This is a question I have been asked often. I recently read an interview with our Chief Instructional Officer Larry Martinek (found at (//blog.mathnasium.com/an-interview-with-mathnasium-chief-instructional-officer-larry-martinek) which does a great job of explaining this.
From a curriculum perspective, Mathnasium's vigorous assessment process first identifies where each student's knowledge gaps exist. Once this is established, we build up the foundational understanding which is missing. We at Mathnasium do not pretend that a lack of foundation is something that can be ignored. In fact, rebuilding a students mathematical groundwork is essential in how "we make math make sense".
On the instructional side, we work with kids face to face using individualized learning plans and adapting our techniques to each child's learning style. We employ both direct teaching and Socratic questioning in the delivery of instruction to ensure each student is truly understanding the material we provide. This means we do not give any homework as we want to be present while your child is working through our material. If an instructor isn't present and a student begins to struggle with a concept, they are going to become frustrated. This is the last thing we as instructors want. Frustration breeds contempt as they say and contempt leads to children saying "I HATE MATH".
The third way Mathnasium sets itself apart from our competition is we also help your child with their homework from school. If we can ease their struggles with what they are currently working on while at the same time filling the foundational gaps we have identified, we are offering your child the best path forward in their math career.
If this sounds like a good fit for your student, please contact us for your risk free assessment today!
Thanks,
Dave Michaelis