Varsity Tutors can help you or your child make the most out of their math coursework or get ready for a test by connecting with a skilled math tutor. Math tutors help students focus on working through areas they're having difficulty with by providing one-on-one attention. If you're trying to help your child find the right person and searched for "math tutor near me," it's likely you want to help encourage their ability to succeed in school but might not know where to get started. Rather than continue the search for "math tutors near me" you can help your child get set up with a private tutor of their own. Learn more about how these professionals can create a helpful learning plan that encourages your child to grow as a student.
When you get your child started with math tutoring, you can help them find someone who will start the process of teaching basic math techniques and can help improve their test-taking skills. Math tutors can help create a useful environment for studying and model these behaviors for your child so they know what to do when it's time to study on their own. This can help your child learn about how to manage their time and what to do when it comes to learning on their own.
Choosing to work with private math tutors means it is possible to create a flexible schedule for your child. This allows the tutor to work around your child's needs, such as studying when your child is most alert, or around activities, they are involved in. This helps your child find the right math tutor for their needs without sacrificing their time or anything else that is important to them.
Math is one of the most important subjects that your child will learn in school. With a need for math in almost every profession and even in one's daily life, it is important to see why math is necessary. Math often starts out easy but can progress in levels of difficulty as your child goes through school. Getting hung up in one of these areas makes it difficult to continue down the path of learning. Everything from understanding simple multiplication and addition to multiplying of fractions and moving on to geometry can pose a problem when the student doesn't have a solid grasp of what they're learning.
That's why it's important to find a math tutor who is not only well-versed in the subject but knows how to work with students of different skills and grade levels. This allows your child to work toward achieving their academic goals. If you think your child would improve by working with a math tutor, Varsity Tutors can help. Rather than look for a "math tutor near me," see how it's possible to get started with someone who wants to help your child achieve their goals. Contact us today, and find out how we can help you connect with a math tutor who's just as committed to your child's education as you are. We look forward to hearing from you soon.
What is Math?
Math is a subject all students begin with early in their school career. It involves learning about disciplines that include addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and fractions. Students begin learning these basic concepts as early as kindergarten and later advance on to more intricate studies involving these concepts, such as Algebra and Calculus during college and high school. By reviewing the USA PISA Math scores, it's easy enough to see that as the years progressed, student understanding of math decreased. It's possible to avoid this issue though, by getting your child started with the right tutor to meet their needs.
Math tutors can work with your child by assessing their skill level and seeing where they are academically. If your child requires help with basic skills before moving on to other subjects, a math tutor can work with them so they can focus on improving in these areas before moving on to more intricate facets of math. Math tutoring offers flexibility to work around your child's schedule, making it easier to focus on their needs.
USA PISA Math Score and Rankings
Year |
2009 |
2012 |
2015 |
Score |
488 |
482 |
470 |
Ranking |
24 |
30 |
40 |
Learning Math
Math tutoring can help students of all grade levels. Students in elementary school learn about the importance of addition and subtraction before moving on to more advanced subjects such as multiplication of fractions or even algebra. Further studies of math include using measurements, learning about the angles and the role they play in math, and eventually moving on to geometry. Teachers start small, showing students how to perform basic math problems, and move on to multiplication, division, and more complex subjects such as cross multiplication. For example, here is what Grade 4 Students are expected to learn to meet Common Core Math standards:
Grade 4 Common Core Math Standards
- Operations and Algebraic Thinking
- The 4 basic math operations
- Factors and multiples
- Generating and analyzing patterns
- Number and Operations in Base Ten
- Place value of whole numbers
- Multi-digit arithmetic
- Number and Operations-Fractions
- Fraction equivalence and ordering
- Build fractions from unit fractions
- Decimals and fractions
- Measurement and Data
- Conversion of measurements
- Representing and interpreting data
- Angles
- Geometry
- Lines, angles, and properties of shapes
If you have a child who has a difficult time learning basic math problems, math tutors can help them go over elementary math so they have a solid foundation to start with. Likewise, if your child understands basic math but is having problems with fractions or another specific skill in math, the tutor can focus on improving just that area. Math tutoring for your child takes place in a one-on-one setting, allowing them plenty of time to go over the material with the tutor and ask questions. Having math tutoring sessions customized to meet your child's needs gives them the chance to work to improve their grades and feel comfortable enough to ask questions and learn about the process.
