The Benefits of a Maths Tutor

11th August 2020 by Anita Naik

There are many reasons for a child to be tutored in maths. They might need a confidence boost, or are finding the subject tricky or have knowledge gaps that are stopping them from progressing. While all subjects are challenging in their own way, maths remains one of the most sought after tutoring subjects. Here are some of the reasons why parents and students seek the help of a maths tutor.

Parents feel they can't help with maths.

Many times, helping children with maths represents a frustrating experience for parents. Children often learn a different method in school and can't make sense of what parents show them, and parents can't make sense of the technique that's demonstrated to them. YouTube can be an excellent resource here if you want to get to grips with say 'chunking' for division, the 'grid' method for multiplication and 'partitioning'.

However, after a certain stage, most parents are unable to offer advice and help, and this is where a tutor can help. Not only in showing students what they need to know but also advising on exam technique, maths revision and how to break down complex problems.

Grades have gone down in maths.

Maths can easily be more complicated and difficult than it should be, and children can fall behind for several reasons. The main one is not mastering basic mathematical operations. Skills such as times tables, long division, multi-digit addition, subtraction and multiplication, decimals and fractions all provide the foundation for more complex maths. Not mastering the above isn't just down to child it can be due to missing the lessons in class, intermittent teaching and lack of practice, all areas a tutor can provide support in.

A child is struggling.

It's always worrying when you hear your child is struggling with a subject. Maths is hard, but that doesn't mean your child can't do it. Gauge from teachers and your child how they approach maths problems in class and ask your child if they know what the problem is (though bear in mind they may not be able to verbalise what they are finding hard). The issue could be confidence (they panic when they see maths questions), maths mindset (they don't believe they are good at maths) or simply not understanding what they are being taught. The right tutor will be able to get to the root of the issues and help.

Your child wants to be challenged and learn more.

You don't need to find maths a struggle to have a maths tutor. Many students find one-to-one support from a tutor challenges them and takes their ability further. The rule of thumb is to hope for a one-to-two-grade improvement in the course of one academic year. A good tutor will also set targets to help a child's skills in a topic, and give you feedback after every session, so you know how your child is doing and how to support their work outside of school and tutoring.