Find a Tutor - 15 Questions to Help Qualify a Tutor(part-3)

1. Do you require me to sign a contract? Don't worry if a tutor asks you to sign a paper that confirms the hourly rate, documents how often he/she will get paid, and outlines the cancellation policy. This contract will benefit both you and the tutor. After all, this is a business relationship, and it is good for both parties to have in writing the details about payment and cancellations. However, if a tutor wants you to sign a contract that commits you to paying for a specified number of sessions in advance, then you should beware. What if your son tells you after the second session that the tutor is not being helpful, and he hates her? You don't want to have to keep taking him to her just because you signed a contract that says they will have 10 sessions together. And you don't want to lose all the money you spent and get no help at all. Then you are stuck. Just read the contract carefully, and if there are parts of it you don't agree with, discuss them with the tutor and see if you can modify the contract. If you can't, don't sign the contract and look for another tutor.

2. Can we meet with you? Most tutors will agree to meet with the parents and student (at no charge) before they begin tutoring. This meeting should allow you the opportunity to check out the home of the tutor and inspect the area where the tutoring will take place to make sure it is suitable. If you are scheduling tutoring at a location other than the tutor's home, this meeting will serve as a job interview. Make sure the student is able to attend this meeting. How the student relates to the tutor is much more important than whether or not the parents like the tutor. If the tutor only talks to the parents and ignores the student, you may want to seriously consider whether or not the tutor will be able to communicate educational information to your child. If the tutor seems more interested in your child than you, take it as a good sign, a sign that the tutor genuinely likes kids. Of course you will want to make sure the tutor communicates with you and finds out your expectations for tutoring. If the tutor cannot meet with you because of scheduling conflicts, the tutor may be too busy to take on additional clients and may not have the time to give your child the attention he/she deserves.

3. Do you offer any guarantees? There are no guarantees in life. You may want the tutor to promise you that the student's grades will improve or that the student will study more or that student will start to have a better attitude about doing homework. While all these things might result from your student working with a tutor, the tutor can't promise that they will happen. Remember if your child is behind in school, it will take awhile to catch up. Don't expect an instant fix to the problem. If you know your student is two grade levels behind, don't expect him/her to catch in one six weeks. So how will you know if the money you are spending for a tutor is worth it? If your student doesn't mind going to tutoring, and the tutor can show you what they are working on regularly, then you can trust that they are making progress. Of course the ultimate goal of tutoring is for the student to become an independent learner, so you should make sure the tutor is encouraging the student to take responsibility for his/her studies and not simply helping the student complete his/her homework.

4. When do you get paid? The way tutors get paid will vary with each one. Tutors can get paid for each individual session, weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly. Some tutors will want their money in advance while others are content to get paid after services have been rendered. Some tutors will be flexible about when they get paid and others will not. Just remember that the tutor also has bills to pay, and so if they have a certain way they want to be paid, try to accommodate them. If they have a lot of clients and each one pays in a different way, it will be hard for them to keep track of who has paid and who has not. Make sure you work out an agreement about payment in advance of beginning tutoring so that everyone will know what to expect.

5. Will you invoice me? Many tutors will not have the capability to take credit cards, but if they do, you will have a record of your payment when you receive your credit card statement each month. If you pay by check, keeping a record is easy. You either have it on a duplicate check or on your monthly statement. However, if you pay cash, make sure the tutor gives you a written receipt with the date you made the payment and what the payment covers (the dates and lengths of the tutoring sessions). Many tutors will provide you with a typed invoice for tutoring. If so, keep them in a file folder and make a notation on them about how you paid. If you pay with check, write the check number, amount, and date paid on the invoice. If you pay with cash, simply make a notation of the amount paid in cash and the date you paid it. If you want, you can even have the tutor initial the information for verification. This kind of record keeping ensures that there is never any discrepancy between you and the tutor regarding payment.

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Finding a Maths Tutor - What to Consider When Searching for a Maths Tutor

Finding a quality maths tutor can be a challenge because there is a great deal of tutors available. However, there are ways in which individuals can determine which tutor is best for either them or their child. These strategies are the following:

1. Ask for High School Grades or College Transcripts: Depending on the educational level of tutors, individuals will need to ask for either high school grades or college transcripts to determine if the maths tutor has the necessary content knowledge to help their child.

Don't be surprised if the tutor says no because it does happen. In the event that tutors are not cooperative with this type of request, then it may be best to either find another tutor or use one of the other strategies to make a decision about hiring the tutor.

2. Ask for References from Current Clients: Current clients will definitely give you insight about the tutor's approach and whether he or she gets results. If more than one client is saying that the maths tutor had a positive impact in their child's academic world, then it is probably true that the tutor is qualified to work with your child. On the other hand, if a great deal of clients is saying negative things about this tutor, chances are individuals may be better off continuing their quest for another tutor.

3. Ask for a Trial Tutoring Session: Quality tutors will probably not give a trial tutoring session because they will already have satisfied clients and/or a track record of successful clients who have continued to do well in school. However, it does not hurt to ask.

If they opt out of giving you a trial tutoring session, then ask if they have a "pay as you go" plan, just in case, it turns out that the tutor is not a good fit for one's tutoring needs.

4. Look for the Ability to Relate to Others: Often times, math tutors can come across as serious with dry humor. It's very important to test out math tutor's ability to relate to other situations other than math. If they are able to do so with ease, then chances are these types of math tutors will make real-world connections to help their clients have a better understanding of how to apply math concepts to problem solving and in their own lives.

5. Look for Friendliness and Organization: All tutors need to be both organized and friendly. However, in math, it is extremely important because most clients who are seeking assistance in this subject is already intimidated by the work. By tutors being friendly, they are able to help the client take risks and ask the questions that are necessary to help them grow.

