How often have we heard the sentiment from students, “Math is so difficult.” or “I don’t like studying math because I don’t understand.”? Unfortunately, this is something that I’m sure many of us are familiar with, given the calculative and complex nature of the subject.
Despite this, its common knowledge that studying math in school is very important, as it helps in the development of essential problem-solving skills early on in students. Not to mention, math is almost always a necessary pre-requisite to most university courses! Hence, being able to do well in it would be in most students’ favour.
However, many students struggle with math and it can, more often than not, lead to a gradual disinterest or distaste for the subject. This is likely fueled by the fact that most students tend to perform better with positive affirmations or feedback, which they may not receive after scoring a less than ideal grade.
As such, we’ve come to understand that the teacher plays an important role in shaping the student’s perception of the subject. Thus, their teaching methods, as well as attitudes towards their students can really change the outcome of their students’ grades!
Now, you may be wondering, “Just how can an effective math tutor change the way that students’ view math for the better?”. Let’s explore it a little more!
Needless to say, how a student internalises a subject depends heavily on how it is taught to them. Should it be taught in an overly complicated manner, or at a pace that does not suit them, it may cause a student to disconnect from the learning experience, hindering them from doing well.
Unfortunately, in school situations, where a teacher is required to cater to a larger student population, their teaching styles have to cater to the wider population. They also often have lesser time to be able to consult a student one-on-one, which can place many students at a disadvantage.
This is especially important when it comes to math, a subject that needs frequent practice, where mistakes made should be corrected relatively quickly to prevent recurrence!
Hence, most turn to private math tutors in Singapore to aid them in the subject. Not only do private math tutors grant them one-on-one teaching that caters to the student’s learning pace, but they can also tweak their teaching methods to better suit the student’s unique learning style!
As previously mentioned, an effective math tutor is, too, able to correct their students’ insecurities and misconception regarding the subject, as well as provide encouragement and positive affirmations!
This may be attained through direct words of consolation, or a new way of introducing certain complicated math concepts that allows it to be easier for the student to grasp and apply to their work.
To explore the tutor’s teaching styles or their method of boosting their students’ confidence, you may opt to reach out to them to inquire! More often than not, a tutor’s students’ results would stand as a testament to their abilities, which are readily available for viewing on most tuition provider websites.
Given the paced teaching style and attention from the tutor to the student, with enough hard work, encouragement and determination, a student is most definitely capable of achieving fantastic grades.
Eventually, as the student progresses and maintains their improvements, their confidence in math would naturally develop, would leave them feeling rewarded and more motivated to do even better in the future! After all, as the quote by William Arthur Ward goes, “A good teacher teaches, while a great teacher inspires.”.