In a short interview about tutoring at the Online Math Center, math tutor, Veronika Starodub, majoring in mathematics and economics speaks about her passion for teaching math. What makes teaching math so enjoyable? Turning it into an experience of holistic development by encouraging students through the entire educational process.
What are the teaching strategies that our tutors favor?
The best strategy is not to repeat the same algorithm in order to solve multiple problems, but for the students to understand at a deeper level the mechanism of the algorithm or the solution. The main purpose of teaching mathematics is to teach students how to think. Acquiring logical thinking will help children solve math problems and other topics automatically.
What is the evaluation system?
At the OMC, some math tutors do not use the grading system because a grade can be misleading in the actual knowledge a student has. Therefore, through the observation of the way in which students choose to solve problems, we can more accurately determine if the student understands. We also pay attention to how the student feels about tackling a problem and whether they are confident or not. Sometimes, students have the knowledge, but because of fear, they won’t get to the right solution. It’s important for our math tutors to instill confidence in students.
How do we approach shy and struggling students online?
By using associative learning and mathematical deduction, we can apply useful practical real-life problems so that they can understand and feel comfortable. We first concentrate on understanding the problem at a smaller scale, and then, gradually, we complicate the problem.
What role plays the parent in online learning?
At the OMC, we keep continuous and open communication with the parents, because they know children better and can notify us about the struggles of the child. They can also contact the math tutor anytime in order to check on the progress of the student and ask for reports. It is essential for math tutors to discuss with parents, so we can acquire a psychological connection with the child since parents can help us understand the student better.
How can math learning become exciting for the student?
Often, students are tired or bored, so keeping them focused on the lessons can be challenging. Luckily, at the OMC, we have young math tutors who can connect with students at a deeper level, and understand their mood swings. If math is perceived as boring, we use games and jokes to entertain the children and boost their morale. Also, the students are more comfortable with young math tutors because they don’t feel judged, or daunted by authority.
What is one of the inspiring math tutoring stories?
We are proud of all our students because we see development in each one of them. Veronika remembers a student that she tutored since first grade. She managed by third grade to explore and solve math problems of higher grades, so seeing that amazing progress and being part of that journey as a math tutor is a wonderful experience. It’s a huge achievement to teach a student from 0 and see them master mathematics.
What are the different levels we tackle at OMC?
Veronika Starodub is a math tutor with vast experience so she can provide math lessons to children of all grades and even up to the college level since she is a professor assistant in mathematics and statistics. At the Online Math Center, we specifically offer math lessons to middle-grade students and individual tutoring for math competitions.
Mathematical education is vital, not because we learn algorithms and theorems, but because we learn how to think in a critical and logical way. We teach a skill that is used in all areas of life. The ability to solve real-life problems comes from a deep understanding of complex mathematical problems.
Reach out to us to begin your math learning experience at the Online Math Center!
