Some students are in love with mathematics, and yet many are not. Apart from the kinds of books and learning environment, these two groups are exposed to, something else that causes the disparity between them is the quality of teaching they get. While some teachers know how to teach math effectively, others lack the knowledge and the result is often low performance by the students. Top-grade results in mathematics can be achieved when a good teacher is always around the corner.
Every good teacher must think first about helping the students overcome the phobia of mathematics. If some of her students can attest to the fact that they enjoy solving mathematics more than any other subject, then it means that every other student can do the same thing. Hence, a math teacher's priority would be finding out those methods used by the bright students and helping the dull ones with them during a one-on-one chat.
Teaching with some good teaching aids makes life easier for the teacher. Students also tend to comprehend better with visual aids and teaching materials that are designed specifically for the topics being taught. If you would love your students to get the entire details without struggling to understand you in subsequent classes, then you need to invest in the first class by making sure you go to the classroom with visual aids. Your students will also find it easier to read on their own when they get home.
Once you are done with the introduction, try to let your students know that the topic isn't an entirely new one by trying to link it with something they are familiar with. For instance, if you are teaching them longitude and latitudes, you can tell them it is all about the trigonometry ratios they learned in junior school. By knowing that they have some knowledge, they will be more eager to participate.
To make a new topic less frightening to the students, open it up for discussion while you guide them in their reasoning. Start with something general, outside mathematics if possible. Then recall their previous knowledge and bring back the visual aid you showed them some minutes ago. When you do this, they feel friendly with the topic and anticipate your own impact without any fears.
Revising past question papers with the students is a good measure to take when you want to teach them well. Past questions suggest to them how exam bodies are likely going to set their own questions when it is time to take national exams. Besides, past questions also make them more acquainted with a topic and all its subtopics.
Organizing weekly or monthly internal classroom competitions between you and your students is another way to make them improve by studying harder. Make sure you tell them there will be prizes. No matter how small the prizes are, just try to make them understand you are trying to make them work hard.
Do not forget to evaluate every week. Right after every class, try to give a summary of what you have covered and what they ought to have known during the class. Give a brief test after the class, even a multiple choice test would be okay. If you employ all these strategies, you would be surprised how often your student would be eager to learn mathematics in preference to other subjects.
Every good teacher must think first about helping the students overcome the phobia of mathematics. If some of her students can attest to the fact that they enjoy solving mathematics more than any other subject, then it means that every other student can do the same thing. Hence, a math teacher's priority would be finding out those methods used by the bright students and helping the dull ones with them during a one-on-one chat.
Teaching with some good teaching aids makes life easier for the teacher. Students also tend to comprehend better with visual aids and teaching materials that are designed specifically for the topics being taught. If you would love your students to get the entire details without struggling to understand you in subsequent classes, then you need to invest in the first class by making sure you go to the classroom with visual aids. Your students will also find it easier to read on their own when they get home.
Once you are done with the introduction, try to let your students know that the topic isn't an entirely new one by trying to link it with something they are familiar with. For instance, if you are teaching them longitude and latitudes, you can tell them it is all about the trigonometry ratios they learned in junior school. By knowing that they have some knowledge, they will be more eager to participate.
To make a new topic less frightening to the students, open it up for discussion while you guide them in their reasoning. Start with something general, outside mathematics if possible. Then recall their previous knowledge and bring back the visual aid you showed them some minutes ago. When you do this, they feel friendly with the topic and anticipate your own impact without any fears.
Revising past question papers with the students is a good measure to take when you want to teach them well. Past questions suggest to them how exam bodies are likely going to set their own questions when it is time to take national exams. Besides, past questions also make them more acquainted with a topic and all its subtopics.
Organizing weekly or monthly internal classroom competitions between you and your students is another way to make them improve by studying harder. Make sure you tell them there will be prizes. No matter how small the prizes are, just try to make them understand you are trying to make them work hard.
Do not forget to evaluate every week. Right after every class, try to give a summary of what you have covered and what they ought to have known during the class. Give a brief test after the class, even a multiple choice test would be okay. If you employ all these strategies, you would be surprised how often your student would be eager to learn mathematics in preference to other subjects.
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