In addition, organization is so important because this helps tutoring sessions stay productive and it is a good indicator of how he or she will tutor their clients-in an organized fashion.

These are five strategies that individuals can try when searching for a quality math tutor. These aforementioned strategies show that the math tutors are willing, ready, and capable of helping their clients.

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What Makes a Good Tutor?

Due to the increasing importance of education, many parents and schools choose to hire tutors. Parents hire freelancer tutors and work with private tutoring services. Parents hire instructors for tasks such as math tutoring, and SAT prep. However, many parents do not exactly understand what makes a good tutor.

Tutors often think that they are well qualified because they possess adequate understanding of the subject matter. Many people say that one possesses adequate knowledge of a subject when he can lecture in the subject. However, there are many other aspects to being a good tutor and having adequate knowledge in the subject will not necessarily make the tutor a good tutor.

Of course, understanding the subject matter is critical to being a good tutor. No tutor is able to adequately explain material to a struggling student if he does not understand it well enough himself. That does not mean that the tutor has to have every single minor aspect of the subject memorize. But the tutor should be able to understand the subject matter after a short review before the session.

Simple knowledge of a subject is generally insufficient to be a good tutor. A tutor has to have true understanding of a subject. For example, an inexperienced math tutor may know the Quadratic formula but a great tutor can also derive it. A decent Literature tutor understands the plot and themes of To Kill a Mockingbird. But a great tutor also understands the history behind the novel.

A good tutor should be an experienced tutor. The more experienced the tutor is, the more likely he will address the student's issues. Inexperienced tutors should first consider volunteering and tutoring family and friends before charging for their services.

Another important aspect of tutoring is having good communication skills. A tutor has to not only know the subject matter but also be able to adequately explain it. Someone may be able to solve any math problem but he will not necessarily make his solution understandable to the student.

A good tutor is a good evaluator of the student's performance. Often, students do not understand exactly what their problems in a course are. They often just know that they are struggling or that they are getting bad grades. A good tutor can understand what gaps and misunderstandings the student has and can provide review of these particular subject areas.

Another characteristic of a good tutor is the ability to understand the student's situation. Students who work with tutors generally are frustrated and a tutor should not never make the situation worse. Also, students can often have learning disabilities so a tutor may need to explain certain aspects differently or use a slower tutoring pace. They should also be forgiving of minor misbehavior by a student as the misbehavior may be caused by stress.

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Find a Tutor - 15 Questions to Help Qualify a Tutor (part-2)

1. What is your area of expertise? Different tutors will have different strengths and weaknesses. Just ask the tutor what they feel comfortable teaching. Your high school sophomore might need help in Geometry, Chemistry, and Spanish. But it is unlikely you will find a tutor who is able to teach all 3 of these subjects. Often someone good with Math with also be good in Science, and someone good in English will also be good with a foreign language. But you might also find that someone with an English degree is also excellent with first year Algebra. You just never know. So you should find out what the tutor's credentials are and how much experience they have teaching the various subjects your student needs help with. Then make an informed decision about whether the tutor is qualified to help your student with the subject. High school students may need to see more than one tutor in order to get all their questions answered for each subject area.

2. What age student do you like to work with? Many teachers have definite preferences about what age student they like to work with. Some just enjoy helping younger students because they like the enthusiasm and energy little ones have. Also, many tutors feel that certain upper-level material is over their heads and feel more comfortable working with easier subject matter. On the other hand, some tutors prefer working with older students because they relate to teenagers better and haven't had the training necessary to be able to relate to smaller children. Of course there are some extra special teachers who can effectively work with students of any age. So just find out what age student the tutor feels comfortable with and make sure that matches the age of your child.

3. Do you have any references? Tutors who have been working for at least a year should be able to provide you with the names and phone numbers of other clients who are happy with their services. If tutors are just starting out, they may not have names of any past clients, but they should be able to give you the names of former employers, teachers, or friends who can vouch for their character. If any of the references you contact seem the least bit unsure about whether the tutor is good with kids, then you should look elsewhere for help. If a person is willing to give you references, then they should be good references that inspire confidence in the tutor's ability to teach your child.

4. Where do you tutor? Find out if a tutor prefers to work at his/her home, your home, or a neutral location like a library. Many tutors like to work at their own home. First of all, it is more efficient for them. They can line up clients back-to-back and not lose any time on the road or be caught out if their tutoring student cancels on them. Tutors also find it easier to have all their supplies and materials on hand without having to tote them around and possibly forget something they will need to effectively teach the student. If tutors use their own home, make sure that they are working at a well lit place conducive to studying with no distractions. Also, make sure you feel comfortable leaving your son or daughter alone with them. If not, ask the tutor to let you stay in a nearby room during the tutoring session. Other tutors will travel to your home. Expect to pay an additional fee for this service, since the tutor will be out additional time and gas money to travel to you. For tutors who feel their home is not suitable for tutoring (because they have young children or live in a small apartment), they prefer to travel to their clients' homes, and some of them will not charge any additional fee. Other tutors prefer a neutral location for tutoring like a library because they think it more conducive to studying, and it ensures the safety of both the tutor and the student.

5. What is your cancellation policy? Don't be surprised if your tutor requires you to sign a paper that says if you cancel a tutoring session without at least 24 hours notice, then you will be charged for that session. Tutors make their schedules based on an agreed upon time with their clients. Often they will have other clients who would like to tutor at the same time your student is scheduled, but they have to turn away this business because you are already taking up that time slot. If you cancel and the tutor is unable to fill that slot, the tutor has lost some of his/her anticipated income for that day. In the case of illness or an unexpected emergency, most tutors will allow you to make up that tutoring session at another time. Also, you should know what the tutor's policy is if he/she has to cancel on you. You should receive a make-up lesson or a refund for that session. If a tutor cancels on you more than 3 times in a semester, then you should consider looking for another tutor.

