Tutoring: My Experience

Last year, in high school, I was given the opportunity to tutor an eighth grader in math.  I decided, why not?  It should not be that hard.  It was a much different experience than I thought it would be (not a bad thing!).  The reason that I was able to tutor her was because my mom, a fifth grade teacher, had taught her in fifth grade and she contacted my mom to get a tutor.  The first day that I went to tutor her, I was very nervous.  Me being as shy as I am, was asking myself why in the word did I decide to do this?  When she showed me her homework that day, I was extremely nervous that I had forgotten how to do the math that I had once learned in eighth grade, but I remembered!  Once we got going on the problems that she was confused with, I figured out ways to try to teach the math differently than she had learned it.  Every day that I went to tutor her, it got easier for me, and I believe she was learning better, and improving.  I was always there if she did not know a certain way to find an answer, after she had tried to answer it.  Two of the important topics that I covered with her were linear equations: y = mx +b and plotting points on a graph (after finding the answers from the equation).  I can honestly say that I am glad I remembered these things from middle school because that would have been so embarrassing for me (as her tutor) not knowing the answers.  I helped her get ready for her final at the end of the year and I felt that she was much more confident when it came to math by the end of the year than she was in the beginning!

One thing that I learned from tutoring is that you need to have patience!  You can not just ask a question, wait three seconds and then just think they do not know it so you blurt out the answer; students will not learn this way!  You have to wait until they have completed the problem to the best of their ability, check it over, and go over any mistakes with them.  You do not only need to have patience while tutoring, this goes for teaching in general.  Tutoring her helped me to realize that I do want to become a teacher.  I like helping others to understand something they were previously confused with; it makes me smile when someone gets an answer right that they once had gotten wrong and are very excited about it.  I am very glad that I did decide to tutor her because it shaped me.  Before it I only thought I wanted to be a teacher because I babysat all the time and I knew I wanted to find an occupation involving children, but after it I realized why.  And it is because I want to help students learn and achieve their goals, with a confident attitude.  By the way, she was the sweetest girl I could have tutored!

Songs, Tips and Tricks for Memorizing Times Tables 1 - 10

I am going to go through what I did to learn the times tables and some of the songs and tricks that I used when I was learning my times tables.  They are very fun, catchy and they really do help.  If you are a teacher, have a child or a little sibling learning their times tables, show these to them.  (Some of my examples say to use your fingers, I know some people do not like when their students use their fingers because it can cause habits, but it is one of the ways that really helped me learn my times tables.)

1.  When you multiply anything by the number 1, you simply get the number you multiplied 1 by.  For example: 1 x 6 will be 6,  and 1 x 8 will be 8.  Whenever you multiply a number by 1 it will not change the value that you had at the beginning.

2.  When you multiply by 2, it is the same as adding 2 to the previous answer.  This one will be easy to memorize.  For example 2 x 1 is 2, to get the next answer add 2 to the answer you just got, so, 2 + 2 is 4 which is equal to 2 x 2. From there 4 + 2 which is 6, equal to 2 x 3.  You can do it that way but that may get confusing.  I used to count by twos on my fingers until I memorized the 2 times table.

3.  I found a fun Schoolhouse Rock video on youtube called "3 is a Magic Number."  It is very catchy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aU4pyiB-kq0 I just memorized this times table as well.  When we get to higher numbers there are some tricks.  You can also use a number line and start at 3 which is 3 x 1, and skip two numbers each time and the third number is a multiple of three.  For example: 3, 4, 5, 6  you would skip the two numbers after three, which are four and five.  You could do this after every multiple of three.  You can use this number line trick for any number, all you have to do is subtract 1 from the number that you are trying to find the multiples of so for example using three you would do 3 - 1, getting 2 and cross two numbers off each time starting with three.

4.  For your 4 times tables, what I did was count on my fingers, or in my head, by twos, but instead of just once for each number, I do it twice because 2 x 2 is 4.  The way I count in my head is 2, 4   6, 8   10, 12   14, 16   each time you do that you are multiplying by 4.  I found this fun video online for the 4 times tables, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Osbrc50vEKo

5.  Whenever you multiply by five, your answer will always end in 5 or 0!  Simply count by fives.  This one should not be much of a problem to memorize!

6.  I do not have very unique tricks for the 6 times tables (sorry!), this is one of those that you have to memorize but an easy way to memorize it is by song.  I found a fun song on youtube, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WwhpxWf1ZU

7.  As I said with 6 I do not know any fun tricks for the 7 times table.  I always found singing numbers in songs makes them so much easier to memorize.  Especially if you put the numbers in any of your favorite songs, that makes them fun and easy to memorize!

8.  For the 8 times table, I remember drawing spiders and counting the legs on them and then seeing how many spiders that were there, since each spider has 8 legs on them.  This was always fun because we did not just memorize these ones, we had a visual.  Visuals may be good because it actually shows students what they are doing.

