Let’s Understand the Problem; then we can solve it
From 1,2,3 through the most complex trigonometry and calculus, you’ve got to understand the problem before you solve it. Understanding the problem becomes more important as kids progress. This is especially true for the SAT Math sections, which ask the student to apply more than one skill to solve problems. Even first grade arithmetic involves some reading.
That’s where a skilled math coach comes in; I spend as much time coaching students to understand what the problem is asking and how to set up a solution as I do teaching the skills in arithmetic, algebra, geometry or trig needed to solve the problem.
Using all your brain
Along the way I trained in the Orton-Gillingham approach to learning. Developed to teach literacy, it is very effective for math because it teaches kids to use the entire brain to learn, with a multisensory approach: visual, auditory, and kinesthetic.
Without exception my math students have made impressive gains in skill mastery, grade-level performance, and test scores.