Fascinating Results Struggling Math Learners 14 Proven Steps

What fascinating results do you want for your struggling math learners, in 14 proven steps you can discover the strategies you need to unlock that mystery?

As a virtual school parent, using these proven teaching strategies can provide fascinating results for struggling math word problem learners and we show 14 proven steps to success.

Do you ever feel like all this new tech stuff doesn’t work or it’s too expensive? Numerous students struggle with word problems in math. Taking the time to determine the root of the struggle could greatly reduce the frustrations of both the parent and student.

The reality of virtual school is that parents (mostly moms) are being stretched beyond their ability to work and provide educational support. In addition to helping the students with school work, they must also support the needs a struggling learner.

Affiliate Marketing Disclaimer: This article contain Amazon affiliate links. Teaching and Learning Disclaimer: This article contains teaching strategies that are research-based, but do not necessarily guarantee student success.

These are the 14 Proven Steps that we believe will help your struggling student(s):

Determine the root of the problem or struggle.
Create a simple 10 question quiz.
Analyze your results and determine the next step.
Use online software or games for remediation and as a resource.
Use learning styles inventory to increase understanding and application of knowledge.
Provide visual manipulatives, such as illustrated images.
Model how to complete the task.
Increase the difficulty as needed, as your learner progresses.
Introduce math symbols in early grades.
Model explicit math word problem solutions.
Students should create and use a math journal.
Increase application skills with daily practice using 1 or 2 problems.
Use research-based strategies with strong results.
Use kinesthetic strategies as much as possible.

What Can parents determine about students struggling and its root?

Parents can determine when their student is struggling with math word problems?

Determine if their math student is struggling with arithmetic.
Determine if there is a concept misunderstanding, such as adding instead of subtracting.
Evaluate reading comprehension and if there is an inability to read the math word problems and understand how to solve the problems.
Determine if there the inability to calculate math word problems is due to scattered knowledge of multiplication tables.

What would parents use to determine the struggle point in their student?

Parents can create a simple addition and subtraction quiz with about 10 problems. Investigate your results. The ten problems quiz should help you recognize misunderstanding in either subtraction or addition. If you believe that 5 subtraction and 5 addition problems do not tell you enough, then make separate tests with 10 addition and 10 subtraction problems.
When you review the quiz, look for a pattern in the incorrect problems. For example, (transposing numbers) flipping the top and bottom numbers in a problem when regrouping is required
You can also determine if your student is struggling with multiplication or division using the same strategy as you did with addition and subtraction.

Here you see that the student does not understand how to regroup and transposed the 7 and 9 to be able to complete the subtraction required in the ones place of this problem.

The results here show you that there is a with regrouping. If you see this problem in two or three other math problems, it shows a pattern.

Therefore, your results give you a start point. You could start by working on regrouping with your student.

For multiplication level problems, check that the numbers are multiplied correctly. For a 2-digit problem check the place value of the answer to ensure that the numbers are properly aligned. The answer should be in the ones, tens, and hundreds place if hundreds are being used at this time.

Learners who struggle with decimals and fractions or other pre-algebra knowledge requirements can use mathcoolgames.com as an online game support. Pre-algebra sections provides information about fractions, decimals, percents, order-of-operations and much more. In addition, Math cool games offers math explanations and directions in a written format that ranges from pre-algebra to pre-calculus.

Note to Parents: Although math cool games and math-playground both offer remedial support through games, they both require a computer to access the games. Therefore you cannot use an iPad or smart phone to practice.

use Proven Learning styles Theories for struggling learners

Once you determine the root of the struggle, attack it by using a learning strategy that fits the struggling learners’ natural learning style. In using strategies that include a visual, auditory, and kinesthetic action, you are able to teach to the needs of your struggling learner.

There are approximately 7 types of learning styles. However, these three, visual, auditory, and kinesthetic are the most common among all learners. The education planner link will show you an online learning style assessment. The Vark questionnaire provides a written version of the learning styles inventory.

I support the learning styles theories because they teach the learner to study using their natural learning style. For example, auditory learners need to hear the lesson. Visual learners excel when pictures in a lesson create an image in their mind about the subject. Kinesthetic learners need movement to help them remember information. They do best when they construct and label the image of what they want to learn.

For struggling math learners use as many of the strategies from all three learning styles as possible. But let the learners decide which helps or does not help.

model numbers and operations for early math learners

Depending on the age or functional ability level of your student(s), you can teach number operations with developmental progression.

