A math ​tutor from Clayton.

I teach mathematics in Clayton since the winter of 2010. I really adore training, both for the joy of sharing maths with students and for the ability to revisit old notes and also boost my own understanding. I am confident in my talent to teach a selection of basic courses. I think I have actually been rather successful as an instructor, which is confirmed by my favorable trainee opinions as well as numerous unrequested compliments I obtained from students.

Striking the right balance

In my belief, the 2 primary factors of maths education and learning are development of practical problem-solving skills and conceptual understanding. None of these can be the single emphasis in an effective mathematics course. My purpose being an educator is to reach the appropriate evenness between both.

I think good conceptual understanding is really important for success in a basic maths training course. Many of beautiful views in mathematics are easy at their core or are built on former concepts in simple ways. One of the aims of my mentor is to reveal this simpleness for my students, in order to both raise their conceptual understanding and lessen the frightening aspect of mathematics. An essential issue is that one the elegance of maths is frequently up in arms with its severity. To a mathematician, the ultimate comprehension of a mathematical result is normally provided by a mathematical validation. Yet students typically do not sense like mathematicians, and thus are not naturally set to handle said points. My job is to extract these concepts down to their sense and clarify them in as basic of terms as possible.

Very often, a well-drawn picture or a brief translation of mathematical terminology into nonprofessional's terms is sometimes the only beneficial technique to reveal a mathematical principle.

My approach

In a typical initial or second-year mathematics program, there are a range of skill-sets which students are expected to receive.

It is my point of view that students generally find out maths perfectly with sample. Therefore after providing any type of new ideas, the bulk of time in my lessons is typically devoted to resolving as many exercises as it can be. I meticulously select my exercises to have satisfactory variety to make sure that the students can distinguish the points which prevail to each from those features that are details to a certain example. At creating new mathematical strategies, I typically provide the theme like if we, as a group, are learning it together. Commonly, I present a new kind of trouble to deal with, discuss any kind of issues which prevent preceding methods from being used, recommend a new technique to the trouble, and then carry it out to its rational ending. I consider this kind of technique not only employs the students however encourages them by making them a part of the mathematical process instead of merely observers that are being explained to how to handle things.

The role of a problem-solving method

Basically, the problem-solving and conceptual aspects of mathematics enhance each other. Certainly, a good conceptual understanding forces the methods for solving problems to appear more usual, and thus simpler to absorb. Having no understanding, trainees can tend to view these methods as mysterious algorithms which they must memorize. The even more skilled of these trainees may still manage to resolve these problems, yet the process ends up being meaningless and is not likely to become retained when the program finishes.

A solid experience in problem-solving also builds a conceptual understanding. Seeing and working through a selection of various examples improves the psychological image that one has about an abstract idea. Hence, my aim is to emphasise both sides of mathematics as plainly and briefly as possible, so that I make the most of the trainee's capacity for success.