepts.
7- Encourage Students:
If a student does not solve a problem right, do not scold him. Instead, try to look at the problem he might face. Encourage him to do better. Tell him the concept again if he needs it.
Conclusion:
Math is not as tough as we make it. Do encourage your students so that they become able to solve a problem. Do not use phrases as “it is easy”. Instead, motivate them by saying, “I know you can do this. It will just take some time and practice”. It will encourage them to work hard. Once they have firm concepts, they will be able to solve problems independently.
