Tag Archives: tutor

February 25, 2015 · 3:01 pm

When To Get A Math Tutor For Your Child

All parents want to see their children succeed in school. Some children have a natural flare for certain subjects, while others need a little help. Math is one subject where a lot of children need help to understand and build their skills to reach a certain level. One of the best ways to do this is through an out-of-school tutor.

Does Your Child Need a Math Tutor?

Looking at your child’s report card is the first clue to seeing if they could do with extra help. If they are continuously getting low grades even when they are trying their hardest highlights that it may be time to think about hiring a tutor. Does your child understand maths but does not show any enthusiasm for the subject and as a result it’s affecting their grades? Finding a tutor that can bring back that enthusiasm and inject a bit of fun into the lessons so that your child isn’t bored will make a huge difference in how they respond and act in school. Talk to your child’s teacher, find out how your child is responding in class and together figure out which areas of study your child is struggling in.

Don’t wait too long!

Whether you choose to hire a tutor or provide more games and learning opportunities at home, it’s important to identify your child’s signs of needing extra help early on, particularly in math, due to its linear nature. Each math class builds on the previous class, so once your child misses one lesson or doesn’t understand a particular skill, it’s pretty hard to catch up. This can result in him or her slipping further behind, losing confidence and dropping grades.

Hiring a Tutor

By the time your child has reached second grade, it will be pretty clear whether a tutor would be helpful. Once you decide to find a tutor, take your search seriously. You want someone who is properly trained, will assess your child correctly, has a good reputation, and will provide lessons that are age appropriate. Here at Light In The Attic Learning we have partnered with a numeracy program devised by JUMP math to provide our students with cutting edge materials and an approach to learning that works alongside the Ontario curriculum. Whether basic arithmetic or trigonometry, our tutors, who are specially trained to deliver the JUMP math program, will help your child overcome any math phobia they may have and give them the foundation they need to build on.

March Break madness tutoring promotion!!

Our own version of March Break Madness – Take advantage of this great offer and help your special student get ahead over March Break.

How to improve your child’s reading abilities

So I ended the blog last week without providing any solutions to your child’s reading problems. I understand that might seem odd, but don’t freak out, because this weeks blog will focus on the best way to improve your child’s reading skills.

Yes, you read that right. I purposely used the singular “best way” in my description. I say this because I believe the best way to improve reading skills is to read more material, more often. In fact, as a parent you can take certain actions to promote your child to read more. Here are some of those actions.

1. Read to your Child

Your child may not be reading because they are struggling to read. This creates a catch 22. You can break the cycle and help build your child’s confidence by reading to them. As you read together, get them to read and sounds, then words, then full sentences, and finally whole pages. Slowly they will eventually be able to read basic words and sentences by themselves.

2. Surround Your Child with Books

In order to boost your child’s vocabulary, they need to continue to read more material. Yes, you could buy one or two book at a time, but I recommend having a great variety of books on different subjects. The reason for this choice is because it will help ensure that your child will find a book that they deem interesting. If your child is interested in the book they will be more engaged and read more often.

3. Set up a Reading Time

If surrounding your child with a greater variety of books doesn’t spark their interest, it’s a good idea to become more active and make sure that they are reading. You can ensure that they are reading by setting aside a time in the day that they have to read. This can be whenever, but at least an hour (can be more) should be set aside for reading. If you need some help to ensure your child is reading, Light in the Attic learning has a homework hub with a licensed instructor who can do this, and also answer questions about a word’s meaning and pronunciation.

4. Reading is Just Not About Books

Reading can be done anywhere. I take this notion to heart and when my son was learning to read I took flash cards and labelled the entire house. This is a true story and just proves that your child can read anything, anywhere as long as they are reading. It is important to find something that interests them and run with it. The only thing is to make sure you can sustain your child’s interest in this type of material over time. Broadening the material your child’s reads will ensure they never run out of content.

Before I close this blog, I like to say that all of these options are not mutually exclusive and can be used together! Which way do you think is the best?

All the best,

David

Why Jump Math?

I don’t think it’s a secret that here at Light in the Attic Learning we love and trust the JUMP math program. JUMP math was created by our hero John Migthon and brings excitement to learning mathematics. The program holds students attention by turning them into active learners seeking out how to solve problems, instead of being passive learners who are taught a method.

While the program does turn the student into an active learner, it does not bombard them with too much information. Its slow burn approach really allows them to grasp the information at their own pace. Here at Light in The Attic Learning we provide personalized tutors and programs in order to help your child learn, and not memorize the material at their own, unique pace. JUMP really facilitates this way of learning and that’s why I love it.

Another reason I love JUMP is because unlike many curriculum’ word problem approach to math (which seeks to teach key concepts through contextualized word problems), JUMP uses a building block approach, which makes sense when you acknowledge that math is a subject that builds on prior knowledge. This building block approach to math, strips down every aspect of a math equation and teaches the basic concept in a step-by-step fashion. By providing basic concepts or the building blocks, students will always have the tools and confidence to solve any mathematical problem they face.

Also, by focusing on steps (or building blocks) our tutors can identify the specific concept that is at the source of any blockage and focus on explaining that specific step.

Overall, as an educator and parent I love to engage the people around me and help them gain the essential skills to succeed in all their endeavors. JUMP math works in coordination to this belief. That is why JUMP is effective and a staple of Light in the Attic Learning.

Do you have any questions about the JUMP Math Program? Click the email button below and send me an email! I’ll get back to you ASAP.

All the best,
David

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Tag Archives: tutor

When To Get A Math Tutor For Your Child

March Break madness tutoring promotion!!

How to improve your child’s reading abilities

Why Jump Math?

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