How to give maths classes
LikeKnowing how to prepare a class is one of the basic skills required of a good tutor. Although there are tips that can be used to teach any subject, maths classes have characteristics that make them differ from other subjects. In this article we will teach you everything you need to know to become a maths tutor.
Maths is probably the subject that students in schools and colleges have the most problems with. It is the one that needs the most after-school tuition and the one where the most research is done to find different techniques on how to teach it. For this reason, it is so important to know how to give private maths tuition.
How to prepare a maths class
The key point for giving private maths classes, classes in tuition centres or in schools, is to plan the course and prepare the materials for the classes in advance. To do this, you should have a series of materials ready and there are some key points you should consider when preparing your classes:
- Do a pre-test. You need to test what knowledge your students have of the syllabus. If it is a maths revision class, it is even more important to know what they have learnt in class and what they have not learnt.
- Choose the topics in an order that makes sense. In maths, it is very important to follow the right order of topics. Choose what you are going to teach and don't jump from one topic to another, as your students are likely to get lost and won´t retain the information that´s being taught to them.
- Teach the history of maths. Start your lessons by capturing your students' attention. You can do this in many ways, but something that never fails is to tell an anecdote or some curious historical data relating to maths. Remember that teaching mathematics is much more than just explaining formulas.
- Explain the theory. Understanding mathematical theory is just as important as knowing how to apply it. You can do this in the more traditional way or use creative techniques, although it all depends on the type of student you have and their own unique learning style. Therefore, get to know them well enough to know which method to use.
- Allow time for doubts and queries. Set aside some time during your lesson to answer any queries your students may have. If there is a student in a particular class who does not have a question, ask them yourself. Try to get them to answer questions about the topics they seem to have difficulty in understanding in order to check that they have improved their skills.
- Practise maths problems. The only way to consolidate maths knowledge is to do the exercises over and over again. So that your students doesn´t get bored, try to combine the traditional way of doing exercises with something more fun and interactive.
- Correct mistakes. When studying mathematics, it is just as important to understand the process as it is to get the results right. For this very reason, you should dedicate some time to checking all the exercises your student has done. Analyse how your students did and what were the most common mistakes so you know which topics may need revision.
- Go back to the theory. If you have to explain the theory again, do it. You may think that you don't have to do it because you have already explained it, but not everyone absorbs the knowledge the first time, especially if it is a subject they have difficulty with. If you detect that during the class they are not understanding, stop the class and explain the concepts again.
Tips for teaching maths classes
"How is this useful?” - this is a question a maths tutor is likely to hear during their career. It is not always an easy one to answer, but if we try to answer with some good examples, it will be the most useful thing we can do to engage our students.
Maths is an abstract science that is often difficult to put into practice. But, in the end, it is nothing more than a language by which we can decipher the world. In a mathematical language we can explain everything, we just have to learn how.
- Make mathematics attractive
If you are able to set maths problems that interest your students in some way, for example, topics related to football championships or some event that they simply find amusing, they will have something to hold on to.
Remember that they are dealing with a subject that demands great capacity for abstraction and conceptualisation, so the more comfortable you make them feel, the better the results will be.
- Motivate your students
The first reaction to the introduction of a new maths subject is often "I don't understand it" or "this is too difficult". Most school failure comes from a negative attitude, so put as much effort into motivating your student as you do into explaining the lesson.
As a private maths tutor, you should have four key qualities:
- Patience. Many people find maths difficult. This does not mean that they are not good at other subjects, it could just be that they have difficulty with understanding abstract concepts.
- The ability to apply maths to everyday life. Make everything you explain have some kind of relationship to everyday life. If your students think maths is something that makes no sense or that they´ll never use, they won't be so motivated to learn it.
- The ability to motivate others. Ensure you create an atmosphere where maths is taken seriously but also where the student feels comfortable enough to express where they're struggling. If you put a student under too much pressure, especially when they're already finding the subject tough, it's likely that they won´t be motivated to progress further in maths.
- Empathy: Empathy is undoubtedly the most important quality needed in order to help students succeed in maths. It's important to understand the student's needs in order to make the most out of their classes. For example, some students may need someone that's more firm to hold them accountable, while others may need a relaxed environment where they can feel comfortable enough to share their problems and ideas.
In short, in order to give private maths tuition, you not only need training and tutoring experience, but you also need to be able to understand the student and their needs. Tutoring children is not the same as tutoring teenagers or adults. In the end, a maths tutor must be aware that they are not like a traditional school teacher. They can sometimes be seen as more valuable to their students as they´re the vehicle that carries their pupils towards understanding maths.