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Original poster

Help with maths

40 replies

Anushka · 05/06/2013 14:35

Can anyone offer advice on extra help we can give to dd who is (and always has) struggled with maths. She's currently in year 9 so feel we need to help before gcses start in earnest next year.

I'm not sure if we ought to go down a tutor route as I feel that she really doesn't enjoy the subject, to put her through an hour extra each week may be too much, and be very expensive.

My gut instinct is to almost go back to basics with some ks3 books we can work our way through to see where the "problem" is. I don't mind maths but don't always know ho she's even taught so often confuse her, so feels book (not really a revision guide one though).

Other than maths she does really well and is working at a high level in most other subjects and always puts in plenty of effort, just not getting the results she deserves in maths.

I get mixed messages from school - yes she's puts in brilliant effort, is a good likeable student in class, but hasn't made as much progress this year as she needed to (my words not theirs but you get the gist). We are happy with everything she does, but not sure if we should have intervened before now.

OP posts:
Original poster
Anushka · 07/06/2013 21:37

Great so unless I spend £25 a week (from research the average hourly private tutor rate) so about £1300 over the next year or two there's no hope. Luckily she goes to a (usually) focused school and results are usually good so I'll speak to them and see if the an recommend anything/anyone.

OP posts:
noblegiraffe · 07/06/2013 20:45

If she is a 5a at the end of Y9, then she is going to find it difficult to get a C at GCSE. Statistically, most students on a level 5 don't get a C, the majority of those who got a 6 (and that would be more likely with a higher 6) do.

I would suggest getting a tutor, if you can afford it, as this would probably be the most effective way of making progress. Self-study (e.g. using mymaths) isn't usually great for a student that is struggling in maths as they need someone to break things down for them.
It's unfortunate that she doesn't like the subject, but it's probably not a good idea to risk leaving it later.

Original poster
Anushka · 07/06/2013 19:23

Not sure about mymaths marcopront I think they have maths link or something but I'm going to email her teacher and ask for some help over the holidays. The last test she got a 5b noblegiraffe only one mark off a 5a which was where she was before she had extra booster lessons (interestingly enough she got an answer write in her workings and then wrote it down wrong at the end, but dd the teacher almost said tough?) But she was forecast a 6 .

OP posts:
marcopront · 06/06/2013 14:19

Does the school subscribe to www.mymaths.co.uk? It has online lessons and homework and is a very good resource.

Original poster
Anushka · 05/06/2013 22:43

Your not the first to say that to me gloryhunter I might start asking around for local recommendations.

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noblegiraffe · 05/06/2013 22:43

What level is she working at?

GloryHunter · 05/06/2013 22:32

My DS is in year 8 and maths is his weakest subject. Last term his maths teacher told me at parents' evening he was 29th out of 29 in his class (he's pretty good at all other subjects). I think this shocked him and he agreed to go to a maths tutor, he went for an hour and a half every two weeks. He's just had his end of year exams and his maths result was well above the class average. Tutor was money very well spent.Smile

Original poster
Anushka · 05/06/2013 22:24

Thank you all, elbourt we do have an iPad so I'll download them and give them a go over summer and if this doesn't help we'll try the tutor route titchy. Crazycarol great advice perhaps I've been holding back my help worried it'll confuse, I have recently tried algebra with her and she got the way I was showing her (didn't know there was another way).

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nextphase · 05/06/2013 20:28

Thank-you Valentine. That makes perfect sense - the original website has lots the superscripts as well.

ValentineWiggins · 05/06/2013 20:09

You need some different sized digits. Should read
22 x 23 =2^5

Ie 4x8=32

Etc

crazycarol · 05/06/2013 20:08

My dd struggled from time to time with maths, although once she grasped the concept was fairly secure but sometimes just didn't get it. Fortunately I was a bit of a maths geek at school so rather than going down the tutor route I decided to help her myself. I think I shocked both of us by how much I remembered from school. Like you I was worried about confusing her, but in actual fact often if something is explained in a different way, it helps. My dd frequently found that I was able to explain things in a way that she understood, also she felt better asking me questions rather than her teacher.

I didn't really do much more than support her with her homework (which she did get a lot of) and then revision, but it worked! She got an A and shocked her teacher.

nextphase · 05/06/2013 20:07

Not a teacher, and not got a teenager yet, so this may be way off, but can you make maths fun - make a recipe, and half it / double it, play board games which involve maths (monopoly has money and large numbers etc).

I guess it's also dependant on what she's struggling with as to what she needs to do!

As an aside, I was reading what yr 9 kids should be able to do and saw this

use index notation and simple instances of index laws (know, for example, that 22 x 23 = 25 and 26 ÷ 22 = 24)

Can anyone explain, as it makes no sense to me!

Elbuort · 05/06/2013 20:06

MathsWatch

Elbuort · 05/06/2013 19:57

Do you have an iPad?

If so, I strongly recommend you download ALL of the maths wise apps.

There is one app each for Grade D, Grade C, Grade B, grade A and Grade A*

I have a friend who is sitting gcse maths at the moment and has been using these apps as part if his revision - so could be a good starting point for your DC perhaps working through the D and upwards.

titchy · 05/06/2013 18:46

I'd go down the tutor route. The fact that she doesn't like maths and you feel mean subjecting her to an hour a week of something she dislikes is tough. Better an hour a week now to get the basics secure than failing and having to do a whole year of maths to get a 'C'.