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How To Choose A Math Tutor In New York

Sometimes the regular school classroom, for a variety of reasons, does not sufficiently improve a student's math skills and achievements. In this situation a math tutor can bring a new perspective to the learning experience that can make the difference between a passing and a failing grade.

The decision to include a math tutor into a student's learning experience is a personal one and there are no generalizations that can be made about who should or should not be tutored. Students who are in need of math tutoring generally fall into two categories: there's the student who is able to complete all the school work, studies hard, and yet continues to have a hard time grasping the concepts and applications of math; then there's the student who is unmotivated and disheartened and who is just not doing well with any school work. Both kinds of student can benefit from the expertise of a math tutor.

There are many scenarios that could cause a student to have anxiety about math. One of the symptoms of math anxiety is that a student will memorize formulas without actually understanding how the problems are solved. If this habit of just working mechanically gets too deeply ingrained, students can find that they require extra help to get out of the "math hole" that they find themselves in and only then begin to adopt a true problem-solving approach -- one which can be useful in a variety of different situations.

It is important to stress to the student that needing a tutor is not in any way a reflection of his or her intelligence. Especially with young people, the thought of being "different" or being labeled as "slow" is extremely counterproductive. Grasping the mechanics of mathematics is usually about HOW we think and not about how WELL we think. A student should consider a tutor as more of a personal trainer for an academic subject than as a punishment for doing poorly. Having a tutor can make a dramatic difference for a student who sincerely wants to confront a problem with math.

Getting the Student On Board

The first thing to consider before getting a math tutor is always to ask the student how he or she feels about the idea. Students who are receptive to the thought of working with a tutor, and who realize they need help, are much more likely to benefit from tutoring. Imposing a new teacher in a close one-on-one environment when is student is resistant to the whole idea, can simply create added pressure. Frustration over low performance in the context of the social and academic pressures of school is enough on its own to cause stress, on top of the prospect of working with yet another teacher. So it's important to help the student to understand how useful a personal tutor can be.

The Parent's Homework

After doing your research by searching online, reading your local classifieds or asking your school or people in your community for a referral, you should have a list of several good candidates to interview.

Some questions you should ask yourself in advance include: Where do you prefer that the tutoring to take place? How much of a budget do you have for math tutoring throughout the year? And what does your child and your child's school consider to be the attainable goals for using a tutor.

How To Interview a Tutor

Always ask to meet the tutor in person. This way, you can address all your questions and get your answers right away. You will also be able to get a sense of what the chemistry might be between tutor and student. Here are some questions to consider asking when interviewing a prospective tutor:

* What is your experience in math tutoring?

* What are your qualifications?

* How would you describe your teaching style?

* How do you handle difficult situations especially if the student doesn't pay attention?

* How long is a regular tutoring session?

* Can you extend regular tutoring hours if the need arises?

* What are your preferences as to where the tutoring sessions should be held?

* Do you have experience working with my child's age group?

* Are you open to consulting with my child's classroom teacher?

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Getting A Much Needed Maths Tutor

Finding a maths tutor can be difficult because of the range of studies in math from algebra to trigonometry to calculus. All of these fields of math require certain skills which all tutors might not possess. A tutor good in calculus is not always good in trigonometry. This is where searching for a tutor online really comes in handy. By searching for a tutor online, one can confirm that the tutor is qualified to teach what they are tutoring. You can either send the tutor a message and ask about their skills in the particular math subject or you can read the other user's reviews of them in that subject. Typically there are so many tutors available for a given city that you don't need to be picky. You can find the best for your math needs and improve your math grades in no time.

In college, I struggled with math. Math is a building subject in that you learn something and then the next section typically takes the basic skills of math and puts them to test further. I will give an example. Trigonometry uses formulas like Pythagoras' theory to find the missing side of a triangle. It uses basic algebra to solve for the missing side. If you are particularly skilled in algebra, solving for the missing side of a triangle can be difficult. This was my problem in college. I was required to take several upper level calculus classes. So I did what most people would do-I first took the introduction to calculus class. I did pass the class but just barely. This was only a problem when I moved onto the upper level classes and had no clue what I was doing. You can see why getting a maths tutor sooner than later is so important. If you wait too long there is too much catching up to do and one can feel completely lost.

The best solution to my problem was getting a local maths tutor to help me. My particular learning style was different from most in that I needed to just understand the concepts to be able to do the math problems. Unlike most people who can just memorize how to do something and then perform it over and over. My maths tutor luckily picked up on this and was able to teach me the basics conceptually and once I understood that, it was like a light bulb going off in my head. I could move on to the more advanced sections that relied on the basic understanding that my maths tutor had helped me understand.

I can't stress enough how much my maths tutor helped me understand the basic concepts of math and calculus before be moved onto advanced math. Without the help of my tutor, I might still be in college struggling with back math concepts. Thank you math tutor.

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Three Teaching Strategies To Effectively Teach Math To The Students

The math subject is the least favorite subject among all other subjects especially with kids. The numbers don't seem to get along well with them. However, this is not the reason to give up on Math. Instead, it should be a motivation to continue on researching about the effective strategies to teach the subject.

Actually, Math experts until now are continuously doing their research to find the best method to teach the subject to the kids. Many strategies have already been introduced such as these strategies below that have proven its efficiency many times.

1. Direct Instruction. This kind of strategy involves using clear and direct language in teaching the subject. In this setup, the teacher should lead in the completion of sample problems and point out the difficult aspects of the said problem. He should then let the student solve the problem with his supervision. Should there be any questions, the teacher should be able to clarify this with the student. Then, the students should work on another problem without the help of the teacher. The teacher then, assesses the student's performance through this independent assignment.