9.  The 9 times tables were always my very favorite.  The finger trick was so awesome and helped me immensely! My mom taught me this when I was struggling with my times tables (she is a teacher!).  Put your ten fingers in front of you.  Now for 9 x 1 put your first finger down (for the 1), so the amount of tens is 0 and the amount of ones to the right of the finger you put down is 9 so the answer is 9.  Lets do a harder number, 7.  So put your seventh finger from your left down, all of you fingers before the finger that is put down count as tens and the fingers after the one you put down are ones so that would be 6 tens and 3 ones, therefore the answer is 63.  Once you get the hang of it, it is extremely helpful! Here is a video if you need more of a visual explanation.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPgs9LmV5wc

10.  The 10 times tables are extremely easy, every answer will end with a 0! So when you do this you just put the number that you are multiplying by 10 with a 0 on the end of it.  For example: 10 x 1 = 10, 10 x 2 = 20, 10 x 3 = 30 ... 10 x 11 = 110 ...etc.

I hope I helped you with the times tables, these tips and tricks helped me to learn them!

Getting a Failing Grade: What do I do?

We all have felt this way after getting a test back and seeing a failing grade: you get that huge pit in your stomach, feel bad about how you did and wish you had done something that would have made you get a better grade.  I want to give some ideas of what to do if you fail a test, from my own personal experience.  

From all of your failed tests, there are things that can be learned, so, instead of hiding your failed test and pretending that it did not happen, address it head on.  You will need to ask yourself a few questions:

1. How come I did not do as well as I thought I would/ should have done?
2. How can I do better next time?
3. Is there anything I can do to boost this grade?

For the first question, you should be asking yourself did I study enough?  Did I know the topics or how to do the math questions?  Sometimes I do not know how to study for math, it is difficult because what you need to know is usually equations and word problems and if you do not know how to do them you will struggle.  From experience, I know one thing I can do to study, especially this year in math class, is look over the worksheets or the notes that we learned throughout the chapter.  This freshens up what is going to be on the test so that you will know the topics better, rather than going into the test without even looking over notes.  Also, you can ask yourself, was I having a bad day? Was there something else on my mind? Well, I know when I am down or something is on my mind, I will not do my best on the test that I am taking, and it can extremely decrease the chances of getting the grade that I wanted.  

For the second question, you should think of ways to do better next time, which would include getting extra help and studying more than you had before.  Usually all teacher have extra help sessions, or office hours where you can go to them and ask them specific questions from your test that you failed, so that you learn the way to do it.  If you are really struggling you can get a tutor; last year in high school, I know there were peer tutors that helped each other.  This may be better for some people so they do not feel intimidated by being one on one with a teacher.  Also you can have study sessions with friends from your class; this can be a fun way to study for something that is "not so fun" for some people.  

For the third question, this differs with every teacher.  Some teachers will let you do test corrections to get half of the points that they lost back.  This can really improve a grade, especially since we are talking about a failing grade.  It can bring it up to a passing grade.  This year in math, we are allowed test corrections with a reflection of why we did the way we did.  I like this because it has you look back on what you did wrong and has you think about why.  When you talk and reflect on what you did wrong, I believe that next time you will not get it wrong and it will make you feel more confident about your next test that you have to take.

Just remember, if you fail a test, it is not necessarily a bad thing.  Learn from your mistakes and improve!

My Experiences with Math through the Years

All through elementary school, I loved math.  My first memory of learning math and numbers was in kindergarten.  I had to count numbers to my teacher and I remember not knowing what was after ten and instead of saying eleven, I said something along the lines of "ten one." Yes I still remember that(haha). 

One of my favorite teachers was the math teacher I had in fifth grade.  My school would switch math teachers for the level you are at in math, for example: below average- ones who need extra help, average, and above average.  I was put into the above average class.  That was one of the most fun classes I  had in elementary school.  I remember just going there and it being a great environment.  My teacher would not just write math on the board and make us be robots just writing it down and trying to learn it, she actually had fun games that went along with the lessons.  I remember bringing in M&M's for a multiplication lesson; I also brought a package of M&M's when I was in third grade to make a bar graph with the data of the M&M's colors. 

My mom is a fifth grade teacher and she would always ask me if I needed any help with my homework at night; since she is a teacher I always felt that I needed to be the best in the class to impress her, so I would always say no when she asked me that.

When I got into middle school, it was still very easy for me, but when I got into high school and took Geometry Honors, I struggled.  My teacher liked to talk about himself for most of the class and teach for literally about 10 minutes every class.  Although I struggled, I made it through that class and passed the Regents exam.  After that, for the most part, I had an easy time in my math classes, up until Physics.  (I wrote about my experience with mathophobia during my Physics class in another blog.)  Most of my Physics experience was not fun, but I overcame my fears of mathophobia as my Physics teacher helped me with the lessons.  

