learning new math

For most kids, “new math” is confusing, scary, and very different from what their parents did when they were in elementary school. New math is all about understanding concepts, explaining their thinking, and doing math problems in different ways. Though new math helps kids develop analytic skills, it may make them – and their parents – feel lost. But with effective tips and proper math tutoring, kids not only increase their proficiency in math but also make unexpected gains.

One tip for kids learning new math is the emphasis on understanding over speed. Many kids think it is essential to give the correct answer right away, while new math emphasizes the importance of the ‘why’ in reaching the answer. It is important for kids to take their time and think out loud, showing them different paths to reach the solution, which could be done with the use of number lines, pictures, or blocks.

A very important tip is to divide problems into several easier steps. Check CHT website to know more of such methods. A multi-step math problem can be frustrating, particularly for kids that lack confidence already. Helping children stop to analyze what the question being asked is looking for, then taking things one at a time can ease anxiety. Listing out the steps instead of working them out mentally can make a lot of difference too.

Applying math to real-life examples is an extremely effective way of practicing math. Cooking, calculating, measuring, or even playing board games with your children could help instill math principles in their minds in a natural and non-stressful way. When children are able to visualize the connection between what they are being asked to do in math and its connection to their everyday lives, it makes it all much more relatable and less of a task.

It is at this stage where the math tutoring component comes into play and has a very important role to play. This is where a tutor has a personal approach with the child where the tutoring is right for them and where their needs are met precisely where they are and not at the pace of a class.

In unexpected ways, math tutoring also translates to increasing confidence levels. Many children feel that they are “bad at math” as a result of their struggles. Encouraging tutors can shift the paradigm by rewarding small successes and showing kids that failure is an integral process. This encourages kids to make attempts, seek answers, and push forward. By doing so, kids become more eager to learn.

Math tutoring also enhances skills for attention and organization. Math tutors will teach the kids ways on how to solve a problem, how to allocate time when taking tests, and how to verify work. Such skills are applicable to all fields of life.

What is perhaps the most astonishing is that math tutoring can improve communication skills and critical thinking. In new math, kids are encouraged to articulate why they solved a problem in a certain way, which helps them express their ideas in words.

Conclusion: Learning math can be a more manageable task for children when the right approaches to math concepts are implemented. Learning math isn’t the only thing that improves for children when math tutoring occurs. They can possibly have improvements in confidence, concentration, and attitude. None of these benefits seem to be directly associated with the task of math.