Three Factors For Success

In my time doing and tutoring maths, I have found that for a student to be successful, three basic factors are crucial. These are:

1) knowledge (of facts and methods),

2) understanding (of these facts and methods), and

3) confidence (in using the knowledge and understanding).

If any one of these three is lacking, it is very hard to be good at maths: and without being good at maths, it is very hard to pass exams in it. During the learning process, if a student`s knowledge and understanding are not at a good level, then they will struggle to answer questions correctly, which will in turn make the student less confident. And once confidence is lost, it is easy for the knowledge and understanding to fall even further behind.

My approach to tutoring, while being flexible enough to adapt to the needs of each individual, will normally focus on first making sure that a solid foundation of knowledge and understanding is in place. Once knowledge and understanding starts to build, the student is given the opportunity to use it to successfully tackle problems. In this way, confidence grows and the student is moving along the path to success in maths.