School Help: Math Skills

Older students struggling with math facts, math computation and/or math word problems almost invariably show a deficit in strategy using, most specifically, in the ability to change strategies or in using alternative procedures (to do something different) when the strategy or procedure that they are using is not helping. For the most part, children struggling in one or all three math domains lack flexibility in the use of strategies and they just keep repeating the same thing over and over again until they reach frustration and end giving up. Another common problem is seeing our struggling learner relying almost exclusively on rote memorization at the expense of more effective learning strategies. When we are handling a struggling learner (in any academic area, not just math), the best thing to teach the child is to both develop a strategic mindset and to remain flexible in trying different things. In one sentence, we need to tell the child that, if the strategy that he is using is not working, he needs to try a different strategy. However, to be able to switch strategies, first children need to know different strategies and approaches. On "School Help: A Teacher and Tutor Eguide to Help the Older Student with Limited Math Skills," we present dozens of alternative strategies and compensatory approaches to select from, so that struggling learners compensate for any skill deficit they have at the same time that they are handling grade placement curriculum.