Welcome to my blog! As my Vision and Mission state, this blog is dedicated to mathematics and trying to help as many parents out there as possible to help their children in math. I hope to share my knowledge with you all and welcome any feedback or questions or topics you would like me to address through this blog. Please feel free to email me anytime. It goes without saying that this blog is my opinion only and I respect that some may have different views.
A little bit about me:
I graduated from University of Waterloo,
Bachelor of Mathematics, Combinatorics & Optimization Major. And I loved it.
The world of possibilities and applications that exist in mathematics is
limitless and solving problems logically and mathematically is fascinating
and…fun. I am however, able to say this only because I understand math. I get
it. And what’s more, I know how to explain the concepts to someone else so that
they understand it too.
And I'd like to think I’ve had plenty of practice…with good
results. Beginning in Grade 9 and all through high school I signed up for a
peer tutoring program, where I would help fellow students who were struggling
with mathematics achieve their goals. And they did. In grade 12 I signed up for
a teaching assistant program where I helped a teacher in grade 9 math course
and the students in it. After graduation I went on to tutor high school
students who were children of my friends.
I tutored one student who came to me in the
2nd half of the semester, failing with a 47%. Their final mark was
63%. And that’s only because we had limited time to learn before semester ended
– I’m sure it would have been higher still should we had more time. They
started enjoying math and doing the exercises; they gained confidence in their
ability to understand math.
Every student has the ability to succeed in math.
Through my tutoring years and on-going math
teaching to children the same common themes pop up, that once addressed, help
them overcome their math fears and misunderstandings:
- Often gaps in math knowledge, when found and addressed, accelerate student learning drastically and increase confidence and likeness of the subject. So go look for them!
- There is always more than one way of explaining the subject/problem (and the solution) – effective teachers* accept different ways of getting to the solution and nurture that thought process. There might not be one way fits all thought process.
- Memory work, especially in younger grades such as times tables, additions, subtractions, formulas, etc., is a necessary base for progression in mathematics. Math exploration is not enough to advance and progress in mathematics to the more difficult stages. I am fully aware there might be some who would strongly disagree but I truly believe that one must not only grasp the basics but have them at their fingertips to advance in the subject.
In this blog I will explore these points
further, suggest ways of giving students a head start on mathematics and how
doing a little bit each day can have dramatic results in the future, as well as
discuss how to help your children at home and complement school taught topics.
Before I close off, I would like to share with you that I did not always understand math, in fact, I hated it in grade 4... and now I have a Bachelor's of Mathematics. I hope to help you help your students who may be struggling in this subject as well, perhaps giving up on math, and helping them understand it in hope that a a light will come on and math will once again make sense.
This blog is about empowering you to help your children/students succeed in math. I look forward to helping everyone who needs help in math.
Thank you for reading!
Margaret
