The most important key to being successful in teaching any concept is to be able to subdivide that concept into subtopics. This applies to teachers, parents, employees, etc. Mastery of initial subtopics lays the groundwork for a solid foundation. This foundation will increase the...
I am often asked to describe my style of teaching mathematics. In general, when I am explaining mathematic problems to students I like to constantly ask questions to see if the concepts being taught are being understood. My questions normally focus on common errors that occur whe...
Step-by-step instruction in mathematics is crucial to learning and should be an integral part of any teaching strategy. Once a concept has been selected and prior to presenting it to a student, a teacher should determine what fundamental subtopics will that student need to be fam...
Both teachers and parents need to teach their students or children how to check solutions to the mathematics problems that they solve. Checking solutions gives student additional practice in solving mathematics problems. Checking solutions on independent study assignments and tes...
When I was young, memorization was a big part of every teacher’s tools for instruction. In recent years the emphasis on memorization has been drastically reduced. I think that there is a place in learning for memorization. Memorization requires focus. Memorization requires comm...
Whether you are a mathematics teacher or a mathematics coach, it is important that you develop a routine. Your students will respond more favorably to whatever you teach, if they know what to expect. In teaching, I used to begin every lesson with a quick review of lessons present...
Any teacher that seeks to be successful in the classroom must incorporate good discipline habits for their students. From the very first day of class, students need to be aware of what type of behavior you expect in the classroom. A teacher needs to model the same behavior that t...
Through the years I have devoted a lot of my time teaching parents how to help their children succeed. During those times I tell them how I measure success. I measure success by two rules that I have followed all of my life. Doing things that you enjoy and always working at doing...
The greatest satisfaction that I get from teaching is derived when I invite students to join me in a journey of discovery. As often as I can, I attempt to develop a lesson in such a way that I introduce basic concepts initially and then ask students to assist me in finding a solu...
Teachers and parents need to be aware of how knowledge of number sense shortcuts could not only motivate a love of learning mathematics, but impact problems you encounter in real life. Let me illustrate some examples. Example 1: When multiplying a number ending in 5 with an even...
