A Maths Tutor May Be Just What Your Child Needs.

By Imogen Rampling

The new year is now well upon us and the children are settled back into the school routine. The spring term is often seen as the term when there are fewest distractions within the academic school year. The children are settled within a new year group, there are no major Christmas productions as in the autumn term. The summer term is also a very busy term with sports day, concerts and end of year activities. Therefore the spring term is when the children can really move on with their learning. So if your child is needing extra support with maths then booking a maths tutor now is a good decision.

In the month of May, SATs or 'Standard Assessment Tests' take place for children in Year 2 and Year 6. The approaching SAT tests are a strong incentive for many parents to go in search of a maths tutor as the early months of the year leave enough time to make meaningful progress before the tests. Working on a one-to-one basis is highly beneficial and your child will experience a useful boost in confidence through conducting revision activities in this way.

To decide whether your child needs a maths tutor, you need to establish whether your child is running behind where they should be. If your child is in Year 5 and their maths teacher believes that they are not up to speed then arranging a maths tutor now will give ample time for the tutor to determine exactly what is giving your child difficulty. There will be ample time to tackle misunderstandings. Your child will gain in confidence and there will be enough time to make a real difference to the level that your child ultimately achieves.

Once you have researched finding a good maths tutor you will need to discuss with them how they will tutor your child. Some tutors may be highly qualified mathematicians but you will need to consider how well they relate to your child and how good they are at explaining concepts at the level your child is working at. A maths tutor will have different ways to explain methods and strategies. Practical apparatus and resources will be required to help primary aged children understand concepts.

A maths tutor may use interactive maths animations and will use unique tutoring methods to deliver a programme of work that will show measurable results in maths. There are a wide range of resources and fun maths games that cover primary maths and are aligned to the National Curriculum. The maths tutor will kick starts your child's learning journey with a comprehensive assessment that measures their ability in key areas of the curriculum.

From the initial assessment the maths tutor will be able to see which areas of mathematics the child is finding difficulty with. There may be gaps in the understanding of fundamental mathematical concepts from a year or more before. This can be the cause of lack of progress being made at the level they are currently working on at school. The maths tutor will be able to create a programme of lessons that will teach and consolidate the objectives needed to help make the desired progress. The maths tutor should report this to you and you should be made aware as to the precise level that your child is working at. It will not take many lessons before your child begins to move on with their learning.

Over the period of your child having extra tuition the maths tutor should continue to monitor your child's progress in all maths topics and should adjust the tutoring programme as and when required to suit their needs. The lesson plans should evolve with your child's progress. This will enable your child to build their self-confidence and therefore enhance their performance. - 31376

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