Does this describe your situation?
Your child did fairly well in math through 7th or 8th grade. As and Bs on math tests were common. Homework wasn’t a struggle. Semester math grades were “meeting or exceeding expectations.” And then … Bam! They start algebra or geometry and suddenly homework is a source of frustration and they are only getting C’s (or worse!) on tests.
This happens to many students in middle school and high school.
Why Do Math Grades Drop When Kids Get into Algebra and Geometry?
Advancing in math is like playing the classic game Jenga®. The game starts with blocks layered and stacked in a sturdy, but short, tower. Players take turns pulling out a block and stacking it on the top of the tower. As players pull blocks from the tower’s foundational layers and add to the top, the tower gets less sturdy. The bottom layers no longer adequately support the higher levels. Eventually the tower tumbles.
Imagine each math concept and skill as a block in a Jenga® tower. These are meant to build on each other to create a strong and sturdy structure. If a child misses a foundational, or prerequisite skill, it becomes a math gap, like a block pulled from the foundation of the tower. Imagine a Jenga® tower with a weak base getting higher and higher. Most math through seventh grade is arithmetic. The concepts are fairly straightforward. Children who only have one or two math gaps can figure out alternative methods and keep advancing. It is like building the Jenga® tower with just a few blocks missing. For example, a child who doesn’t learn to skip count may memorize the multiplication tables instead.
But the more math gaps a child has, the more “alternative methods” they have to use. Many kids with a few math gaps manage to function in arithmetic fairly well. The problems happen when they advance into more abstract math ideas, like algebra and geometry. These math strands require students to synthesize several different math concepts and skills all at once. The math gaps or, “missing blocks in their math tower,” become major liabilities. Suddenly those “work around strategies” aren’t enough anymore. Their tower tumbles and grades plummet.
How to Get your Child Back on Track in Math
The answer is to fill in their math gaps and keep up with current learning. Filling in the math gaps makes their tower sturdy again. This provides a solid foundation for new concepts and skills as their “tower” gets taller.
Mathnasium of Bulverde South helps fill in math gaps from previous years and also helps with current classroom work. The sooner your child gets help, the easier it will be to get them back on the road to success again. You will be amazed at what your child can do!
Give us a call today. (210) 418-1166
Suggested and referenced articles:
Changing 4 bad math habits will increase accuracy and improve math grades. https://www.mathnasium.com/news/changing-4-bad-math-habits-will-increase-accuracy-and-improve-math-grades
Reduce Stress Related to Math and Math Grades https://www.mathnasium.com/bulverdesouth/news/reduce-stress-related-to-math-and-math-grades
This article is copyright protected. Mathnasium of Bulverde South has permission to use it. Other Mathnasium locations should purchase it at https://hdwrite.com before using it.
(210) 418-1166