This year in math, it has been completely different for me.  Not just because its college, but because I am re-learning things that I had learned when I was in elementary school.  Some of the things that we are learning in this class are easy because I learned them well in elementary school, but some things have been very difficult.  One thing that was difficult for me was the mad minute.  I don't ever remember doing one in third grade, but I remember struggling with the times table.  I did not do well the first time I took it, but once I retook it I ended up doing well.

All in all, my experiences with math have been very good and I have had a fairly easy time in all of the math classes that I have taken throughout the years.

Common Core Math

Recently I read an article from the Washington Post called "Why Young Kids are Struggling with Common Core Math." This article talks about a specific math question on a PARCC (The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers) it is

The San Francisco Giant’s Stadium has 41,915 seats, the Washington Nationals’ stadium has 41,888 seats and the San Diego Padres’ stadium has 42,445 seats. Compare these statements from two students.

Jeff said, “I get the same number when I round all three numbers of seats in these stadiums.”

Sara said, “When I round them, I get the same number for two of the stadiums but a different number for the other stadium.”

Can Jeff and Sara both be correct? Explain how you know.

Kids of different ages would all answer this differently because of their thought processes. Some may think that they can only be rounded by the thousands place and not realize that they can also be rounded to the hundreds place.

This question was meant for a fourth grader and in the sampler it explains that children should go much deeper than just solving straight forward math problems. Is this really acceptable? In this article it says

"Children are not 'mini-adults.' If a child is not developmentally ready, these problems will likely lead to frustration, discouragement and negative emotional reactions—which is exactly what parents are reporting." 

I agree, the new common core is pushing difficult questions on younger and younger students. This may be difficult, not just because it is frustrating the students, but because it is taking the fun out of learning. I remember being in elementary school and loving math. Now, my best friend's nine year old sister comes home every single day with her math homework and does not know how to do anything. Sometimes she ends up crying.  Shouldn't we be creating positivity during school? I feel like everything is so rushed nowadays. When I was in school I did not have to do common core problems and look, I'm still doing fine and I had a wonderful experience in elementary school.

Some teachers that have been teaching for several years also have to change their ways. They need to learn new ways to do math and open their minds to different problems. Some teacher may even struggle because each grades math has become more difficult and after teaching for several years, how does one really change their ways?

When I become a teacher myself, common core will have been going on for several years and I hope to learn the proper skills in order to teach the common core in a fun and productive way that many students will like.

In conclusion, common core math is made for a reason and it obviously was not made to frustrate students, it was made to open their minds to new and unique ways to do math. I also think that eventually it will be good for the students to learn the common core way. Maybe it will even open their minds to new ways of doing things. I believe it is only causing frustration because right now is the transition period between the ways of common core and the ways it way before common core.

Resources 

Strauss, Valerie. "Why Young Kids are Struggling with Common Core Math."Washington Post. The Washington Post, 9 Nov. 2013. Web. 27 Nov. 2013. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/>.

Mathophobia

Throughout my life I was always in love with math.  I was the student in the class who always got the hang of how to do each math problem quickly and easily, but there was one class that I struggled with: PHYSICS.  

When I got into high school and had to take physics I went in with a positive attitude, but as the time went on, I was never grasping the math concepts in the class.  I would dread walking into that classroom because I hated feeling like I was not smart enough to be there; the math we were learning about was completely different from any math I had learned prior to taking the class.  Everyone else understood the material and would say it was so easy, while I thought it was the hardest class I had ever taken.  But, of course I was not going to tell anyone that, right?  Well, once the time came to start reviewing for a test, I was confused with many topics.  My physics teacher came up to me and asked me how I was feeling about the class.  I had to tell her that I was very overwhelmed and feared even going to the class to try to learn about topics that I would never understand.  She helped me.  I had no hope that I would ever be able to pass the class, but she would always give the help that I needed and she would happily do so.  Even though I struggled through the whole year I had my teacher there to help when I needed it. 

The day of the Regents Exam was the most difficult day for me.  I went in there with the mindset that I could not do it, I was telling myself I was going to fail.  As I was taking the test, I was realizing that sometimes when you put yourself down it just makes everything worse.  So from that point on I took the test to the best of my ability and even though I thought I still failed I told myself that I had tried my best, which, really, that’s all I could do.

I spent a few weeks waiting for my report card to come and to ultimately see a failing grade.  The day the report card came, I hesitated to open it.  Did I really want to get confirmation on the fact that I failed my physics regents? Well, I opened the report card up and looked down at my grade, a 76! Yes, a 76! I passed, I actually passed! I could not believe it!

For many students, mathophobia does not go away. They will always be scared for a test, to learn new topics or to fail.  My physics teacher was my “savior”.  She was the best teacher that I have ever had and for that I appreciate her. 

Maybe mathophobia is different in all students, but there are ways to stop stressing over math and start opening your mind to new topics in math! You will not always fail, I didn’t!