Elementary Math Grades 3-6
When I pursued my Masters in Math education, one of the things that I clearly remember learning from research is how students begin to get behind in Math in Elementary school.
Math is a continuous building from Grades 1-12 and when a child is behind in say Grade 3, this must be addressed or this weakness will carry over to 4th Grade, and on and on unfortunately.
This is why tutors are really needed! They help struggling students to express their questions which can make a big difference! Students sometimes don't feel comfortable asking questions to the teacher but they might feel comfortable asking a tutor. This is huge!
I have used several Elementary School curriculums such as Singapore Math, EnVision Math, and GoMath. Whatever curriculum a student is using, I help them to do well in their current curriculum. I try not to confuse a child and teach then a different way of doing something in Math than they are learning in class. (Unless the method the student is using is wrong!)
I like students to take an IXL Math Diagnostic test to see what their Math strengths and weaknesses are. Then we can come up with a plan to help them grow. I love to see their progress over time which leads to Math confidence!
I like to have students try Math games and puzzles that expand their thinking. I think it's important for students to connect Math to the real world and gain an appreciation of Math in real-life. To do this, I try to give a student relatable practice problems connected with their interests.
Elementary students need to grow in their Mental Math too. This helps them to build their confidence! They may not have memorized 8 x 12 but they need to know it's equal to 8 x 11 + 8.
I believe in homework but it should be quality over quantity! Students need to revisit what they are learning and make sure they get it. If not, they need to ask the teacher a question the next day. But too many homework problems can cause a child to give up and not want to do Homework. Also, there may be so many questions in the class that the student didn't get to ask their question.
Here's a video of Mr. G using visuals to help students understand fractions:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiEUcgyhIBo&t=205s