Are Your Students Struggling with Math?
The Top Five Signs You Should Be on the Lookout For before the Math Report card is out in October.
With the first few weeks of school under your students’ belts, it’s likely that math still isn’t really the first thing on their minds (not yet, anyway), especially because it’s likely mostly been review from what they’ve learned last year in their previous math classes.
This presents an issue. Your students are probably close to halfway through their first grading period, and because they’ve only been reviewing, you’re likely not able to tell if your students are struggling with any of the new math concepts they’re going to learn.
As you likely already know, math can be a finicky subject for students and can prove more difficult for some than others. Couple that with the fact that math is an important foundation for your students’ education, it’s possible your students could be set up for failure. That is, unless, you know how to pinpoint some of the red flags your students are giving you to let you know they’re struggling with math.
At Mathnasium of Mesa South, we help build foundations for the essential math skills students need. We’re tutors, confidants, friends, and teachers here to help your students --- that’s why we think it’s so important for you to be on-guard for these red flags. Check out these top five signs that your student is struggling with math, so you can help remedy their issues right away!
This should be a tell-tale sign if you have a student or child who’s normally punctual and productive with their homework. If your normally homework-savvy student is refusing to do their math homework, not turning it in, or repeatedly “forgetting” about it, they’re probably struggling with the subject.
This isn’t always the case – especially if you work with a very independent child or student – but if you have an adolescent who’s normally open to help with their assignments turning down assistance frequently, this could be a huge red flag! It’s likely they’re not asking for help because they’re ashamed, embarrassed, or afraid of looking stupid.
If mental math isn’t a concept your child or student grasps, this is one of the biggest signs that they’re struggling with math in general. How can you tell? If your child or student resorts to counting on their fingers, writing out simple math problems, or easily gives up when they can’t figure out the issue using these methods, they’re likely struggling.
If your student is consistently avoiding participation in math class or in math homework because they claim to be bored with the subject, it’s probably less about being entertained and more about not actually understanding the material. Alternatively, if your student or child is incredibly overwhelmed by math homework, math problems, or a math test, it’s probably they simply are just not understanding the math material in front of them.
If you find your child expressing things like “I hate math” or “math is stupid!” or something similar, it’s more than likely your child’s attitude is derived more from not understanding math rather than actually hating it. It’s possible the embarrassment your child is feeling for not being able to grasp mathematical concepts as quickly as his or her fellow classmate is causing a shift in their attitude.
Recognizing these signs and taking the steps to solving them is going to be your student’s mathematical saving grace, and at Mathnasium of Mesa South, we’re prepared to help build a solid foundation of confidence and math skills to help make math make sense! Check out our services, a bit about our tutors, and some of our core math beliefs!
Schedule a FREE Math Skills Assessment and We’ll pinpoint your child’s learning needs and create a personalized program designed to meet them where they are and take them where they need to go.
(480) 646-3005
