Neemisha M.'s Blog at WyzAnt.com

Your Child's Success is My Success

posted by WyzAnt tutor: Neemisha M.

A parent told me recently that her son scored a near 100% on his last test. I was so proud. I feel proud when all my students succeed. The question is what does it mean for a student to be successful. I think it's a mix between the student having more confidence than when I begin working with the student, as well as an increase in the student's grades.

Depending on the student and his or her own situation grades may increase immediately and with others it may take a bit of time. I want my students to feel confident about their abilities and also be able to show the world and themselves that they understand what's going on in class. I make a commitment when I take on a student, which is, I will work my hardest to be available and flexible. Your child's success is my success.

When do I get a tutor?

posted by WyzAnt tutor: Neemisha M.

This is the question that many parents ponder when their child is struggling.

I believe that the first place one should get help is from the teacher. If this isn't successful you should get a tutor as soon as possible. The earlier you get a tutor the better for your child. Sometimes parents wait until the end of quarters and/or semesters, but by then there is the deficit of the material from the past which also makes it difficult to help prepare the student for current and upcoming material.

It is natural as students move from grade to grade that at some point they may reach a level of math where they may find some difficulty, and this does not mean that they are no longer a "good" math student. It just means this particular material is more difficult and working through the difficulty can be a great source of personal confidence.

Often when students encounter math to be increasingly difficult they start identifying with not being "good at math" any longer, but this couldn't be farther from the truth. The earlier the intervention, the better.

Once students think of themselves as struggling math learners, it's much harder to reach them, even if it is within their capability.

Questions You Should Ask A Tutor and the Tutor Should Ask You

posted by WyzAnt tutor: Neemisha M.

As a parent you may be wondering, "How do I find a tutor for my child?" Here are a few questions to ask a tutor:

1. What is your prior experience in ?

2. How will you assess my child's needs?

3. What is your previous experience in education?

4. How will you work in collaboration with my child's teacher?

5. Can you come to my home? Or do I need to come to your location?

6. How flexible are you with your schedule? Is this something you only do part-time, or is this what you do?

Here is a list of some questions that a tutor should ask (not in any particular order):

1. What do you think would help your child be more successful?

2. What does the teacher say about how your child is doing up until now in the class?

3. How does your child feel about tutoring? What has he/she been saying about class?

4. How has your child done in previous math courses? When did she/he start struggling?

5. Do you have a copy of the syllabus for the class?

6. Can I see the previous assessments before I begin to work with your students?

Math Habits

posted by WyzAnt tutor: Neemisha M.

I've been asking students the following question for years: "Why do you show so little work, and where are you completing the problem?" Most students I have worked with write less down than I do, and I have quite a bit of math under my belt. I still have not found the answer to this question. Some students say it’s because they don’t see the point, but they have been cheated if teachers have given them credit for answers without work. As math gets complicated there is more and more work that needs to be done, and if a student has bad habits of doing mental math, then this will be a hindrance to success.

These are things that all students of higher mathematics should do:

1. Write the original problem down. When solving problems you want to make sure that you are staring at the actual problem. You don't want to look at your paper and then back to the book or sheet of paper that the problem is on.

2. Show your work just like your teacher does when they are introducing the material. It is not a sign of weakness to show work, it’s how the problem is supposed to be worked out. It’s just a good habit. Sure sometimes it’s something that you can do in your head, but what does it hurt to just write it out.

3. Plug your solution into the original problem whenever you can. If you do this, then you don’t even need to wait to see if you got it right, you can tell immediately. It’s like immediate feedback.

4. Does your answer make sense? Take a look at the answer and see if it would make sense in the context of the problem.

5. Make sure you can read your own handwriting. Don’t write too small and make sure your numbers are legible. If you can’t read your own writing, it will be harder to get to the correct answer.

6. If a shape is being discussed, draw a diagram when necessary. This visual representation can be good for any kind of learner, not just the visual learner.

7. If you are stuck on a problem, start writing down things that you know, and see if you can solve for something. Sometimes you have to solve a couple of things to get to the answer the question is asking for.

These are some tips that can help each student be more successful in mathematics.

Parent Concerns and Prealgebra

posted by WyzAnt tutor: Neemisha M.

