The Math Clinic Tutoring Service   

The entire spectrum of high school math curriculum is fully accessible to most all students of average intelligence if they are sufficiently motivated and are properly taught. 

Most often when a student begins to struggle in a math course it is because they have missed establishing a core set of fundamentals concepts that is a subset of other concepts and intertwines throughout that particular course.  Struggling students mistakenly see no familiarity from one concept to the next.  

Most often these fundamentals are easily re-introduced and re-established with a skilled tutor.  Often is as much as a single tutoring session.  As an experienced teacher, I can quickly identify and remediate this need.   More importantly,  I strive to give the student the perspective to recognize how these building blocks are repeatedly being applied in their course.  As the student begins to recognize this, it makes the course much less intimidating. This begins the process of build a strong sense of self-confidence in their ability to succeed in the class.  They also have the opportunity to see how the building block concept apply more generally in the learning process.

These core fundamentals will be found in every math course.  For example in Algebra, being adept at manipulating and solving equations.  Again in Algebra,  being able to factor polynomials is a crucial fundamental algebra skill that, if mastered, leads to success over several chapters.  This concept is often poorly taught.  If factoring is not mastered, this will lead to frustration and plummeting self-confidence over several weeks. Homework becomes a dreaded nightly chore as well as an unsolved mystery.  Quizzes and tests are disasters.  The poor grades that follow is a source of conflicts with teachers and parents.  A general aversion towards math begins to set in.  This is also the beginning of the lowering of their expectations of success and their level of motivation in their study of math as it was just getting started.   Lower level, less challenging math classes are recommended and scheduled for the coming years.  If so, the student will miss the many benefits that would have been realized by accepting and realizing success with other typically more motivated students found in the more challenging math classes.

All students can benefit from one-on-one tutoring.  One-on-one tutoring instruction is simply the most efficient model to learn anything from someone else.  Most would agree that to learn any endeavor, one-on-one instruction is a must to overcome the initial discomfort and awkwardness when first learning anything.  Think of endeavors such a learning to play a sport, learning to play a musical instrument, learning to paint, or even to simply learn to use the features of your smartphone. 

Classroom instruction is incredibly inefficient.   

Tutoring can sometimes be mistakenly thought of in terms of a remediating activity.  However, the overwhelming majority of students in my tutoring practice are students performing at the top of their class.   These students and their parents use tutoring to support their success and maintain a high level of self confidence in their study of math and more generally in their overall approach to school.  

With regular tutoring sessions they eliminate frustration, expect success, and even stay just ahead of their class.  By staying just ahead of their class they are able to benefit more from what can be gained from the classroom instruction.  They are more relaxed in the classroom setting and are relying less on the classroom instruction.  To them,  classroom instruction serves and becomes more of a reenforcement and review.   This also helps them to navigate around and even derive some benefit from inexperienced teachers and poor classroom instruction that are not uncommon in today's education environment.

Within this context consider the many advantages of classroom instruction:

• Student reaches mastery of concepts faster with more depth
• Undivided attention by a specialist in math tutoring techniques
• Coaching and reassurance while student actually solves problems
• Assures effective & efficient practice & completion of homework
• Reduces stress & frustration from uncertainty with homework
• Continuous "checking for understanding" as new concepts are developed
• Monitors, reviews, and remediates underlying fundamentals as needed
• Keeps student ahead of class & less reliant on classroom instruction
• Fosters the development of well organized written work
• Tactical & strategic problem solving techniques are modeled and shaped
• Provides opportunities to teach & encourage good study skills
• Support to take & succeed in more challenging class
• Fosters the self confidence needed to reach full potential
• The tutor provides a unique perspective and tone of learning that is often distinctly different from the student's parents, teachers, and peers.  Parents and teachers may project expectations that can be distracting and overwhelming.   As a reaction to these expectations that play out in their work load, testing, and grades, the student can become intimidated and defensive.  The student’s ability to cope with these expectations can be adversely affected by the reward and punishment pressure that teachers and parents can represent.  On the other end of the spectrum, peers with no expectations will be indifferent at best and may even encourage a lack of effort and motivation to learn.  In this context, the tutor’s role is particularly well suited to guide a student without the pressures inherent in the parent-child or teacher-student relationship and within a more collaborative framework.  Additionally, a tutor provides a more adult and encouraging approach than their peers.  This sets the tone for a more relaxed interaction that can lead the student to better understand their potential and the development of their own learning process.

Inquire about your child's participation in The Math Clinic at deaton@mathclinic.org or call 410-817-4033 for more information.

Math textbooks are written to fully explained each concept.  This unavoidably can include much discussion, definitions, theorems, exceptions, and even intimitating proofs.  They are written in very formal mathematical language.  Given that math texts all share these elements, many are not particularly well organized or written in clearly understandable terms.  Most students find math textbooks very intimidating and actually avoid trying to read them altogether.

Teachers have the obligation to translate the text for the students.  In short time frames and with ever waning attention spans, paraphrasing and creating outlines of the text in classroom instruction can be a challenge for both the teacher and the students.

In fact, the functional essentials of most math concepts for each new topic can be summarized on a single page with a few formulas and a few lines of notes.

In Math Clinic tutoring sessions the student receives clear and concise instruction on any specific math concept they may present.  The goal is to de-mystify each concept, reduce it to its most fundamental elements, and help the student to realize that each topic is not as difficult as they may have imagined.  For most topics, the student receives a concise 1-2 page Math Clinic Study Guide.

