When this primary school student enrolled with First Class Learning he was struggling at maths and was not confident in his abilities. An individualised programme was devised to suit his needs and, working for just 10 minutes a day, after 18 months work, this student had progressed from a lower D to an A level grade. His confidence was restored and he was ready to tackle maths concepts that were new to him.
The FCL programme is designed to ensure maths concepts are thoroughly explored. This is one of the keys to success in maths — having a solid fluency in the foundational maths skills that are taught in primary school. Students need sufficient practice at the different basic skills in order to have the confidence needed to tackle the more complex ideas. Often they lack the necessary fluency and feel that they are “no good at maths”.
Maths skills build one on top of the other starting with addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. It is only when the core skills are sufficiently secure that the student can proceed on to more complex computation in fractions, decimals, percentages, and algebra. Mastering maths is similar to mastering the piano: the growth of each skill is gradual and cumulative, each new improvement being built upon earlier achievements.
Feeling confident at these central skills means students are not afraid to meet the more complex mathematical ideas. To acquire this competency needs practice — the same as practice in music, sport, languages, or reading. The key is “little and often” — important information is repeated in a cycle and can be accurately repeated by the student.
If you are wondering about your own child’s ability at maths you can book an assessment to see just where his/her strengths are and to highlight any areas that need more work.
FCL also runs a simple and comprehensive programme to help students with English.
FCL Galway has centres open in Oranmore and Salthill. Ring Frank Murphy PhD on (091 ) 635678 or (086 ) 3724617 to reserve your assessment now.