Recently I spoke with a parent who was concerned about their child who just started 6th grade pre-algebra. What she didn't understand, and I think what many parents do not understand is that a student that starts 6th grade pre-algebra, is missing out on 1-2 years of math that they would have received if they were students just 15 years ago. What does this really mean? This means that they are missing out on more time to master multiplication, fractions, percents working with number sentences, and many other topics that is quintessential in their future learning. This is a great loss. I know that many parents what to see their child get to Calculus and do well in Mathematics. But this isn't necessarily the best way, and it may prove to be counter-productive as well as your child may get to Calculus but may struggle along they way as they are missing time to master some basic skills.

Around 20 years ago when I was in 8th grade, I took Algebra 1, which was part of the accelerated program. This meant that as a freshman I started in Geometry Honors and ended my high school career as a senior in Calculus BC AP. So the norm at the time was this path. Now if a student starts pre-algebra in 6th grade, then they will be in Calculus by their junior year. The difference between a student now and a student when I was in school is that we had more time master skills. In my experience as a classroom teacher, I believe the most important thing to keep in mind is that the stronger the basic skills, the more successful your child will be. I have also seen many students that start off on the Prealgebra track, end up leaving math and finding that they know longer think they are good at math. I know some of these students would have been more more successful with at least 1 more year of middle math.

But now, here you are, with a child in 6th grade prealgebra, what do you do? Well, at the first sign of any difficulty, seeing the teacher is a great first step. Also, helping your child understand that as they get older, math does get harder but that does not mean they are not great math students, it just means that the higher the level, the more work, and sometimes you have to stumble to get there. If the time spent with the teacher proves to be insufficient, tutoring is the next best thing.

Foundations

posted by WyzAnt tutor: Neemisha M.

Often I wonder how parents decide when to look for tutoring for their children. Timing is very significant. It's so important to get help as soon as your child needs it. I have had students that wait until SAT to get a tutor for their child. When students feel good about what they are doing, and capable they try hard, but when they do not feel capable it often starts to bleed into how they feel as learners. We have all struggled, but what do we do about it? How do we handle it? How will we help our children feel and be successful?

Attitudes of Mathematics

posted by WyzAnt tutor: Neemisha M.

In education the saying is if you like content teach high school, if you like kids teach the young kids. I don't think this is true. Nothing is a replacement for being more of an expert in your field. I have a teaching certificate in high school math, which means that I have the equivalent of a Bachelor's degree in Mathematics.

Research shows that younger students attitudes in mathematics are directly correlated with the implicit attitudes of their teachers. For example, a 5th grade teacher who does not particularly enjoy math but still can teach math at a 5th grade level, his/her attitudes can implicitly impact your child. This impact is even greater for young girls with female teachers.

Over the years I have spoken with many people about their relationship to math, and once they find out that Mathematics is my passion, most people will say, "Better you than me, I hated math..." and then they continue to tell me the teacher that they had the year they stopped liking it. I think this is very telling.

The sooner you get your child help when they are falling behind in math, the better it is for them, now and for their future in mathematics.

Working 1 - 1

posted by WyzAnt tutor: Neemisha M.

Today I worked with 2 different students in a 1 - 1 setting. It's always amazing how much work you can get through with a student when you only need to worry about his/her needs at his/her own page. I love education, especially when you can actually see the learning. Sometimes in the classroom it's hard to see where each student is and if they are going with the pace of the class.

Benefits of 1-1:
1. Work on what student needs
2. Work at students pace
3. No issue with classroom management
4. No worrying about where other students are
5. Students are happier and feel more accomplished

SAT Test Taking Strategies

posted by WyzAnt tutor: Neemisha M.

It's hard for students to understand that taking the SAT is not only about solving the problems at hand. It's about solving as many problems correctly as you can in a small window of time. To do well on the SAT you have to know some of the tricks of the trade. You only have an allotted amount of time and you should spend that time wisely. Here are some basic strategies I give to students:

1. Don't get stuck on any 1 problem. SAT penalizes for wrong answers.
2. Eliminate answers when you can.
3. For questions that involve equations of graphs, use your calculator.
4. Show all of your work so that you can check it over quickly and move on.
5. Decrease the amount of mental math you do and write your work down.
6. If you are working with questions, sometimes you can just plug in your multiple choice options to see which one works.
7. Label problems that you skip somehow, whether it is with the word SKIP or a big circle around the number so you can see it clearly.
8. Draw diagrams when you can.
9. Circle key words in problems that you find yourself reading repeatedly.
10. Remember, your answers must be on the answer sheet, your work in the test booklet does not count.

These are not the only things that you need to do well, but if you spend 10 minutes on 2 problems, you may run out of time for some problems that you may have been able to do correctly.