Mathematics is so important. Maths tutoring brings students of all ages a great sense of satisfaction and achievement. Frequently, there is also a sense of relief! Students who think they are not mathematicians can resole confusions and regain confidence very easily with the right tutor. This applies to early primary students as well as students across the middle years in secondary school.
Mathematics is all around us in daily life. Firm, connected understandings of all basic concepts are absolutely vital. Advanced concepts always require links basic basic number, numeracy and logic. Small misunderstandings or incomplete ideas can catch up with students in later years. This means that the earlier that mathematics tutoring can be started – the better! When students do not have existing difficulties they can stay ahead of their classmates and excel. When students do have existing problems with mathematics it is firstly a matter of diagnosing the problem area(s). Then – through exploration, activities, revision, challenges, games and discussion – students build skills and confidence. Simple topics often need to be revised so that the “a-hah!” moment can be had… and enjoyed at last. Then all the new concepts start sliding into place very easily!
As a Templestowe maths tutor and as a teacher in Melbourne I have worked with children across the school system. My pre-prep maths tutoring children have made the journey of learning and understanding numerals, starting with 1-10 and eventually being so proud of themselves for really being able to understand and work with numbers to 999. I have worked with middle and upper primary children in the classroom and in private tutoring classes for nearly 20 years. With my secondary school students, I have tutored maths focussing on problem-solving and unpicking strategies that can be applied to different types of questions.
Having a calculator in one’s pocket is amazing but doesn’t stop anyone from needing skills in estimation. We have all had experiences where we know that an answer doesn’t “sound right”, so we check our data and try again. Estimation and problem solving skills can be taught systematically, so that students have the confidence and skill to spot their own mistakes and proactively improve their results.
In traditional classrooms, teachers do what they can to personalise learning but the reality is that groups of children must advance through material at a given speed with their classmates. One-on-one mathematics tutoring gives students the opportunity to specifically target areas of the curriculum where they need more assistance. By the same token, one-on-one tutoring allows many students to leap ahead of the pack and extend themselves well above what their peers are able to cover in school. In this way, Templestowe Tutoring helps students of all ability levels to maximise their potential. Whether a student needs to catch up or wants to accelerate ahead and excel (or both!) personalised mathematics tutoring makes all the difference.
As a child, I did not consider myself a gifted maths student. I think that this gives me a great advantage as a professional mathematics tutor in Templestowe today. I remember which links in my knowledge took time to form properly. Most importantly, I am always able to pinpoint the types of activities and examples which lead to those invaluable “a-hah!” moments for my wonderful students.
– Michelle Radcliffe
Maths Matters!
Documents used in my planning for Mathematics Tutoring from pre-prep through to Year 12 have included:
– The Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework (VEYLDF)
– The Australian Curriculum’s Mathematics Foundation to Year 10 Curriculum
– The Victorian Curriculum’s documentation for Foundation to Year 10 Mathematics
– The International Baccalaureate’s Mathematics Scope and Sequence
– The Victorian Certificate of Education’s documentation for Foundation, Further and General Mathematics and for Mathematical Methods