Math and Testing
In addition to classroom quizzes and tests, your student will see math on a number of standardized exams throughout their years in school. It's important to prepare for these kinds of tests because they're not the same as the tests given in class. Of course, your student's math tutor will go over the content that will be tested, but they can do so much more when preparing them for standardized exams.
Each section on a standardized exam has a specific time limit, and your student's tutor can provide exercises to help adjust their pace. They may administer a timed practice math section in a simulated test environment to see how well your student is doing on time. If there's room for improvement, their tutor can show your student some strategies to help, such as not completing the entire problem (except on grid-in questions), doing the easiest problems first, or practicing focus techniques.
On some standardized exams, students are penalized for wrong answers, and on others, they are penalized for leaving answers blank. Your student's instructor can show them what they should do to benefit their score if they don't know the answer to a question. This is the kind of information that can add points to a total or composite score.
Many students face testing anxiety. If your student is one of them, their private instructor can help them in a couple of ways. First, getting them completely familiar with the test structure, type of questions, and test-day processes can help alleviate anxiety. If that's not enough, their tutor can teach them relaxation techniques to use during class.
The following are some standardized exams that test students on their math skills:
- PSAT/NMSQT – This is designed to prepare students to take the SAT later in high school, and to allow scholarship committees find some of the information they need as they determine who will receive merit-based financial awards. Math skills tested include algebra, data analysis and problem-solving, statistics and probability, and more.
- SAT – The SAT helps college and university admissions boards determine how well prepared students are for college. The SAT Math section contains problems found in college math, science, and social studies classes, as well as problems involving skills that will be useful in a student's future career and personal life. Specifically, it tests students on algebra, geometry, and trigonometry, problem-solving and data analysis, and other math subjects.
- ACT – The ACT is a standardized exam used by college and university boards as they make decisions about admission and placement for new students. The math section consists of pre-algebra, elementary and intermediate algebra, coordinate and plane geometry, and trigonometry.
The Growing Importance of Math Education
Math is a core subject in school, and something your child will continue to learn and use all throughout their years studying. If they're having issues, math tutoring can help. Take a look at this statistic on the number of elementary and middle school students who took the NAEP Mathematics National Scale Score over a seventeen-year period:
NAEP Mathematics National Scale Score
Year |
2000 |
2003 |
2005 |
2007 |
2009 |
2011 |
2013 |
2015 |
2017 |
Grade 4 |
226 |
235 |
238 |
240 |
240 |
241 |
242 |
240 |
240 |
Grade 8 |
273 |
278 |
279 |
281 |
283 |
284 |
285 |
282 |
283 |
Math is used in nearly every career and job, regardless of how high or low-level it might be. For example, doctors, architects, and dancers all use some form of mathematical skills in relation to their jobs. The more well-versed your child is in math, the more opportunities and doors open for them, allowing them to pick a career of their choosing. Plumbers and carpenters need to measure and apply math on the job, just as cooks and contractors do. Finally, for young people who choose to pursue a career in accounting, bookkeeping, or any job that involves working with numbers, they'll need not only a solid foundation, but advanced studies in the field of math, such a college algebra, and that's where a math tutor comes in.
According to the Mind Research Institute, math education does more than just help people understand how to solve mathematical problems. It is used in conjunction with growing fields such as technology and education. If you want your child to improve their skills or go further in their math studies, you already know how important it is to find "math tutoring near me." Searching for a math tutor helps parents feel at ease that their children are learning and getting the skills they need to create a prosperous future.