Biggest Problems in Maths Learning for Students

Maths can sometimes be the hardest thing to learn, and that’s because it’s also one of the hardest to teach. With so many children grasping new concepts at a different pace, it’s difficult for teachers to ensure everybody is learning what they need to. Maths tutoring can be a great way to help students who are struggling, but it’s important to understand where you child could be missing out.

Here are the 5 biggest problems in maths education today.

Not Connecting Maths to the Real World

Often, students can’t see the link between the things they are learning in school and their future career goals. There’s a common misconception that much of the maths curriculum is irrelevant in the real world. This couldn’t be further from the truth. It’s true that as adults we don’t often need to sit down and work out problems in the same way they were set out in our maths textbooks, however the mathematics principles underpinning those problems are frequently used.

In an effort to make it easier for students to grasp basic maths problems, textbooks often include work that appears to have no relevance. If your child is struggling to see the links between their school work and its real-world uses, some maths tutoring could be a great way to help them out.

Learning Tools Make Maths Seem Boring

If you wanted some inspiring reading, the last thing you’re going to pick up is a maths textbook. Most of them are laid out in a style that isn’t appealing to students and makes the whole subject seem boring. This is because everyone has different learning styles so educational materials often need to be very generic. Unfortunately the end result is that they aren’t overly attractive to anybody!

Maths is used in everything we do, so it is far from a boring subject – it’s just a matter of showing kids that. Maths tutoring can help give children a bit more of a personal spin on things by relating the school-work to the student’s own personal interests. It’s hard for teachers to do that due to the range of different interests among their students.

Computer Programs Instead of Teaching

Many tutoring sessions end up with a group of students sitting in front of computers, working on the same generic maths problems. They’ve just been built into a computer program to make them seem a little more appealing.

Unfortunately, while this is good for repetition if your child is already performing well in maths, it doesn’t help those who are struggling. Without getting that close attention from a teacher who can talk them through the steps and ensure their understanding.

Effective tutoring should be designed to guide your child and teach them the appropriate problem solving skills, not just having them solve problems and check the answers.

Too Many Concepts Being Taught Too Quickly

We’ve spoken at length about knowledge gaps appearing throughout a child’s education. One cause of knowledge gaps is the speed at which new concepts are being introduced at school. For a child who takes a bit longer to get feel comfortable with a new maths process, it can feel like more and more is just piling up on them.

If a child isn’t confident in one concept, they may still be trying to consolidate their learning while the rest of the class moves on to something else. This can cause them to completely miss certain things. It can also lead them to only have a broad understanding of many concepts without actually being able to master any of them.

Extra maths tutoring can be highly beneficial in this instance, as it gives a student the individualised assistance they need in order to get on top of their work.

Teachers Unable to Give One-on-One Time

We all know that school classrooms are overcrowded, and there’s very little we can do about it. While it may not be a problem for students who are quick to grasp new concepts, it can be a real issue for students who are struggling. With so many students in one class, it’s nearly impossible for teachers to provide each student with the one-on-one assistance they need.

With 20-30 students in one class, there’s also bound to be behavioural issues which take up a lot of the teachers’ time. If you feel your child needs a little extra help and they’re not able to get it during school hours, maths tutoring could be the best thing for them.