Are you looking to find a math tutor in Vancouver? I am an experienced math tutor and certified teacher, BA, B.Ed, with the North Vancouver School District. I have a proven track record of successfully tutoring elementary mathematics in North and West Vancouver from my North Shore home.
My approach to tutoring math is one of patience, encouragement and engagement, using clear and simple explanations to make even tricky math concepts seem clear and straightforward. I begin tutoring each student with a thorough assessment of their mathematical abilities and then use our tutoring sessions to create a strong foundation of mathematical understanding upon which they will be able to build their continued success with math for years to come.
In my experience as a Vancouver Tutor I have consistently seen that some students seem to be better at math than others. But is it because they are just naturally more inclined towards mathematics? Or is there some other factor involved?
Over my years as a tutor in the West Vancouver and North Vancouver communities, I repeatedly noticed the following observation when working with students in math:
Often the students who are having more success in math are doing so not necessarily because they are brighter or working harder (although their success may make them appear this way) but because they are using better strategies and techniques to understand and solve math problems. In fact, some students who are struggling with math can actually be working harder at their studies than the successful kids simply because they are using less effective strategies and techniques!
Not all ways of solving a problem are created equal. Some strategies let you solve math problems in less time, with less effort, and fewer chances to make a mistake than with other methods. Let’s look at an example of a surprising math strategy:
Math Example Number 1 Question: What is the square of 65?
How many of you could come up with the answer for this question in less than 5 seconds… without using a calculator? For many adults it would be next to impossible to quickly come up with the answer to this question without pencil and paper or a calculator. And yet, this type of problem can be solved by some grade 4 students in their heads in less than 5 seconds! These students are not necessarily smarter than other students, but they are using better techniques and strategies than most of us do to solve math problems. How do they do it? The strategy they would use in this case is as follows:
Student: “When finding the square of any number ending in five, I just need to follow these few steps…”
What was originally a seemingly difficult task is now revealed to be very easy once you know this little trick. Does knowing strategies like this make someone smarter than someone who does not? No, but they do make the students who know them more effective and efficient at doing math.
The good news is that these methods and techniques can be taught and learned by everyone! You don’t have to be a child genius in order to perform like one. What you do need is to develop a strong foundation upon which to develop your math skills, and a sense for the properties of numbers. As a math tutor serving North Vancouver, West Vancouver and the Downtown Vancouver area, I can help your child his or her math skills and build a strong foundation for success in math.
There are many different ways to approach even the simplest math problem, and a strong understanding of the properties of numbers and basic mathematical principals (what I call ‘number sense’) can be invaluable in helping students to choose the best strategy to arrive at an answer in the most efficient manner possible.
Successful students know that when you keep your approach to solving a math problem as simple as possible you will have less to remember. And the less you have to remember the less likely you are to get confused or forget something and get a wrong answer as a result. Take a look at the next example to help illustrate this point.
Math Example Number 2
How would you go about solving 63 + 9? Many students tackle this problem by going “63 + 1 is 64, plus 2 is 65, Plus 3 is…
This approach is not very efficient and with all the steps is prone to mistakes. A better way to solve this could be to say: “9 = 10 -1, so 63 + 10 is easy, that’s 73. And then we subtract 1 and get 72. There, our answer is 72!”
There are many ways to think about solving most types of math questions, but as you can see, some ways are easier and faster than others. Often successful students will have been introduced to some of these superior methods by a teacher or perhaps stumbled upon them on their own. But the end result is that while they may or may not be smarter than other children, they are definitely using strategies and techniques that make solving math problems quicker and easier. And again, the good news is that these methods and techniques can be taught and learned by everyone!
As a Math Tutor I will help your child to build their number sense and construct a strong foundation in mathematics that will help them to succeed as they continue to progress in math. My approach to tutoring math will help your child to overcome math anxiety and build confidence in their ability to do math.
If your child is struggling in school then don’t wait any longer. Call me today at 604 922-0900 to arrange a free, no obligation math skills assessment for your child. This is a comprehensive professional analysis of your child’s academic ability, identifying their current strengths as well as challenges to their learning success.
Why wait? Call me today at 604 922-0900 and help your child to begin experiencing academic success in school.
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