Advice on How To Tutor My Daughter

[smudger]

My daughter does well at school. However, maths has been her most challenging subject. I have asked her teacher to keep us posted on her progress because she worries too much about it and she is only 9. Her written maths is fine and as expected for her age, her mental maths is way below whats expected at her age and she knows it because she compares herself to others in the class though she isn't in any remedial groups yet. The teacher has suggested I practice some mental maths daily at home with her to help. I have bought some special books to help her which she was excited about. Trouble is, every time she gets something wrong or can't do something she ends up shouting and crying at me or saying she is too tired to do it. I am not even timing her like the teacher does because I don't think the pressure helps. It is so stressful for both of us, I dread doing it and she always ends up in tears. I end up letting her work the answers out on paper because she can't do it in her head. Defies the whole point really. Don't get me wrong, I can see an improvement in the last few days already but she won't accept that and I always build her up when she gets things right. We are prepared to have a home tutor to help her confidence but we can't do that and continue her riding lessons and I have told her we are not punishing her, its just to build her confidence.Any advice anyone please?

[Spagetti]

I have an idea which might encourage her. You said you have seen an improvement in her in the last few days, so how about drawing up some sort of chart/graph so you can show her how well she is doing, and perhaps treat her at the end of the week etc to celebrate her achievement?x

[oneofus]

Mmmm! Maths yummy!

Try the Nrich site at http://nrich.maths.org/public/monthindex.php?mm=1. Don't try teaching her what she's doing at school. Find fun puzzles which will give her a buzz when she solves them faster than you. One to start on is to take the numbers 0 to 9 and organise them in triangle so the number above each pair of numbers is the difference between the pair eg

1
2 3

but you have to use all ten numbers.

Nick

[bottleblond]

My 11 year old came home with 'Fibonacci sequence' homework the other day. I had never heard of it in my life before, i sat scratching my head and wondering what on earth it meant. they would have been as well sending him home with Japanese literature for all the use i was at first. :ohmy:

Jings things have changed so much since i was at school.

Lisa
xxx

[SueBee]

Hi, it's so hard to teach children maths at home these days because the way they are taught has changed so much over the years.

I was watching BBC news the other day and Carol Vorderman was on there launching a new maths tutorial, which is done online. Its not that cheap but it seems to have had some good reviews.

Its just a thought because I remember how much my son struggled with maths at that age and he used to get soooo stroppy with me lol its frustrating for both child and parent when you don't seem to progress

You might find that as she matures something will just 'click' and it will all fall into place with her as it did with my son - he loves maths now and is at college studying forensic science which includes a lot of complex eqations, so it can be done. The link for the site is below - good luck!!

http://www.themathsfactor.com/?gclid=CIieraCBvqACFVAA4wod92NXSw

Sue xxx

[oneofus]

My 11 year old came home with 'Fibonacci sequence' homework the other day. I had never heard of it in my life before, i sat scratching my head and wondering what on earth it meant. they would have been as well sending him home with Japanese literature for all the use i was at first. :ohmy:

Jings things have changed so much since i was at school.

Lisa
xxx


That all started off with breeding bunny wabbits, believe it or not.

Nick

[sb001f8994]

Hi smudger,
Everything you are doing seems about right, we had similar probs with our daughter. My daughter seemed frustrated and embarrassed at not being able to grasp mental arithmatic but her working out was always top of the class. We tried everything you are doing and considered a tutor but her teachers put us off that idea. She spent most of

[bottleblond]

Blimey Nick :roflmao:

Maths is not my strong point at the best of time but that really threw me.

Give me art history any day!! :) Lol

Lisa
xx

[alias_kev]

And were Mr Fibonacci still alive he'd be older than all of us, so its not too new; he wrote about in Europe for the first time in the year 1202.

Sorry bottle, your school must have left that bit out - not sure if they should have done! There's a good introduction here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fibonacci_number#Origins), including the bit about rabbits.

[alias_kev]

If her class work is good then its not a problem of understanding, and its only a problem with mental arithmetic. That should be easier to tackle, although if she finds it very hard to get any answer wrong then that may be the root of the problem and the tough thing to overcome.

Both my kids are brilliant at maths but always had big differences in their ability with mental arithmetic. So I don't think problems are too uncommon these days. One was extraordinary, the other a little weak especially given their ability. I reckon mental arithmetic is kind of like juggling - a lot of it comes from practice. So you are doing the right things. As she finds getting stuff wrong so stressful I reckon you need a number tricks. This is what I'd try:

1. Start with easy stuff so she's getting good scores - eg 8/10 level.
2. Let her mark it herself so her failings are a bit more private (do check it later though ;))
3. Reward success - eg. 1 small sweet for every 5 right answers.
4. Try and set the same amount of work each night. Initially say 20 questions.
5. Try and do it every single night.