2. Peer tutoring. This kind of strategy involves two students with the same or different capability who from time to time switches roles in teaching each other. While the other student acts as a tutor, the other one acts as a student. To make this strategy effective, there should be frequent and honest feedback between the two students. Positive reinforcements should also be used to encourage each other. Also, this can be more effective if the lessons are given in a form of a game. Throughout the session, the teacher should monitor and give feedback to the students.

3. Cooperative learning. This kind of strategy involves a small group of students with different abilities to work together for everyone to learn. Of the three strategies, this method has gained more favorable results according to research. The setup of a heterogeneous group to learn enables each member of the group to maximize their learning.

The teacher in this strategy provides the group with problems for the students to practice on. The students should discuss and solve the problem as a group. Through this strategy, not only will they develop their understanding and analytical skills, they will also develop their social skills through constant interaction with other kids.

Just a reminder for teachers, before implementing the best strategy to teach math they should create a learning environment where the students feel motivated to learn and comfortable in their learning setup.

A Singapore math article by Dougles Chan - Search Engine Guru - The best SEO company in Singapore and globally. Contact Dougles Chan @ +(65) 9388 0851 or email to dc@dougleschan.com for more information on how to make your website to be the top in Google.

To Be a Good Student in Math & Home Tutors - Benefits and Challenges

First you need to get some important materials for your studies and those are: pens, pencils, a calculator, white sheets of paper, your Math book and notebook. You need to take these materials to the places where you are going to practice and study, so you can develop your Math problems.

Then you need to go to the school and pay attention to everything the teacher says in class and to write it in your notebook. It is important to ask the teacher all the dudes that you have, so you are not going to waste time trying to understand it by yourself. The teacher has the responsibility to explain you everything that you do not understand. If you do this, it would be easier for you to do the homework.

After that, you would need to practice Math by doing the homework that the teacher assigns. It is good for you to develop the entire homework, so you could practice more and get better by resolving the problems. Also you could ask the teacher any question that you have of the homework. If you do this, it would not take you much time to study for the test.

Lastly, you would need to study for the test by checking the problems of the homework that you did and how to resolve them. Besides you practiced and did the homework, it is important to study because it lets you remember everything and shows you if you are well-prepared for the test.

I hope you followed every of my steps, because if you did, you are going to improve in Math and for sure you are going to get good grades. These are my secrets and I hope that then helped you. You can follow them for every test and it is sure that you are going to get the same excellent result.

Home Tutors - Benefits and Challenges

Because children have different modes of coping in school, it is unavoidable for some of them to find it difficult to catch up with certain subjects. Not all students perform at the same level in school, and not all of them share the same views with respect to subject matter presented in class. Just as an example, it has been already a common notion that math can be a very tough subject in school, and so many students need extra help to overcome their anxiety with it.

As mentioned by many parenting and educational authorities, tutoring offers benefits to students who need an extra boost in school.The one on one method of teaching helps in making a child focus better on specific problem topics. There are also students who have above average grades, who still benefit further from having personal tutors who help maintain their scholastic standing. In the cases of college coeds and university students, peer to peer tutoring is both a means of academic assistance and a mode of socialization.

The question often asked is: why does one choose to become a home tutor anyway? Surely, there is some level of difficulty in picking this as a part time job, full time job, or a business venture. For those who like dealing with children, tutoring is a smart means of earning extra income while helping others at the same time. For those who want to have a teaching career, becoming a personal tutor is a stepping stone towards reaching that goal. There are researches that explain how a tutoring environment, whether it is with younger students or peers, can be essential in the preparation of a future educator in his career.

Along with the benefits of home tutoring programs, there are also challenges that are posed to the personal tutor. For one, since not all children or students are created equal, there may be others who are very difficult to teach. There may be children who feel anxiety because of school stress factors, and may not be entirely receptive to the teaching methods of a home tutor.

In this case, it is the role of the private tutor to manipulate his teaching plan in accordance with the skill, interest, and needs of the student. If the child seems bored with the topic, the tutor should make it more lively, fun, and easy to understand. If a certain problem, say in math, is too hard to figure out, the tutor should retrace their steps and explain the basics of the lesson to the student. Home tutors play very essential roles in the academic development of a child, and their effectiveness has been proven by so many. It is not a wonder why home tutoring programs are still put to use in many educational institutions today.

A Singapore math article by Dougles Chan - Search Engine Guru - The best SEO company in Singapore and globally. Contact Dougles Chan @ +(65) 9388 0851 or email to dc@dougleschan.com for more information on how to make your website to be the top in Google.

Math Teaching Tip Number 3: An Example of Informal Assessment

A few years ago I tried out a new kind of informal assessment. I had noticed that some of the high school algebra students were confused by expressions like "5a + 3 (a + 7)." I wanted to find out what they really understood about the distributive property and the gathering of like terms. So I took a pencil and a clipboard with two pieces of paper on it, and wrote "8a" on the top piece of paper. Next,

I lifted up the top paper and drew a vertical line down the middle of the second page-and then let the top page fall back into place. As the students meandered in before class, I went up to one of them and said quietly, "I'm taking a little survey; mind if I ask you a question?" Then I pointed to the "8a" on my clipboard and asked, "What does this mean to you?" The kid said, "I don't know." "OK, thank you," I said politely, and turned away from the student. I jotted down the kid's name to the left side of the vertical line on the second page; that was where I wrote the names of students who I would gather later in a small group for remedial work. I turned to another pupil, who said, "It means eight times some number." I thanked him and wrote his name on the right side of my recording page. The next student said, "It means you've got eight a's." "And what does that mean-that you've got eight a's?" I asked. "I don't really know," she said. I wrote her name on the left side. The passing period between classes is short, but it was enough time to identify a small group of students that needed remediation.

