There are many different ways to attack a math problem. One way is to draw a picture. Especially when a concept is new, students who are visual and/or kinesthetic (hands on) learners might SEE the problem more clearly by having the problem drawn out for them, or by drawing it themselves. I don't mean break out the stick-men and stick-women (although, sometimes that can help, too). By using letters, circles, dots, Xs, or whatever is easiest for you, it can make a difficult problem seem much less daunting. For example: "Ron, Jake, Sara and Mikal are meeting at the library. If each student shakes...