It may help to start off with learning & testing the times tables (up to 12). They got very unfashionable in some decades/schools but I think they are fundamental to doing mental arithmetic. Even those who can do huge sums in their heads HAVE to just know each individual digit x digit, or its too much to calculate/combine at once.

Knowing the times tables should help both her speed, her ability and her confidence.

Then start with addition.
Then subtraction (with no carry needed, then with a carry).
Then multiplication, then simple division.

The stuff you've got may give a clue as to how hard the final sums ought to be for her age/ability. I guess start with 1 digit + 1 digit, then 2 digit + 1 digit, then 2 digit + 2 digit, etc.

Hope that helps as advice from a mathy person.

[smudger]

...if she finds it very hard to get any answer wrong then that may be the root of the problem and the tough thing to overcome.

1. Start with easy stuff so she's getting good scores - eg 8/10 level.
2. Let her mark it herself so her failings are a bit more private (do check it later though ;))
3. Reward success - eg. 1 small sweet for every 5 right answers.
4. Try and set the same amount of work each night. Initially say 20 questions.
5. Try and do it every single night.

It may help to start off with learning & testing the times tables (up to 12). They got very unfashionable in some decades/schools but I think they are fundamental to doing mental arithmetic. Even those who can do huge sums in their heads HAVE to just know each individual digit x digit, or its too much to calculate/combine at once.

Knowing the times tables should help both her speed, her ability and her confidence.

Then start with addition.
Then subtraction (with no carry needed, then with a carry).
Then multiplication, then simple division.

...

Thank you everybody, your advice is brilliant. Alias Kev if you don't mind me saying yours is especially useful. I agree TOTALLY about the times table thing, so underrated! The books I have bought to help her are linked to the curriculum and start with simple calculations much in line with the order you recommended so I think I am doing what I need to do. She is doing 32 questions a day (half of each test page) and yesterday went well. She got 27 out of 32 (still needing to work it out on paper in 50% of the questions) She was calm and improved again. I let her mark it herself as of yesterday, she doesn't seem to have got so upset about getting some wrong, don't know why! I don't reward her other than I make a point of telling Dad her good efforts when he comes home, she seems happy with that and the fact that that she seems to be understanding better how she can work things out in different ways (shouldn't school have taught this?).

I am a mum, I am not a maths teacher but I will persevere (hell, my maths is improving too!), I so want her to be happy about herself and this matters so much to her.

Thanks so much everybody.:)

[smudger]

Hi, it's so hard to teach children maths at home these days because the way they are taught has changed so much over the years.

I was watching BBC news the other day and Carol Vorderman was on there launching a new maths tutorial, which is done online. Its not that cheap but it seems to have had some good reviews.

Its just a thought because I remember how much my son struggled with maths at that age and he used to get soooo stroppy with me lol its frustrating for both child and parent when you don't seem to progress

You might find that as she matures something will just 'click' and it will all fall into place with her as it did with my son - he loves maths now and is at college studying forensic science which includes a lot of complex eqations, so it can be done. The link for the site is below - good luck!!

http://www.themathsfactor.com/?gclid=CIieraCBvqACFVAA4wod92NXSw

Sue xxx

Thanks for the link Sue. I am attending a maths sessions for parents at school in April just to update me on the way teaching methods have changed. I have purchased curriculum based guidance and revision books to re educate myself too! Know what you mean when something just clicks! My husband is a very clever, maths is now his best subject. He was put in a remedial class in his first year at senior school and within 12 months was moved to a top class! He said it just clicked! Exactly what you said! Its funny coz Lucy actually says she likes maths despite it not being her best subject!

[smudger]

I have an idea which might encourage her. You said you have seen an improvement in her in the last few days, so how about drawing up some sort of chart/graph so you can show her how well she is doing, and perhaps treat her at the end of the week etc to celebrate her achievement?x

Gr8 idea. thanks alot. That would be really visually stimulating!

[smudger]

Hi smudger,
Everything you are doing seems about right, we had similar probs with our daughter. My daughter seemed frustrated and embarrassed at not being able to grasp mental arithmatic but her working out was always top of the class. We tried everything you are doing and considered a tutor but her teachers put us off that idea. She spent most of


Hi. Think some of your post is missing! Teacher said she doesn't need a tutor but if we want to it won't hurt. If it was near Sats then I think we would but I will persevere for now and see how it goes.

[smudger]

Tears again yesterday n she got 27 out of 32! Its drivin me crazy! I am so not the right person to do this!