The secret to boosting math grades is to build math confidence. As math is often considered to be the most challenging school subject, it can be difficult for students to build math confidence. However, when students work on strengthening their math confidence, they become less afraid to make mistakes and more inclined to take risks. As students begin to handle more challenging math problems, both math skills and math confidence increase.
“I’m Bad at Math”
It can be discouraging for parents to hear their children say that they think they are bad at math. However, the real message here is that students are actually lacking math confidence. Many students lose confidence in their math skills because of mistakes they have made previously.
However, just because students make mistakes does not mean that they do not have the skills to improve! Math confidence comes from encouraging children to understand the value of mistakes, risk-taking, and perseverance.
Help your child increase their math skills and boost their math confidence with these tips: :
Four tips to Build Math Confidence
- Focus on Effort. It’s easy to praise children for being naturally intelligent. Why is this a problem? Natural skills are not skills that need to be worked on. Instead, praise children for the effort they put into tasks. When students learn that results are tied to effort rather than to natural talent, they learn to persevere.
- Set Math-Related Goals Together. When parents and students set math goals together, it helps students understand and track their progress. Whether it’s practicing fractions for 20 minutes every night or solving 10 problems without error, writing out goals increases the success rate by 42%! When students set goals they can stick to, they are better able to reach their full potential.
- Talk About Failure. While getting a failing mark on a test or a project can be a blow to a child’s self-esteem and confidence, in the overall learning process, failing a test or a project can be a valuable lesson for students. In school and life, setbacks happen. When they do, they also present opportunities to explore different options, try new paths, and implement new strategies. Knowing that failure is a normal part of the learning process is key to a positive learning attitude. While the idea of failing can seem scary, it helps students develop learning skills, boost their determination, and build self-esteem and confidence.
- Emphasize Self-Reliance. When students feel proud of themselves and competent while learning, they no longer look to their parent or their teacher for help. Self-reliance helps children trust the work they do and justify their own mathematical thinking. Encourage children to work on completing math problems on their own and explain how and why they got to the answer. Being self-reliant allows children to be motivated from within themselves and manage their studies.
Boost Math Confidence with Tutoring
When it comes to math, not every child learns at the same rate as everyone else. Because math is sequential, with each skill building on the one previous, it’s important to have a strong understanding of a skill before moving on to learn a new one. Unfortunately, not every child fully grasps a concept before the class moves on to a new unit. This leads to skill gaps, which can greatly impact math confidence. GradePower Learning’s math tutors help students of all ages fill in skill gaps, practice their new skills, and develop reliable math confidence. Contact a GradePower Learning near you to enroll your child.