Students are instructed to use the study guide to do their classwork problem sets.  This enables the student to immediately realize success and gain confidence with class assignments and problems sets.   This also demonstrates that the simplified and understandable study guide solves most problems.  If they run into an exception, they are encouraged to simply annotate their study guide.

Their study guides become a valuable part of their class notes.  And a great aid for review before quizzes, tests, and exams.  But more importantly, the study guides demonstrate to the student how concepts that first appear to be complex and intimidating can consistently be reduced down into very concise and understandable terms.  A lesson well learned for a lifetime in our ever more complex and technological world.

The real goal is that the student will begin to develop the skill to reduce what first appears to be complex topics to more simplify workable elements.  This is what being “educated" is all about.

P.S.  Once the student is successful working a full range of problems using the study guide,  reading the text will be more understandable and beneficial.    When the student sees concepts they already understand presented more formally, they begin to refine their fluency in the “language" of mathematics.   The text can then become more of a useful reference. 

The traditional math classroom setting, even in private schools or in a particularly well managed class, is not well suited to bring out a student's full potential.    Math teachers are always under pressure to move on to the next topic to cover a necessarily extensive curriculum.  This is even more true in the higher level classes.  Large classes, interruptions to the class schedule, and students that lag for a variety of reasons(but NOT aptitude) magnify the time constraint.   This compresses the already limited time that can be allotted to each concept and significantly reduces the time to give each student the amount of individualized instruction and encouragement they will naturally need to reach their full potential.   

There simply is not enough time in a traditional classroom setting for a student to receive significant individualized instruction.   If there are but 20 students in a 40 minute class, each student has an average of 2 minutes available for them.  If the teacher addresses the class as a whole for an average of at least 20 minutes for direct instruction and to check for and go over homework, then each student actually has an average of but 1 minute available for individualized attention.  In practice most teacher are not able to accomplish even this small level of contact with each student on a daily basis.  Imagine trying to learn to play the guitar, golf, or the art of drawing and painting in a class of 20 as compared to one on one instruction. 

One on one instruction allows for the continuous "checking for understanding" as concepts are developed.  The review and remediation of the underlying fundamentals can be monitored and addressed as needed within their ongoing course work.   Coaching and reassurance as the student actually solves problems fosters the development of well organized written work and shapes tactical and strategic problem solving techniques.  One on one sessions provide many opportunities to teach and encourage good study skills that are applicable to other courses.  The biggest benefit of one on one instruction is the opportunity for the teacher to monitor, encourage, and build the confidence that is so fundamental to a student's ability to learn.  These important aspects of learning math rely heavily on the experience, skill level, and motivation of the teacher.  Even more significantly, they simply are not possible in typical classroom instruction because of the time constraint per student.

The economics of operating a school dictates the necessity of classroom instruction to large groups of students.  The larger the group of students the more cost effective providing the service will be.  Consequently, school personnel avoid the acknowledgment of the overwhelming benefits of one on one instruction.  With so many students, teachers tactfully avoid one on one help as this could become unmanageable in the context of their many responsibilities.  Some teachers may even view one on one help as enabling disorganized and unmotivated students.  Referrals to students and parents to seek one-on-one tutoring outside the school can be negatively viewed as a concession to their limitations to provide effective instruction and support for their students.  Referrals for one on one tutoring is reserved only for students that have become overwhelmed. 

Mature, highly disciplined, and self reliant students are able to thrive in a relative sense and realize a higher level of success in the traditional classroom.  Students that are not well organized, lack confidence, and/or are distracted by the dynamic social atmosphere in a school will struggle and begin to languish.  Teachers are forced to prod on and teach to the upper 1/2 or 2/3 of the class.  If struggling students remain motivated, they are forced to forage for one on one help from other students, reluctant teachers, and parents.

A student begins to accumulate more and more gaps in their understanding of underlying principles.  As they sense they are losing ground they become more reticent to assert themselves in class to assure their own understanding.  Even if they continue to put forth effort, homework and tests becomes a frustrating exercise in futility.  The "snowball effect" can soon find a student completely overwhelmed and entertaining thoughts that they simply are not capable of success in math.  Their self confidence and self esteem begin to erode.  Poor test results, unhappy progress reports, conflicts with teachers and parents begin to set the tone of their school experience in general.  This can lead to concession and a self-effacing disposition toward math and even learning in general.  Changing the student's schedule to a lower level course is the most common quick fix solution.  However, this starts the student on a path away from realizing their full potential and the self esteem and confidence that are possible.  This is the antithesis of what real education needs to be in such formative years of a child's life.  There is no better way to foster the growth in a child than to foster their self confidence in their ability to learn.  This is the student's foundation on which a love of learning will support an active mind and a full and purposeful life.

The Math Clinic fills this gap in the traditional classroom setting perfectly with one on one instruction from a skilled and experienced teacher.   Students are shown that success in math is as accessible to them as anybody else.

More specifically, The Math Clinic can help to address some of the following obstacles to success in math that your child may be facing in their school:

• A class based on an inefficient educational model
• Distracting/Disruptive Class Environment
• Uncertainty of moving up to a more challenging and faster paced class
• Generally lacks confidence and is apprehensive about math
• Discouraged by a bad experience in a prerequisite course
• Poor Curriculum
• Poor Instruction
• Busy schedule with sports, job, & extracurricular interests
• Inefficient study skills
• Absenteeism due to illness, competitions, or vacations
• Your child’s school may not be able to address these obstacles effectively.

Inquire about your child's participation in The Math Clinic at deaton@mathclinic.org or call 410-817-4033 for more information.