How to Teach Math Effectively
While it is true that mathematics can be difficult and confusing with its many facts and formulas, it is also true that it can be made much simpler if it is taught in the right way and with the proper attitude. As a teacher, remember that your attitude toward the subject will be evident to the students, and negative attitudes will often be transferred to the students. Approach the subject with eagerness, and your students will be more likely to follow your lead.
Instructions
-
-
1
Set your goals for the class hour, the week, the month and the school year. Is your goal simply to complete the textbook, or is it to teach the students everything they can learn no matter how far you get in the textbook? Once you've established your goals, let the students know what is expected of them.
-
2
Set up realistic problems. Many of the workbook problems in today's curriculum are based on things your students probably perceive as irrelevant. Instead, substitute these problems with topics that interest them. For example: If the local shoe store is running a 40 percent off sale on all athletic shoes and the pair you want is regularly $49, how much will the sale price be?
-
-
3
Explain the "how" and the "why." Don't get so bogged down on teaching the procedure that you forget to teach the concept. Make sure the students understand what they're doing as well as how to do it.
-
4
Use various teaching methods throughout your math class. Charts, videos, songs and hands-on activities are a welcome reprieve from lectures and worksheets.
-
5
Incorporate mathematics into other subjects throughout the course of the day to help students see the uses of math outside of math class. Math concepts can easily be added into science, history and even English lessons.
-
1
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Hemera Technologies/AbleStock.com/Getty Images
