Choosing the Right Math Curriculum

Once you have chosen the right tutor, it is now time to design a curriculum with the tutor that best suits the student. Focusing on the students’ pain points when designing the curriculum is necessary. 

Many children do not know the “why” behind math when getting tutored. Some students don’t understand the subject from the beginning, and some could get correct answers but can never understand why they got the correct answer. 

Are You a Bookworm?

Before we jump onto the curriculum, the math tutor needs to identify whether they’re comfortable with a particular teaching method and whether the child agrees with the same method or not. 

With advancing technology, many Calgary tutoring services offer tech-based tutoring, especially in Calgary. While some tutors and students are comfortable with this, many prefer the “classical” teaching methods. 

Identifying the teaching method you are most comfortable with as a math tutor and combining the two will give you optimal results. 

Difference between Mastery and Spiral Techniques

It is hard enough to choose the right curriculum; with so many choices, what should you choose?

For this, there are two basic paths you can follow. Especially for a subject like math, the most logical thing to do is to tackle the subject via mastery or with the spiral technique.

Mastery is a teaching method that builds a complete foundation. The curriculum design encompasses each and every topic in math, which is then followed by expanding your knowledge over that particular topic. 

The spiral approach is a typical school method all of us have experienced. It takes you step by step to reach the topic. At each grade level, we experience a set of different topics according to the difficulty level. This allows the student to take in concepts bit by bit. 

The crucial step here is to match the student according to their level. The math tutor needs to be very strategic here. At times, the student wants to know everything about the subject. This is where you employ the mastery method. Other students cannot take this much information under one curriculum; therefore, it is wise to guide them step by step. 

The spiral method is more efficient, but schools make this method so complex which confuses the student. Hence, getting tutoring services for math is vital at every grade level. 

The mastery approach is also very overwhelming. This approach is suited for students who always excel in academics. The idea behind designing a curriculum based on mastery is that the student knows each and everything about math. They have the right cognitive mind for it and can grasp the concept quickly. 

This method introduces a topic, and the child has to learn everything about it. After mastering a topic, the next one is introduced. 

The spiral idea introduces the notion that the child can learn anything if explained in a simplified manner. This type of curriculum takes difficult concepts in math and breaks them down into chunks for easy learning. 

Story-telling or Real-life examples?

Every child has a different understanding level. Some students easily understand concepts through a story, while others need worksheets and practice examples. A good math tutor will always identify this beforehand and teach the child accordingly. 

Foresee the Future

A good best math tutoring Calgary would have tutors who work for the student’s future. What if the student has a profound inclination towards math? Is the curriculum you designed preparing them for the real-life, or just passing exams for their current level?

Knowing what curriculum lies ahead of the student is vital. This will help you as a tutor and as a student to identify what you need to teach and what the student has to learn. This lays the ground for life-long lessons that will help them throughout their school life and practical life. 

Illustrating the Curriculum

Should you or should you not include colors in your teaching method? Every tutor has their own way of teaching, but a tutor should always experiment first. 

Does the child understand better with pictures or just plain white or black text? Most studies show that children are better accustomed to less information when it comes to math. Long paragraphs tend to make the child lose focus, and therefore not perform well.  

Conclusion

A good tutor designs a curriculum that is specific to the student. Preparing a syllabus beforehand and then testing that out on the child will help both the tutor and the student comprehend the weak points. After that, an optimal curriculum can be designed to get the best results. Read more