Math vs. Students—Why Is It So Hard For Some Kids?

As a teacher, you’ll come across different types of students. Some will be quick thinkers, and others will learn at their own pace. So as a math teacher, engaging your students can feel more difficult than climbing one of the tallest peaks in the world at times.

How can you make learning the subject fun? How can you keep their interest? But most importantly, why do some students struggle to learn math?

Math is a Cumulative Subject

What makes math singularly difficult for some people is that it’s a cumulative subject. This means that unlike most subjects where students are required to “memorize, test their knowledge, and then forget everything,” learning math means keeping updated with all the concepts you have ever come across.

As a math teacher, you’ll need to have a solid grasp of all the important formulas and understand the concepts so you can make learning easier for students. Your students will need to have a good understanding of the basics to be able to solve advanced problems.

You can expect to be answering fourth-grade questions in the seventh-grade, eight-grade questions in the ninth, and so on.

Some Students Aren’t Confident

Some students aren’t confident in solving problems and question themselves. You’ll need to be patient with them and help understand that everything is a learning process.

  

You’ll have to help them understand that they don’t have to be perfect, and that everything comes

with time. You’ll have to work with them to understand concepts better so they don’t get confused.

When they do well, tell them they’ve done a good job. When they’re wrong, correct them by saying, “That’s great. But how about we try it this way?”

Math is Abstract

One of the reasons math is abstruse is because it’s abstract. Some concepts can’t be applied to real-life, and this makes it difficult for some students to understand why they have to learn the subject.

Focus on creating a presentation that shows how math can be used in different fields and real-life situations.  

Show them how you can fold origami using math. Show them how math helps with baking and cooking. Show them how it helps with driving or riding a bike. Show them how math is important for financial management. You get the picture.

Excel Mathematics offers a plethora of engaging online math learning programs to help you get a better understanding of mathematical concepts.

The online institute has more than 900 exercises and lessons. They have helped hundreds of teachers prepare math exams that focus on different types of students. Their team has more than a decade’s experience when it comes to tutoring online math courses.

Feel free to connect with them to learn more or subscribe to their programs today and get started!