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Let’s be honest, maths has never been the most popular subject. It’s the age-old problem area that most people find challenging, from childhood right through to adult life. But maths doesn’t have to be hard! That’s where you, the maths tutor, come in. Whether your private tuition is aimed at primary school, GCSE, A-Level, or even university, there are many ways to appeal to students at all levels and find out how they can thrive in what is currently a problem area. You have the power to change your student’s entire approach and way of thinking when it comes to learning maths and retaining information, and help them overcome any fear or anxiety in maths. 
So it seems that maths is becoming a noticeable issue in national education. But there are many ways that private tutors can pick lost students back up, and redirect them towards success.
The first step in getting your students motivated to learn maths is by re-contextualising it. This means that, by putting maths into accessible and relevant situations that your student can recognise and relate to, you will make it comprehensible, as well as fun and engaging. Making maths fun is the most crucial element in changing your student’s outlook. By showing them that maths isn’t a chore, and that it can be really versatile and exciting, you will spark their interest and self-confidence. Get maths tutoring of the highest quality o Superprof.
Make Maths Lessons Great!
Of course each student is different, and should be treated as such. It’s important to keep track of how your student absorbs information, the way they understand and approach challenges. Start by spending some time with your student to really work out what it is about maths that troubles them. Is it a specific topic? Is it the way it’s taught in school? Is it because they just aren’t succeeding? Once you can hone in on the issues, you can start exploring what would make maths more fun during your home tuition sessions. And now the world is your oyster! There are so many ways to make your lessons more enjoyable and creative, using tools and media such as:
- Books
- Music
- Art
- Videos
- Apps and websites
- Board games
- Card games
- Mock scenarios and transactions
Introducing play into learning, especially with younger students, is really important for their development and understanding of a subject or challenge. Whatever you use, just make sure it’s age appropriate and gets your student engaged in the activity, and the sky’s the limit! Just by putting maths into a different context, you can help your student look at it with fresh eyes. Whether this is through games, mock transaction activities, cooking, or whatever method your maths student might enjoy, the crucial goal is making maths relevant. This is where you can start getting creative with your home tutoring sessions, personalising them to the individual needs of your student. Play around with different learning techniques that can be carried out through fun activities, and take note of what your student enjoys. There is a much wider scope for what you can do in terms of fun and games with younger students, particularly at primary or early secondary school age. At this age, your student is at a stage in their development where playing is still necessary for learning, so you can use this to your advantage. The most crucial part about playing games is that your student sees how fun maths can be, and how it can be applied to everyday life. In showing your own positivity and love of maths, it will rub off on your student too.
Make your student aware of the various daily activities that use and rely on maths. You can think about how you might turn these activities into games that you can play with your student.
You can use any games you like – and board games, puzzles or card games are a great place to start. Try adding in little maths problems for your student to solve, or play games involving money. A bit of competition is a great motivator – and a prize is always fun! Get a private maths tutor Brisbane. 
Learn Maths Through the Internet!
The internet is pivotal when exploring fun ways to teach maths. Just a simple internet search of ‘maths games’ or ‘make maths fun’ will bring you pages of results, including articles, advice and guidance, and all sorts of games and resources to try. If you’re looking to work on particular aspects of your student’s syllabus, BBC Bitesize is a brilliant tool. You can hone in on particular topics that directly follow the national curriculum, available for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, for both primary and secondary school. If you’re looking for free online maths tools that stem away from specific course specifications and just focus on learning basic maths principles and fun games, then have a look at Educators Technology who have set out a list of links and ideas to get you started. For more ideas on which games and activities to try to be a fun maths tutor, check out our blog post on maths games!
How to Prepare Exciting Maths Tuition
To get started, put aside some time to really research and play around with ideas. Make a list of ideas you might have yourself, perhaps you have something in mind for a particular topic that’s been tricky for your student. As the tutor, it’s important to have a go yourself at any of the apps and websites you might want to use, or that have been recommended to you, before you go on to suggest them for your student to use. This goes for any resources you find during your search, just have a quick scan to make sure they will be useful, appropriate, and most importantly, fun to use during your private tutoring sessions. Outline a brief lesson plan, to make sure that all the bases are covered and your student is still receiving what they need from you in terms of curriculum and tackling specific problems. But this is where you can start weaving in some fun and games to your sessions. 
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