If you’re tutoring a child, or you’re a parent of a child, you’ll know one of the most common areas that children underperform in is Maths. It’s one of those subjects that children can seemingly either grasp and run with, or struggle throughout their school life with. With Maths, because many adults find it challenging, it can seemingly throw problem after problem. Many parents simply don’t know what to do. And it’s not uncommon for personal tutors to find it very difficult to ‘make Maths click’ with young people.

There are ten common kinds of Maths issues with children though, and we’re going to take a look at each one here.

The basic ‘working out’ issue

One of the key components of solid Maths knowledge and success in the subject is the ‘working out’ phase. This is where the student has to show the steps (literally the calculations they make on paper) they take to find the solution to a problem or question. If a student is able to clearly show how they got to the answer they have, even if the answer is wrong, they will often score some marks for the working out. If anything, this principle is vital to their progress. It’s a common issue, and needs addressing quickly.

RELATED: Hire a Maths tutor

Reading a question

It may not be the number one mistake, but it’s definitely in the top ten. For some children, it’s in the top three. This is where the young person does not read a problem fully, or an exam question completely, and ends up simply approaching the answer wrong. It’s a huge problem, and is responsible for children failing exams. It’s that serious. And all because they literally read the question wrong.

Not using their prior knowledge

This is the one that will most likely cause some serious anxiety in the young person. Knowing that you had what it takes to answer a question well but didn’t apply it can cause some considerable concern. Questions and assessments in school now ask this of young people. If they cannot show evidence of using prior knowledge, they can fail. Tutors have to know what a child can already do and the child has to know when and how they need to evidence this.

RELATED: 5 signs your child needs a maths tutor

The symbols thing

Another key and very common mistake is where a child uses the wrong symbols in an answer or in their working out. For obvious reasons, this can seriously hinder their progress and their results. As a tutor or a parent, you need to be able to ensure they know the value and function of the symbols they are asked to use.

Dividing with zero

This Is most common with younger students, but the senior student can also make this mistake. They may think that when you divide something by zero, there is a zero for an answer. This is because they confuse a division problem with a multiplication problem. The simple answer is that there is no answer to anything divided by zero.

RELATED: How to prepare for the new GCSE’s – Tips from a Chief Examiner

Fractions and the trouble they cause

Getting fractions ‘the wrong way round’, writing fractions that don’t make sense, and generally making a mess of the fractions they write is another common issue. Fractions are completely ‘doable’ by any child. However, the basics must be taught first if they’re going to stand a chance of getting them right later.

Fractions are completely ‘doable’ by any child. However, the basics must be taught first if they’re going to stand a chance of getting them right later.

The ruler

When a young person is taking measurements as part of their Maths work, you may find that they use a ruler in completely the wrong way. This is common among all ages, so it needs dealing with the first time it is noticed. When they are asked to make a measurement, they start at one rather than zero. Hopefully, the problem is nipped in the bud.

Making the problem harder than it is

This is linked to the earlier point about reading a question properly. Some students may well see a problem on the page in front of them and feel it is more complicated than it really is. Often, they’re put off by the wording, which may be dry and old-fashioned. A tutor needs to make it clear that Maths is only ever clear and simple. You just need to approach each question in an objective way.

A tutor needs to make it clear that Maths is only ever clear and simple. You just need to approach each question in an objective way.

Using their time well

This applies mostly to exam questions. If a tutor is helping a student get through high school exams, one of the most common things they will notice is the young person not spending enough time on a question, or too much time. Like all subjects in exams, a young person needs to practice time management.

RELATED: If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough

Not asking for help

This is the big one, and it applies to all ages. Maths is about asking for help. Since there are no opinions or abstract thinking issues required in Maths, and you just work with numbers and other symbols, all of Maths can be explained by someone else. So if a young person has a tutor for example, one of the key skills is to get them to ask for help. Sometimes the answer is simple. And it will never require any subjectivity. Maths contains problems that you either know or don’t know how to solve.

Want to become a professional tutor? Join our vibrant and growing community of IMPACT Tutors for free and start building your professional online presence. Receive quality leads and stay in full control.

Like this post? Please share!