Looking back at this experiment, I think there were certain aspects that made it successful. First, my survey focused on a key underlying concept that was essential for success in the students' current math work. Second, I selected students that I suspected might not know the answers to my survey question (students who usually scored low on homework and tests, or who rarely spoke up in class). Third, I approached the students in a relaxed, informal manner before class, when the ambient noise and movement would provide the mini-interviews with a pressure-removing cover of privacy. Fourth, I wanted them to feel and know that I was sincerely interested in knowing what they thought; and I wanted them to feel at ease, so they would be inclined to honestly tell me what was on their minds.

So I purposely used a conversational tone of voice, rather than an authoritative teacher voice-which could have communicated a feeling of "I'm going to ask you something that you really ought to know, so pay attention, concentrate, and answer correctly!" Fifth, to keep the students feeling at ease and to protect the authenticity of future similar encounters, I didn't tell them if they were right or wrong; I purposely suspended judgment in favor of just getting honest input.

This worked so well with the first class, I decided to try it again with several students from the next class. As before, there were a few students who did not understand the meaning of the "8a" notation. Then it occurred to me to probe a little farther, so I also wrote "5a + 3a" on my clipboard, and asked the students what that meant. Every single student told me that would equal 8a. And when asked again what 8a meant, they still didn't know. Now that was interesting-they were fluent with the process of gathering like terms, but did not understand what the terms meant!

I tried this same informal assessment technique another time when I wanted to find out who needed help with squares and square roots. When undertaking the Pythagorean Theorem or quadratic equations, it's essential for students to know what a2 or x2 stands for-and that they know squares at least up to 152. So this time I wrote 52 on the top page of my clipboard, and asked selected students what it meant to them. Some said "twenty-five," others said "ten," others waffled between those two answers, one thought it might be "seven," some were certain, some were not sure, and some had no idea. To probe further, I also wrote 112 and 142 and √100 and √169 and √225 on the clipboard. I found that some students who knew 52 did not know the larger squares; some knew about the squared numbers, but knew nothing about square roots. I also noticed that some students overheard what other surveyed students near them had said, so I added 72 and 82 to my list of questions to prevent them from merely mimicking their classmates. Once again, this survey process produced an accurate selection of students for small-group remediation later in the class period.

When helping out another teacher with his class, I asked if I could do a similar informal survey with his students. I had recently helped one of his students with some other math work, and discovered that she knew nothing at all about squares and roots. I was hoping to help her and some other students with that on this day, and wanted to gently and accurately identify students who would benefit from a small group remedial lesson. The teacher didn't like the survey idea, and instead wrote a dozen simple expressions containing squares and roots on the board, explained that he wanted to find out who needed help on this sort of thing, passed out paper, and asked students to write their answers. This approach seemed to be simple and direct, but it had less than the desired effect. Students were immediately troubled: "Why were they being tested on this?! No one said anything about there being a test today! Everyone knew that stuff! Who on earth would need help with that?! Did he think they were stupid?! What a waste of time! Etc." Finally the class quieted down and wrote their answers.

Then they exchanged and corrected papers. Guess who got all the answers right but one? Yes, the girl who didn't know any of it. She was very proud, very protective of her ignorance-and an absolutely consummate cheater. No way was anyone going to find out that she didn't know that stuff; she made sure that one way or another she got those answers. I wished that we could have just taken the informal survey approach; even though it was less comprehensive than a written quiz, it was more gentle, more accurate, and less time-consuming.

Judging from the number of low-achieving math students in almost every school, it's clear that even an excellent teacher can give a splendid lecture to an interested, involved class-and the students' subsequent class work, homework, and tests can nevertheless be riddled with conceptual and factual mistakes. "I taught it, but they didn't learn it" is an oft-repeated teacher lament.

Trying to teach students lessons that they are not prepared to learn is an exercise in futility. To be successful, lessons must address the minds of the students exactly where they are-not where they are supposed to be. For that to happen, teachers must be aware of what their students really know. In an effort to put their finger on the pulse of their pupils' minds, teachers usually utter two obligatory words at the end of every lecture: "Any questions?" But all too often, students do not ask questions when given the opportunity to do so. So the teachers are left to wonder: Who doesn't know what?

If they knew the answer to that question, they would have a realistic chance to do something about it.

But even better than the typical end-of-the lesson query-the before-the-lesson mini-survey is an informal assessment tool that teachers can use to get a more accurate picture of the current state of their students' mathematical thinking. This awareness can help them to adapt the content, delivery style, and pace of the lesson in ways that fit more comfortably to the developing minds of their students-right where they are, not where they should be. When the teachers know the mathematical contents of their students' minds half as well as they know the content of the math lesson they're about to teach, then it will be much more possible for them to proudly proclaim, "I taught it, and they learned it!"

A Singapore math PR article by Scotts Digital, a top marketing firms in Singapore

Multiplication For Kids

If your kids are also having trouble in learning multiplication, then it is better to change the pattern of teaching them rather than scolding the child. You can make multiplication for kids much easier by putting an element of fun in it. It is a very well known fact that children learn better in a pressure free and entertaining environment. And this environment is provided to the kids in the early stages of their schools.

But as they grow older, schools and parent, for some reason, start to take away the fun element from their studies and increase the pressure to improve. This is a real shame as this is the time when kids need a friendly environment while studying as the pressure of learning has just started to build up. This is why, many kids start finding math boring.

But if we start teaching math to kids like a game then we would be able to make it very easy to learn multiplication. You can find many great games in the market which teach multiplication to kids. These games use fun methods like flash cards, board games and puzzles to make multiplication easy for kids. You can even make up your own multiplication games with the kid's toys and other objects. For example, here is a fun game that you can do by yourself with a bunch of marbles.

