I am often asked if there is a shortcut for success and I rapidly answer yes. I explain that although it is counter intuitive, the secret for success is “patience”. When a large building is constructed, soil studies and other tests need to be done initially. Time is taken ...
During my teaching and coaching career, I was constantly working with a group of students that possessed different abilities in mathematics. This is common for most teachers and coaches. Initially, when working with students of different abilities, I sought to make sure that al...
During my lifetime, I have observed how enthusiasm positively impacts those around me. Since I began elementary school, until the present time, I have made a conscious effort to be enthusiastic about everything that I do. Following my commitment to doing things that I enjoy and...
Whether it was my time as a student, a teacher, a coach, a parent or an author, I have always worked at improving what I do. As a student, I focused on trying to learn as much as I could about the content that was being taught. When playing sports, I worked diligently in becoming...
I believe it would benefit all teachers of mathematics to integrate a diagnostic element to all practice materials and tests that they write. Although there are a variety of things that a teacher can do to determine individual and class weaknesses, diagnostic materials are perhap...
Since my retirement from 32 years of being a high school mathematics teacher, I have tutored numerous students from second to eighth grade. What I learned is that each of them was capable of mastering concepts that many teachers and parents would describe as not being age appropr...
Every teacher needs to learn how to adjust their presentation to fit their audience. This is even applicable to parents, or to anyone making a presentation in general. In the case of teaching concepts to students or children, diagnosing strengths and weaknesses is very important....
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...
Success in mathematics, like any other endeavor you learn, is highly connected to how it is taught. Psychology is also an integral part of that success. As a classroom teacher and as a current online tutor, I have made a conscious effort to create excitement in what I teach. I...
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...
