Seven Effective Steps On How To Teach Math

By Donna Sullivan


Math can be a very complex subject if not handled well. It can also be a very simple topic that is easily understood by everyone. It will simply depend on the teacher who will be coaching you. Some teachers can explain for a whole week and you simply will not gain anything. Others will teach for two days and you will be perfect in that topic. Below are the seven steps on how to teach math that topnotch teachers use.

Introduction. Anytime you are handling a new topic in your class, inform your students in advance that you will be starting a new topic. Then come with all the tools that will be used on that topic. If it is geometry, come with the geometrical instruments and explain their uses one by one to your students. This will give them a good outline of the topic and will help to understand the subject easily.

Give logical reasoning. After the students have gone through their textbooks to understand the topic, they will have a lot of pending questions. This is where you come in during the next lesson to clearly explain why and how that concept in math came about. Give the learners some minutes to ask all the pending questions they have and also take time to answer them effectively.

Describe the concept. After you have explained to your students a topic, make the concepts that are involved in it known one by one. Take some minutes to clearly outline all the principles and rules that the subject is based on. Explain the concepts one by one in a way that the students will easily understand. Use the simplest way possible to make sure all the students in your class understand.

Examples. You have to show the students how exactly the task is done. Use simple examples to explain to your students how to handle the tasks involved in that topic. It may also be very instrumental to use illustrations to explain the topic. If you are dealing with addition, collect pens or books from the class and simply add them up in front of the class. This will make the subject more realistic and improve the understanding of the students.

Exceptions. After the learners have clearly understood the principles using the examples and illustrations, take some time to introduce the exceptions involved n that topic. Outline each and every exception to the rules and principles that you explained. Then take some time to explain why the exceptions exist. Explain why everything cannot be done in the same way.

Practice. Give the learners time to practice the topic until you are sure they have efficiently understood all the concepts involved in the subject. Take some minutes and give the pupils who are willing to describe the concept in front of the class a chance to do so. Also, choose some students to do the same to make sure all the students are engaged.

Test the learners. The only way you can be sure that they have fully understood the topic is by testing them. Give them a comprehensive test that will cover all the parts of that topic. Access the results and know what to repeat to enhance their understanding.




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