15 Strategies on how to teach Math!

Table of Contents

1.	Introduction
2.	Approaches and strategies in teaching mathematics
3.	Effective strategies for teaching students with difficulties in mathematics
4.	Conclusion
5.	About Cuemath
6.	FAQs
7.	External References

January 13, 2021

Reading Time: 6 minutes

Introduction

Mathematics is a subject that is quite different from others, both in terms of difficulty and in terms of usage. Every parent desires that their child succeeds in mathematics. But, teaching a child the concepts of mathematics is difficult. This is the reason why most of the parents are confused regarding how to teach maths in an interesting way to their children.

The ultimate goal of mathematics is understanding the material presented, applying the skills, and recalling the concepts in the future. There is a list of concepts revolving around multiple formulas that help to solve different problem sets and make different decisions. Therefore, it is imperative to understand the material rather than memorizing the procedures of mathematics.

Mathematics is a subject that requires constant practice and revision. If this is not done, students tend to forget the concepts. Some students find it interesting while others find it difficult. This is because of the strategies applied by the teacher regarding how to teach maths. As it is such a different subject, the teachers have to apply a whole different set of strategies while teaching mathematics.

In this article, we will be listing down some of the approaches and strategies of teaching mathematics. These mathematical teaching strategies will help them understand how to teach maths in an interesting way to students. Hence, moving forward to some of these mathematical teaching strategies.

15 Strategies on how to teach Math-PDF

Math is a subject that requires constant practice and revision. Explore some of the effective approaches and strategies to teach students mathematics through this article. Here is a downloadable PDF to explore more.

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15 Strategies on how to teach Math-PDF

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Approaches and strategies in teaching mathematics

1. Create an effective environment that is open for discussion

Teachers should start by laying down the agenda of the class and must keep an open platform wherein each and every student must be encouraged to raise questions.

Teachers should understand that students will take time in understanding the concepts of mathematics. Therefore provide them with due feedback, practice assignments, doubt clearing sessions, and revision papers.

Explain to them the purpose behind learning a particular topic.

2. Introduce the topics using multiple examples

Mathematics is a subject which could actually be visualized and compared to practical life. Therefore, teachers can come up with creative ways like images or videos to teach maths in an interesting way to students.

They can illustrate the problem sets by making a child visualize the practical side of what is mentioned in the problem.

3. Show the students the different ways

The problem sets given in maths can be solved in multiple ways. Therefore as a teacher, you should teach the students all the possible ways of solving a problem.

Not every student will grasp and understand the same method of coming to a solution. Therefore, it must be an open platform wherein the students are given an option to understand the most relevant approach towards coming to a solution.

4. Encourage students for reasoning when solving problems

In order to determine that every student has actually learned the objective of a class, it is necessary that every student communicate both orally and in writing with the proper reason.

Reasoning gives a proper idea about the understanding of the student about the concept. This will promote their engagement and learning.

5. Finish the class by giving a summary and homework

As stressed upon before, mathematics is the subject where you require constant practice. Therefore, we encourage every teacher to provide students with some practice assignments for their home.

Make sure that these assignments are not very tough and help the student to understand the concept in a better way. These assignments are given in order to boost the morale of the students and make them get a relevant hold of the subject.

6. Raise the difficulty level slowly

Before starting to teach any particular topic in mathematics, it is very important to segregate the problem sets based on that level of difficulty. Start with a few easier problems.

Teachers must keep raising the bar for all the students slowly and steadily.

7. Many students fear mathematics

As teachers, you must be enthusiastic and encouraging. You must try to prevent students from getting these negative attitudes. Try to comfort and console the students who are struggling.

This will help them build their confidence and their ability to solve the problem.

8. Create a proper and standardized testing pathway

As a guide, it becomes very important to know about the progress of the child. Therefore it is imperative to conduct proper examinations.

These examinations can take various forms like quizzes, classroom discussions, detailed assignments, etc. This will help the teachers to take proper actions for individual students.

9. In mathematics, there can be a number of interesting projects which could be given

This project assignment helps the students to do proper research and understand a particular topic in a much more detailed manner.

Provide them with the guidance to do a particular project but let them do the research on their own. This will bring out their creativity and brings the best out of them.

10. Observe, modify, and re-evaluate

Many teachers become very rigid in the pace of completing a particular topic. They often forget to evaluate the homework given by them. Well, we say this is not a problem.

But a teacher must walk through the classroom and observe the dynamics of the students. The teacher must talk to every student individually and ask them questions. This will give them a fair idea about how much a student is understanding.

11. Encourage maths talk and games

This will help the students to develop their mental abilities and skills. This will also give them a whole new learning and thinking process. They will be able to describe and solve a problem in their own certain way.

Games will also encourage active engagement and participation. There are many math games available on phones and computers. It will promote their strategic mathematical thinking, computational fluency, and understanding of operations.

12. Emphasize on hands-on learning

In mathematics, there are a number of concepts that are abstract. Hands-on learning will help the students make their concepts concrete.

Consider incorporating the manipulatives of mathematics wherever possible. For example, you can use building blocks to teach a variety of mathematical skills.

13. Make a child understand a particular concept

Every kid has their own way of learning math. Don't make them grasp and memorize the formulas or procedures. Memorization does not foster understanding.

Therefore, build a stronger conceptual understanding and mental connection. This will build a strong foundation. To know more about learning styles click here.

14. Build excitement and reward the progress of the child

Build a proper growth mindset among the students. This keeps them motivated and boosted. Provide them with certificates, stickers, badges, or trophies as they progress.

Teachers can have weekly announcements of the best students of the week. Such recognition will help them repeat the good work. To know more about the growth mindset click here.

15. At last, be patient

We all know how difficult maths could be. We all have been there. Therefore, it becomes very important to be patient with the child and to teach them in a step-by-step sequential manner. This will prevent them from getting afraid of mathematics.

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Effective strategies for teaching students with difficulties in mathematics

• 5-10% of the students suffer from this problem

• Understanding the concepts becomes difficult

• Similar numbers tend to confuse the kid

• Inability to make quick calculations 

• Inability to judge time, speed, and distance

• Inability to grasp and hold numbers for calculations in the brain for a long time

Well, there is nothing to be worried about. It is a common issue with a lot of children. With a proper step by step approach of learning and understanding, dyscalculia is easily solvable. It is important to consult a specialist but it is equally important for parents to show care and support at every stage of the development process. Some of the steps which parents can take are:

• Active participation with the child

• Applying maths to small household works and using them as examples for the child

• Making them play games which are maths oriented

• Abacus classes can be a great source of learning

• Teaching through a step by step approach of getting an answer

• Clearing the doubts that a child asks in the learning process

• Understanding his/her abilities and setting the difficulties on those parameters

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Conclusion

We hope some of these approaches and strategies of teaching mathematics will effectively improve the dynamics of a classroom. Teachers and parents must not worry about how to teach maths. Rather they must focus on how to teach maths in an interesting way.

Making things fun makes everything easier. In the entire process, it becomes very essential to understand the mindset of the child. This will help elders to develop and connect better relations with the child.