How to succeed in Math?
Credit: Annie Spratt @anniespratt on Unsplash
Math can be a challenging subject. The abstract concepts can sometimes be difficult to relate to real life instances. And while some children are naturally inclined to math and take to problem solving and critical thinking easily, there are others who often struggle with the mastery of the subject.
The critical thing I’ve found to succeeding in math is comprehending and applying a concept. This often means finding the right person such as a math tutor, to explain it in a way a student understands.
This math tutor may be the right person for one child and the wrong person for another. The point is, not to give up looking for help. There are no bad students. Only students who do not grasp the concept.
When I was in Secondary 2, I was failing math. I got an average of 40% for my tests. My worried mother then found a math tutor to help me.
When he explained the math concepts to me, I understood them right away. Then, math became so fun that I kept applying concepts to problems just to get the correct answers. It was incredibly empowering.
My 40% rose to a 70%.
My math tutor Ahmad got busy with school, so he asked his best friend Mohan to tutor me. Mohan kept up the great work Ahmad began. With awesome humour and a knack for explaining math concepts, my grades shot up to 80%, then 100%, and soon, I was ahead of my math class.
This love for math continued through to secondary school and till today, I still have great affection for the subject. I always will. Thanks to an enlightened mother and my math tutors, Ahmad and Mohan.
As a mother, I faced the same challenges with my son in Grade 5. For the longest time, he could not solve word problems and no one could explain it in a way he understood.
A friend came to the rescue. He sat down with my son and within 15 minutes, my son understood how to solve word problems. From that moment, he grew to love math, a love that has continued till today.
Kids who love a subject are most motivated to work hard on them. It’s wonderfully liberating for a parent to see and we get to keep the hair we are no longer pulling out of frustration.
– Christina Sng for Maths@Singapore
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