Now take two marbles in hand and ask your kid to count them. Then ask him to take two more marbles and place them in a different pile. Then, ask your kid to count the marble again. He will obviously count 4 and then explain the concept of 2x2 = 4 to him. Keep doing this exercise until your kid understands multiplication completely. You can slowly teach all the tables with this method.

You can also search on the internet to find such games. There are many websites which provide multiplication games for free. These games teach multiplication to kids in a fun way. As you know that today kids love to play virtual computer games and internet multiplication games combine the fun of those with learning. Internet is also helpful in finding tips to simplify the process of teaching multiplication to the child.

But one important thing while teaching multiplication to kids is that neither any of parents nor teachers should ever make the child feel incompetent about not learning multiplication quickly. Every child is different and has his or her own pace of learning. Scolding or treating the child in a different way than others would only instil the sense of inferiority complex in the child.

Treat the child carefully and never let him feel that it is his fault that he is not been able to learn multiplication quickly.

A Singapore maths article by Dougles Chan - Search Engine Guru - The best SEO company in Singapore and globally. Contact Dougles Chan @ +(65) 9388 0851 or email to dc@dougleschan.com for more information on how to make your website to be the top in Google.

I Hate Fractions, Now What?

Fractions are the pits. You know you can't just add or subtract them even though multiplying and dividing them is not too bad. But since addition is the most popular arithmetic operation, that's where the darn problem is. I mean those pesky denominators always get in the way. Yet fractions appear everywhere you look: look at the price of gas, which is hovering about $3.00 per gallon and you see something like "Unleaded Regular - $2.79 9/10"; or take a look at the unit prices in supermarkets and you might see something like 33 ½ cents per pound, or 16 1/3 cents per ounce. Let's face it, you're not escaping these little monsters so you better just get used to them.

So how do you deal with these nasty little creatures? Well, it really is not that hard to work with fractions. You just need some tools that will help you or your child deal a death blow to the seemingly unending array of problems that fractions can cause.

An important point to make here is that fractions are an integral part of any child's mathematical education, and, if not learned properly, can severely hinder progress in this subject: all of mathematics either directly or indirectly ties to numbers, and yes, fractions make up a large portion of the real number system which is used extensively in algebra, geometry, and even the Calculus. As pointed out above, children become frustrated with fractions because you can't add or subtract them like one does with ordinary numbers. With fractions, you need a common denominator before the addition or subtraction operation is negotiated..

Reaching the common ground with fractions--common ground being the common denominator--is not difficult once a little trick is learned. For example, to add 3/10 and 2/15 all you need do is ask, "What is common to 10 and 15?" That is what is the largest number that divides both 10 and 15? The largest number to do this feat is 5, and this is known as the greatest common factor of 10 and 15.

Thus multiply 10 and 15 together to get 150, then divide this result by 5 to get 30. This last number is the least common denominator of both 10 and 15. Now to finish off our problem of adding 3/10 and 2/15 we find out how many times each of the denominators goes into the number 30. In this case we have 30/10 is 3 and 30/15 is 2. We multiply each of these quotients 3 and 2 by the respective numerators 3 and 2 to get 3x3 is 9 and 2x2 is 4. We add these last two results, 9 and 4, to get 13. We put this number over the common denominator 30 to get our final answer of 13/30. That's it folks. Nothing too hard to learn. And this method works all the time.

So get on board with fractions and don't let their seemingly bullying attitudes get to you or your children. For you can beat these numbers at their game every time and turn that expression of "I hate fractions!" into one of "I love fractions!" Just watch your kids' grades soar in mathematics once they master fractions.

A Singapore maths PR article by Scotts Digital, one of the top marketing companies.

A Kumon Review: What Are the Pros and Cons of Kumon Math?

Many parents are concerned about their children's math learning, some because their child is falling behind and some because they want their child's math knowledge to be stretched. The Kumon Math program, is a natural choice for many parents, as it offers a program where students of all abilities can progress at their own pace. Read this Kumon review to find out the pros and cons of this popular math program.

The Pros

1) It is more than 50 years old
The Kumon Math program is an established system which has improved the math skills millions of children worldwide.

2) Students are given daily worksheets
As well as studying at the Kumon center once or twice a week, students are given homework for each day they are not at the center. Practicing math skills daily is a sure-fire way to becoming better and more confident at math.

3) It is an individualized learning program
Students are given work based on their ability, not their age and their progress through the program is based on how quickly and accurately they complete their work.

4) It builds independent learning skills
Students are encouraged to study the examples themselves in order to work out how to tackle new work. This is an excellent skill for students to develop which will help them in their other school subjects and throughout life.

5) Excellent medium to long-term results
Most students who remain on the Kumon Math program for at least 2 years will have developed fast, accurate and confident math skills as a result of the daily practice.

6) It is cheaper than a private tutor
The Kumon Math program is about half the price of a private tutor, furthermore, all materials are provided in the monthly fee.

The Cons

1) It is more expensive than online math programs
The Kumon Math program is around 3 times the price of online math programs, many of which offer the same benefits of Kumon.

2) The instructors aren't teachers
The franchisees are men and women with various employment and academic backgrounds who are then trained in the Kumon method. Very few are qualified math teachers.

3) Students find the work boring and repetitive
In the program, topics are repeated until the student has reached mastery. This repetition carried out and the daily practice can be difficult for children who are used to the variety of math work offered at school.

4) It doesn't cover the whole math curriculum
The program focuses on arithmetic, number manipulation and algebra, which makes up only a third of the math curriculum. Students won't practice (much) geometry or any statistics in the Kumon program.

5) The implementation of the program can differ from franchise to franchise
Every franchise uses the same program, but some centers will be more strict in enforcing accuracy and speed criteria and in how much they will teach a student.

6) It uses it's own methods to teach math concepts
In general, Kumon uses traditional methods to teach arithmetic and number manipulation, whereas most schools have developed varied modern methods to present math topics.

