Basic numeracy underpins everything we do – from our weekly shop to paying bills but children often find it boring and switch off. Lots of parents approach us for private maths tuition when their child is in primary school. Quite often they’re already struggling with the basics; complain they find maths ‘boring’ or lack confidence.  If we can make maths fun with private tuition at this stage then most children find maths in the classroom more enjoyable.

One of the advantages of private tuition is that we aren’t constrained by the ‘rules’ of the classroom and we can devote one to one time to very specific areas of maths. That doesn’t mean it has to be boring, after all that wouldn’t be much fun for the student or private tutor!

So how can we ditch the dullness and make maths more fun? Here are three top techniques our private maths tutors recommend:

1.      Begin with fun. It can be really easy to forget that starting in the right way is often the key to engaging a child in learning. Maths starts with counting – so liven it up. Ask your child to count different types of houses or signs when you are in the car. At home count using unusual objects (food is always good).

2.      Make it real. Children are much more likely to be interested in something if they see how it relates to their life. Take them to the supermarket and look at prices, get them to help you count out money at the till.

3.      Games are good. There are loads of number and maths games that you can play with your child which will help them improve their maths – suduko is a great example (and there is even a family play version Kakuzu).

The great thing about working with 121 Home Tutors is that we offer specifically matched maths private tutors right on your doorstep across Manchester and Cheshire, so whether you live in Didsbury, Altrincham or Stockport we can find the right maths tutor to fit your needs. Just drop us a line for more details.

This is the first in a series of posts in which we’re going to offer some tips on working with your child as they deal with three key GCSE subject areas: Mathematics, Languages and Science.

First up is Maths. If you found your GCSE or ‘O’-level Maths complete torture, you’re not alone – but that doesn’t mean you can’t give your own kids a helping hand. Even if you’re not much of a mathematician yourself, there are some things you can check and discuss:

1. Do they always read the question properly? This is one of the biggest pitfalls in all GCSE exam subjects, but it can be a particular trap in Maths – and it’s often a problem for the sort of confident child who whizzes through work at high speed. Remind your kids that one of the secrets of success in a GCSE Maths exam is to be thorough and methodical!

2. Show all working – you can still get marks for wrong answers. GCSE Maths often involves solving lengthy problems that need a lot of calculation. It’s perfectly possible to get all the working right, yet end up with an incorrect final answer because of a small mistake at some stage. However, long questions are usually worth several marks: even if your child gets the final answer wrong, there will still be some marks up for grabs if the earlier stages of the working are correct. So it’s really important not to skip stages and always write down all the working out. Again, skipping ‘obvious’ working out is a particular danger for brighter kids.

3. If you can’t finish a question, don’t panic! The trick is to get as far as possible – even if your child can’t complete a question, there will still be marks available for half-completed solutions. Remind your child that in an exam situation, it’s far more important to devote time to answering the questions you can do than to agonising over the ones you can’t.

4. Don’t just understand the Maths – understand the way the exam works. This is useful for both you and your child, and an area where a Maths tutor can make a real difference. For example, in a question worth 5 marks, only one is usually allocated to getting the answer right, with the rest awarded for the quality of the working out. You child can be taught to make tactical decisions about which questions to focus on, maximising marks in the exam.

5. Revise with and without a calculator. Even in exams where calculators are allowed, your child can save precious time by doing basic arithmetic in his or her head. It’s also useful to be able to estimate answers to check that a mistake hasn’t been made when using the calculator. All in all, a good head for sums isn’t all your child needs to be successful, but it will come in really useful.

6. Know your calculator. This is another great time-saver. Understanding some of the more complex functions on a calculator can be a big help at GCSE. The ‘memory’ function, for example, may save precious time in the exam hall.

7. Practise! It’s important to remember that Maths – at least at GCSE level – is a practical, applied subject. It’s not about learning facts, but developing skills. Your child’s school may provide him or her with plenty of past papers for practice purposes. You can also get hold of good Maths revision guides – ask your child’s school or tutor of advice.

Finally, if your kids seem to be struggling – or aren’t on target to get the grades they deserve – there’s no substitute for expert help. We represent a range of GCSE Maths tutors in the Manchester area, and we’ll be happy to match you with a specialist tutor who meets your child’s needs. If you’d like a no-obligation chat about how 1-2-1 Home Tutors can help your child with GCSE Maths, get in touch today!

A good maths tutor will need to have a good understanding and knowledge of the material that s/he is tutoring and so it’s important that they have a strong formal background in mathematics. When teaching young children, of primary school age, a tutor with at least a GCSE grade C in maths would be recommended. Teaching older students, in high school or college, requires more specialist knowledge and so the ideal tutor would have at least an A Level, but ideally an undergraduate degree, in a subject with a strong emphasis on mathematics (engineering or science degrees often have solid maths requirements too).

Experience and training

Helping others learn requires great communication skills, patience and the ability to identify the best way to convey the material that matches the individual needs of the learner. Previous experience in either tutoring or teaching is highly recommended when choosing a maths tutor, and that experience should ideally include the grade-level of the material you are covering.

Practice, practice, practice

The best way of learning maths is through practice, practice, and more practice. It also helps to write it down (it has become very difficult to get students to show their working and write down a maths problem!). A good maths tutor will be able to identify and work on areas of weakness through explanation of the method and practice.

Tutors will also offer homework assignments, if asked, and regular testing is important. Maths tutors often help their students prepare for specific standardised tests such as the eleven plus, 11+, entrance tests, SATs, GCSE’s and A Levels – AS and A2 and so using practice tests in the same format as the expected standardised exams is helpful.

Our tutors have experience and knowledge of the requirements for the different exam boards at the main key stages – e.g. AQA, Edexcel, OCR and for the GCSE, IGCSE, AS and A2 exams.

Student- teacher ratio

Many academic studies have recognised that students learn best when they have more attention to their individual needs. Smaller classroom sizes, or even one-on-one learning, are advisable to maximise the benefits of maths tutoring.

Location & Availability

To save time and travel expense, it is best to have the maths tutoring near you, or even in your own home. A tutor’s availability will depend on several factors, such as your location, the times you require tuition, the time of year [most tutors are fully booked close to public exam times] and the level you require – the most experienced, successful tutors get booked quickly and so often have less availability and/or a waiting list. Some tutors are only available out of school hours and/or at weekends, whereas others may be free at other times.

Pricing

Tutors need to be compensated for their time (they’ve also got families to feed!), so it’s unrealistic to expect good maths tutoring for a very low cost or free – again, the most experienced, highly successful tutors are in high demand and as a result charge higher fees. One to one, individualised tutoring will naturally cost a little extra. Whether or not that is a good investment will depend on the individual needs of the learner, and their enthusiasm to succeed at maths.

If you need a maths tutor in the Manchester or Cheshire area then contact us today.

They include:

• Using a trusted website like 121hometutors, where you can get a specialised, matched tutor recommendation and read what other parents say about the tutors.
• Focusing on one or two subjects at any one time. Hiring too many tutors at once can be counter productive as it doesn’t give the student time to absorb the new information.
• Ensuring the tutor has been fully checked – at 121 we carry out a comprehensive checking process including taking up references and double checking qualifications. We focus on a tutor’s track record and their suitability for your needs.
• Check costs – at 121 we agree any fees before tutoring starts. Remember that the cheapest is rarely the best and education is always worth paying for. Tutoring isn’t about price; it’s about getting a quality tutor who cares about a student’s education.
• Looking at results – you need to know your child is making progress. At 121 we continually get feedback from both tutors and parents to make sure the tutor/student relationship is working. We often find the whole relationship is more honest as tutors can be open rather than being pressured to praise.