For early learners and those struggling with numbering skills, provide a visual of the problem. While explaining and modeling, point to each part of the math problem. Also, you can use a manipulative to illustrate your point. These actions help your struggling student develop a stronger understanding of the concept.
Continue to use the modeling as a one-to-one strategy until your struggling student can complete each part of the task alone. (Just a reminder, alone means no assistance from the parent).
When your monitoring results show that your learner has mastered the concept, increase the level of difficulty by adding words to the problems. Then demonstrate the new level of the concept using words to create your math problems. For example, one plus one equals two. You can create a visual by writing the numeric value over the written numbered word.
Monitor your learner’s progress by giving them an 8 to 10 question quiz. The quiz can be the same one you used as a pretest to determine the student’s functioning level. When you use the same test to monitor as a post-test, you can determine your learners growth.
As you progress through numbers and operations you can begin to prepare your learner to add. You can increase the intensity by including the value of coins in the lessons.

While you are modeling the problems, you can add math language into your lessons. When you create simple word problems, you can introduce a few math symbols. Just a reminder, struggling learners may become confused if you use more than two symbols per lesson.

The symbols that you can introduce easily as you model the simple math word problems are as follows (+; – ; =; ≠ ; < >). As you explain each you can also use coins to help your learner understand the concept to a greater level.

For example, you can compare 3 pennies to 4 pennies to demonstrate equal (=) or not equal to (≠) numbers or values.

Modeling Explicit Math Word Problems

Math Learning Strategies for 4th to 8th Grade Learners

Once again you want to make the lessons include visual, auditory, and kinesthetic actions.

In this teaching model, make the auditory support the visual by asking questions out loud as you complete each problem. You may have heard this referred to as thinking out loud.

Write a task list and have the struggling learner use a math notebook to create their own personal math journal. Their task list should state the type of problem and how to answer the problem. It should also include similar problems to compare and help them solve current and future problems.
Next, have the struggling student create a visual of the problem with a short explanation of each step used to solve the problem.
Last check the solution and determine if each step was completed correctly.
Have the struggling math learner practice one or two problems each day. If possible, use money problems or an area of interest to the student. Also, have them solve the problem using arithmetic, then present it algebraically.

I have learned that the addition of letters to a math problem instills fear in the struggling math word problem learners, which can become a nightmare.

Sample Problem (Solved)

A summer job at a math company pays $35. per hour plus a $42 bonus for the first week working in the month of June. The first week the tutor worked 3 hours.

How much did the tutor earn?

In this scenario, the students were required to complete the problem in the arithmetic form, then algebraically

Use "Strong Results" Research-Based Proven Strategies for Struggling Learners

According to What Works Clear House Research, some strategies have proven results for increasing learning in struggling students. Their recommendations show strong evidence in learning outcomes of systematic and explicit instruction.

These results driven teaching strategies should include:

Modeling, verbalizing thoughts with questions, guided practice, corrective feedback, and frequent progress monitoring.
Always verbalize and provide visuals in instruction using word problems.
A form of visual instruction aid such as a number line, an array, concrete manipulatives (illustrated manipulatives for upper grades) to create an image in your struggling math learner’s mind.
Kinesthetic learners may do best with additional practice and remediation strategies for struggling math word problem learners in a written form (self made flashcards, quick notes on 3×5 cards).
Use a 4-function calculator to reinforce learned math facts and to determine correct procedures in calculating and to solve math word problems.
Use computer programs that provide immediate feedback for additional practice (mathcoolgames.com and/or mathplayground.com) may provide the support you want.
Use practical objects to teach word conversion to numerical equivalents such as (two weeks = 14 days), (12 months = one year), (36 inches = one yard), or (12 inches = one foot).
Have your student study with a peer tutor, this can be a sibling, cousin, or friend.

Conclusion

We started out by expressing the importance of determining the root of the learning problem. Then we gave some examples of how parents can determine what type of learning struggles are causing their frustration. We explained some things to look for after creating a simple 10 question quiz.

Next, we introduced the 3 learning styles, visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. We moved on to modeling strategies for numbers and operations for early learners and some teaching strategies for 4th to 8th-grade learners. We provided a couple of sample problems for middle school students. Then we completed the article with information about What Works Clearing House Research, and recommendations.

Resource

What Works Clearing House: http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc

The Vark questionnaire https://vark-learn.com/the-vark-questionnaire/

The education planner link online assessment: http://www.educationplanner.org/students/self-assessments/learning-styles-quiz.shtml