"WHEN WILL I NEED MATH IN REAL LIFE?"

“WHEN WILL I NEED MATH IN REAL LIFE?”

Here’s our answer to this common question - - -

We need math for:

• cooking (doubling a recipe, for example)
• creating a budget
• understanding and figuring out the cost of utilities
• figuring out miles per gallon when we fill our tank
  (The car’s computer doesn’t give us the actual amount due to idling. It’s usually off as much as 2 mpg.)
• figuring out discounts so we can get the best price
• understanding and figuring out our GPA (Grade Point Average) in school
• reading a pay check and determining whether we’re being paid properly

TUTORING HOME-SCHOOLED STUDENTS

Home-schooling has become a popular means of educating students. Though some parents are equipped to teach all subjects, some aren’t confident about their ability with math and English. We’re here to reassure you that, if you need professional assistance with one or more subjects, a tutor can help. Some well-known, corporately-owned companies will be able to assist with many subjects and will offer group as well as individual instruction, whereas Top Flight Tutor only does one-on-one instruction in an effort to meet each student precisely where s/he is, so we can offer customized tutoring. In a case where a parent wants us to teach the entire curriculum, we will work many days per week; when we’re supplementing or assisting with what’s being done at home, once a week may be all that’s required. Feel free to reach out to us!

MY ANXIETY HAS ANXIETY!

Anxiety is common among all of us; unfortunately, this includes our children.   When any of us are feeling anxious, our brains don't function as they normally do.  At home, we have many opportunities to defuse tension - - going outside, exercising, writing in a gratitude journal -- but in the classroom, if the teacher or counselor doesn't address anxiety with the entire group, individual students may not know how to cope.  Here are a few things they can do that may help:

• Taking slow, deep breaths will slow their heart rate and also help their muscles relax.  (It will be helpful if they don't wait to feel anxious to do this; practicing when they're not stressed will build the habit of breathing deeply and slowly all the time!)
• Visualizing a tranquil, favorite spot while closing their eyes and breathing deeply and slowly will also help.
• Tensing each muscle group (e.g., neck and shoulders, shoulders and arms, quadriceps, hamstrings, and calves) for five-ten seconds and then releasing will enhance relaxation. They can do this from head to toe and should feel calmer.

When students have anxiety issues that don't improve with the above-mentioned activities, it may be wise to examine their eating and sleeping habits and possibly consult with the school psychologist to see if they qualify for an IEP or 504.  Those who do qualify will receive accommodations that will help them academically and emotionally.

THE "RIGHT" LEARNING STYLE + INTELLIGENCES = FUN!

After we meet a new student, our first task is to administer a Learning Styles Inventory. Many of our students don't know how they learn best, so it's enlightening for them and us to see if they are visual, auditory, or kinesthetic learners – or a combination of any of those three styles. Having an understanding of each student's learning style helps us avoid a "one-size-fits-all" approach to tutoring, so we can customize how we teach the student how to best learn the material. As we get to know our students, we also learn about their "intelligences," which are different intellectual abilities that we all possess. This differs from learning styles, which are the ways an individual approaches different tasks; our intelligences are different ways of processing information.

There are eight different intelligences: verbal-linguistic, logical-mathematical, visual-spatial, musical, naturalistic, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal, and intrapersonal. Although we usually don't administer an intelligences inventory, we and our students generally get a sense of their intelligences fairly quickly. Our goal is not to label a student, but rather to obtain as much information as we can to understand who our students are as human beings and how we can help them learn.

An example: Many years ago, an out-of-state friend shared that her granddaughter was struggling with learning her multiplication tables. When I questioned her about the girl's learning style and intelligences, she had no clue. I sent her electronic versions of the Learning Style Inventory and the Multiple Intelligences Inventory. In a fairly short period of time, they had identified her learning style and intelligences and, with a few suggestions from us, the girl learned all of her multiplication tables rather by dancing to and singing all of the tables. There were no flash cards - no fights - no complaints! She had fun memorizing the tables in a way that suited her learning style and intelligences!

WHAT DID YOU SAY?

Homework usually relates to work done in class.  It's not uncommon, however, for students to sit down with their homework and draw a complete blank on what they've done and heard in class.  Inevitably, parents say, "You were just in class today!  How could you forget what you did?"  

Although many things can account for this, for now we're going to focus on just one:  the  student doesn't know how s/he learns and, therefore, isn't able to utilize the best tools for his or her learning style.

When a student has no clue as to  how s/he learns, a good first step is taking a Learning Style Inventory.  The three learning styles are visual, auditory, and kinesthetic.  Some of us learn in one way, in particular; some of us are a mixture of all three. Determining how we learn is essential to finding the proper tools to facilitate learning!  We will address these soon in follow-up blogs.  Stay tuned!

IS YOUR BRAIN HUNGRY?

When necessary and appropriate, we try to educate our students about foods that help us learn.  Some foods - like blueberries, broccoli, oranges, and pumpkin seeds - have antioxidants that help protect our brains from damage.  Tea (green tea, in particular) and coffee fall into this category, as well.  Other foods - like eggs and nuts - contain nutrients that support brain development and memory, which are critical for learning.  We have to admit that our favorite brain-healthy food is dark chocolate!  It has caffeine, antioxidants, and flavonoids that enhance memory and also boost our mood.  Best of all, it's yummy!  

HEATING UP!

The thermometer says it's already summer , but school's not out yet...just one more month, though, and the students will be free! Our calendar for this summer, however, is already heating up! Students and their parents have these goals:  

• prepare for the July or September Algebra and Geometry EOC
• maintain the knowledge gained in the past year
• fill in gaps in knowledge to avoid being "lost" next year
• prepare for the following year and/or next level of education
• get a handle on test anxiety before high-stakes testing begins again

GIVE US A CALL! Get a free thirty-minute consultation, and consider investing in your students during the summer!