With these pros and cons in mind, speak to your local instructor, read other Kumon reviews and speak to other parents in order to see if the Kumon program is a good fit for your child.

A Singapore math PR article by Scotts Digital, a digital branding agency in Singapore

Finger Multiplication - Times Tables With Fingers

Multiplying with your fingers

Finger notation
From the earliest times people counted on their fingers and often still do. In ancient civilizations systems were developed so that numbers could be represented by positions of the fingers in a manner similar to that currently used by deaf mutes. The left hand usually represented the lower numbers and those above 100 were calculated on the right. In his tenth satire Juvenal, the Roman writer, says: "Happy is he indeed who has postponed the hour of his death so long, and finally numbers his years upon his right hand."
Multiplication times tables take time to learn and before paper and pen were common a finger based system was developed to aid rapid calculation.

Multiplication using fingers
From finger notation there developed a system of finger computation.

Examples:
To multiply 7 by 8 Subtract 5 from 7 and raise two fingers on one hand, subtract 5 from 8 and raise three fingers on the other. Add the 3 and 2 to give the tens column =5 and multiply them to give the units =6 and the answer is: 56.
6 by 6 Raise one finger on each hand and add 1+ 1 = 2 multiply the remaining fingers 4x4= 16 add 2 to the ten column of 16 =36.
6 by 7 Raise one finger on one hand and two on the other and add 1+ 2 = 3 multiply the remaining fingers 4x3= 12 add 3 to the ten column of 12 =42
8 by 9Raise three fingers on one hand and four on the other and add 3+ 4 = 7 multiply the remaining fingers 2x1= 2 add 7 to the ten column of 2 =72
This formula explains the calculation: (10-a)(10-b) = 10(5-a+5-b)+ab
In a similar manner we can find the product of numbers from 10 to 14

Examples:
To Multiply 14 by 13 Raise four fingers in one hand and three on the other and add. Multiply the addition by ten = 10(4+3). And add the 4x3 = 10x7+12. Add this to one hundred: 100+ 70+12=182.

11 by 15 Raise one finger in one hand and five on the other and add. Multiply the addition by ten = 10(1+5). And add the 1x5 = 10x6+5. Add this to one hundred: 100+ 60+5=165.
12 by 13Raise two fingers in one hand and three on the other and add. Multiply the addition by ten = 10(2+3). And add the 2x3 = 10x5+6. Add this to one hundred: 100+ 50+6=156.
This formula explains the calculation: (10+a)(10+b) = (1000+10(a+b)+ab.

This method of multiplication was commonly used in the middle ages and made it unnecessary to learn the times tables beyond 5 by 5. It was particularly useful at international fairs and such events where people did not speak the language, and was in use in undeveloped countries until comparatively modern times.

Nowadays, all you need is a calculator to do your multiplication even if you have forgotten your times tables, but the trusty finger is still very much in use.

A Singapore maths article by Scotts Digital, a top branding agency Singapore

Using The Bar Model in Singapore Math

There are a number of reasons why Singapore math works. One of them is the use of visual representation. Kids get to better understand the problem, take note of obvious patterns, analyze the sequence and identify what needed to be done. It has, time and time again, proven to be an effective tool in stimulating the child's mind and developing his analytical and cognitive abilities.
One of the more popular tools for visual representation is the use of bar models.

Why It Works
Bar models allow the kids to simplify word problems. By presenting them through bars, they will be able to identify the issues involved, see the patterns and come up with the right solution. Bar models help the kids portray the word problems in a different perspective. They will be able to understand and see the relationships of the numbers involved.

The good thing about it is that it covers a broad scope. It can be applied to numerous math transactions. Thus, students across different levels can make good use of it. They can start with addition and subtraction, see how the numbers are related through the bar model. When they're used to it, they can apply the same technique to multiplication and division. It can then be extended to ratios, fractions and percent. That's how practical they are. That's how useful bar models can become in the math lessons of your kids.

How It Works
Bar models can be used in two different ways, either through the part-whole model or the comparison model.

1. Part-Whole Model
This model can be used in various math applications - addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Based from its name, it is effective in presenting a number as part of a whole.

Example: Adam has 10 apples and Ben and 30 apples. How many apples do they have in total?

Solution: Draw a long bar which represents the total number of apples that both Adam and Ben have. Divide it into two. One part is shorter while the other one is three times longer than the first part. This would help the kids illustrate the problem. The shorter part of the bar signifies the 10 apples of Adam and the longer part is used to represent the 30 apples of Ben. Kids will immediately identify the math application that needed to be used in this problem - addition.

This particular model can also be used when a part is missing. If the only given figures are the total 40 apples and Adam's supply of 10 apples, kids will realize that by subtracting one number from the other, they will arrive at the missing part. The bar model is useful in this situation by drawing the whole model and the shorter bar of 10 apples. Kids will have to identify the missing part.

2. Comparison Model
Like the part-whole model, the comparison model can be used in addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. But the difference of the two is that this use two bars while the former model uses only one bar. The presence of two bars allows the kids to compare the two and identify what is missing from the other.

Example: There are 100 sticks in the pile. If Bea got 20 sticks, how many sticks will be left in the pile.

Solution: Draw two bars. One will be longer than the other. The longer bar represents the 100 sticks. The shorter one represents the 20 sticks of Bea. By comparing both bars, kids will realize that they need to subtract 20 from 100 to get the missing part.

A Singapore maths educational article by Scotts Digital, a top marketing firms in Singapore

Learning Math Through Problem Solving

We can say that regardless the appealing appearance of the formula, instead of memorizing it, it would be obviously more productive to discuss how the formula is derived, or at least why it is plausible that it is true. He or she might talk on the history of the theorem, and might need to illustrate some drawings. In addition, presenting it in a story-like manner would make math more interesting for kids. As we probably have experienced before, a good story usually makes it up for a difficult concept, because it makes math much more enjoyable.

