There are two parts to my lesson; concepts explanation and problem solving.
I prefer to first go through the first principles and derivations behind the formulas andequations before giving them the numerical examples. Many new concepts are introduced to students during secondary 3 and 4. Instead of memorising and regurgitating the formulas blinding, I put emphasis on the understanding and derivative of the formula. Only when students understand, then can they remember. This is also the key to be able to solve application questions – which constitutes a heavy part in "O" Levels examination.
The second part of my lesson is problem solving. It is a well known fact that practice is the road to 'A' for the subject. What is the most effective way to master the subject? It's not only about paying attention to the teacher. It's not about only about being hardworking. It's not about staring at the formulas for hours, trying to make sense of them.
The only way to see through these formulas and solve challenging questions is through experience.
You must practice many questions. Questions of different nature. While you practice, you will realize that there is a pattern to the way the questions are set. You may also realize that there is a pattern to the way questions should be solved. You must digest the extra questions that I will be giving you at the end of every lesson.
It's very important that you make homework part of your daily routine, and that you study the worked solutions. Believe me, they are truly excellent solutions, not cookie-cut and dry. They give you a lot of background. Through this experience, then the concepts will sink in naturally.
I will test you! You will have a 15 minutes quiz after each lesson. You will learn how to perform under stress, under exam condition. Most importantly, I will make sure you improve. When I give my test review, I will highlight the concepts again. You will discover your weakness and improve. Eventually you will realise that every problem I have given you is extremely simple. Conceptually, they were not so simple. But from a math point of view, they are trivial. I have made it sound so easy, but when you are trying to do it, it's going to be crazy. But you are not alone. The initial phase is always difficult, but the path will get smoother gradually, sooner than you can realise.
I will do the difficult part for you. All concepts that you need to know for a topic will be summarized into a ONE page overview. After grasping the concepts, the real challenge will begin. Practice is essential. We need to practise using the concepts. When I say practice, it is not just about doing many many questions. It is really about doing the RIGHT questions. Questions are carefully selected foryou so that you do not practise blindly. Through practising, we will also study the anatomy of questions set. Once we master this unique skill, the secrets of difficult questions will be revealed automatically. You will be smiling when you sit for any exams ever..
Afteryears of tutoring, I've come to realise that there are no weak students; theyjust need to study the correct way. And I will show them the tried and testedmethod. It's really this simple to get an A for Math.