 Another fun mode of educating kids in mathematics is through online games. There are quite a big number of websites which offer interactive games that help your kid understand the concepts of mathematics while at the same time, making learning an enjoyable experience. Not only free material is available online. Sometimes, quality material can be purchased at reasonable prices, which could really make a difference. Math doesn't get any easier with all the resources available nowadays.

In today's world it is clear that not all the responsibility of math learning is on the teachers. Parents too play an important role in the development of a kidýs learning process. There was one parent in California who was struggling to teach her kid about the various denominations of the dollar. Instead of just letting her daughter memorize how the coins look like and how much it is equivalent to, she set up an imaginary "toy store" wherein she tries to "buy toys" from her kid. This creativity and ingenuity did not only allow the kid to learn fast, but also made her understand the idea far better than the typical classroom scenario.

For mathematics to be entertaining, and to help you deal with math with your kids, mathematics should be presented in such a way that kids would remember the concepts and formulas easily. Creativity is the key, aside from having a full understanding of the principles behind.

A recent study by us suggests that word problems and metaphors are muddling up our numbers. In one experiment, several students were asked to solve equations based on direct instruction and metaphorical explanations. Researchers found that many of these descriptions actually led students to over-think questions and set up problems incorrectly. Much of the issues revolved around the concept of positive and negative numbers. In most cases, students avoided setting up equations using negative numbers and attempted to change the problems to only work with positive integers.

We argues that this is not a simple error on the part of the student but a "reluctance to accept negative numbers." She further explains that this "is closely linked to our desire to be able to concretise that which is abstract and understand negative numbers in terms of concepts such as debts, lifts or temperatures." However, many of these "concepts" are difficult to convey to students who lack correlative experiences.

We suggests a change in the way we explain mathematical theories. By focusing on numbers at an early age, students can better grasp the key concepts necessary to later approach word problems. The study further suggests that students recognition of symbology such as decimals or fractions develops faster than their perception of, say, a pizza pie cut in half to represent 1/2.
Click here to know more tips about problem solving Maths.

How Singapore Math Can Help Your Child Learn Math Concepts Easily?

Singapore maths is founded on the classical model for teaching mathematics to the children. This model of teaching mathematics has been formalized for the wider applicability. National curriculum of Singapore has contributed a lot in grooming the learners who understand the basics of mathematics well.

Methods are not quite innovative but instructions and fundamental basis are time tested. Material and instructions are provided in English. Many schools of United States are following this model as a standard. Singapore math is based on different approaches. Other than standard methods of teaching mathematics, study materials are designed in a way that students give logical answers with logical explanations to the questions of mathematics.

In many other countries and even in United States, a great emphasis is given to the memorization rule, and students are expected to generate mathematical ideas from practical experiences. But Singapore teaching model is the one by which child at any stage can ask questions relating to fundamentals for understanding, with "why" instead of memorizing the rules. Due to this intelligently designed structure of the curriculum, students produce the right answer in right time; that is why this homeschooling teaching model is always preferred by teachers and parents.

Singapore math is spirally structured, which means that anything or topic that has been taught in the past will not be taught again but will be revised in the following year, and discussions will start from the next level of what was taught in the past. Whereas in other countries, the topic restarts and moves towards the higher level. This spiral structure does not let the student lose the fundamental concepts, as repetition can be boring for the students; that is why students are always kept fresh and starved for getting towards the next or higher level.

Singapore maths is famous for making students focus on the concepts of mathematics unlike other models which teach math. This model lets a student to pick the concepts from the core, as the nature of Singapore math is exploratory and children ask questions and get conceptual answers instead of memorizing without deep knowledge.

A Maths Learning Centre Singapore project by Scotts DIGITAL - One of the top marketing firms that is expert on branding your business using SEO.

Solve several math problems using math problem solver

Hi friends, once again i am here to explain you few interesting math topics and also about a tool named as math problem solver. Let's start with the inequalities, in this the equation contains greater then(>), less then(<), greater then equal to(<=), and less then equal to(>=) symbols. Whenever you encounter these symbols in any equation understand that equation is of inequality. Do you know how to solve inequalities, relax my dear friends i will explain you how to solve inequalities. Solving inequalities means finding all possible solutions of the given equation. A solution of an inequality gives a number which when substituted for the variable in the equation of inequalities gives the inequality statement as true. Consider an inequality example and see how to solve inequalities .

x- 3> 6,

In this we can substitute '10' in place of 'x' which will give

10-3> 6,

7> 6.

so x = 10, and from 10 onwards all the values are possible for x as they all will give result as true. in many case inequalities have multiple solutions. after this let us switch to other topic that is complex fractions. you all are familiar with fractions, they are a part of whole number and you can define in form of p/q, where, p is numerator and q is denominator. Complex fraction is a type of fraction, in which numerator and denominator both are in fractional form. Let's see with the help of a few example of complex fractions ( 3/4)/(4/5), 6/(8/9), and other fractions which are in same form. Simplifying complex fractions are similar to simplification of fractions, in this we have to first simplify the numerator and denominator individually and they are combine them to get final answer. for example,(2/6)/(3/12),

In this first solve the numerator and denominator separately and then combine them together.

(1/3)/(1/4),

1*4/3*1,

4/3,

This is the simplified complex fraction.

After having brief idea of both the topics, lets switch the gear towards free math problem solver. it is an automatic tool that solves all type of math problems and various sub tools are embedded inside math problem solver. You can take help of problem solver anytime whenever you stuck to any problem. Many websites offer this tool to help students, and students are free to take help of any tool according to their prbolem. Apart from this, students can also take help of online tutors also. Kids enjoy problem solving maths using math solver.