Homeschool World Forum

Cramming probably won't help, though, with or without a tutor. You'll just have to expect low scores on the ITBS this time around. Is the problem that she doesn't understand the concepts, or that she doesn't remember the concepts? If the latter, she'll probably do all right in self-study as long as you use a curriculum that regularly revisits previous concepts, such as Saxon. If the former, you could try math videos/DVDs, which often do a lot better than textbooks at getting the idea across. This method is a lot cheaper than tutoring as well, since you can rent the DVDs you need rather than buying them:

http://www.familypass.com
(do a search for "Standard Deviants math")

EDIT: Sadly, Family Pass is no longer in operation.

A great site for math resources is

http://illuminations.nctm.org/WebLinks.aspx

You can choose by strand. You can even download some of the applets on your computer for use offline.

Saxon is nice if you buy the additional "answer guide" that shows where to get the right answer. When my mom got into math I didn't understand she used that to help me find the right answer. As for the price - MINDsprinting isn't that expensive! But it has a really nice free assesment test. I've heard there's a deal with HSDL, but I'm not sure what it is.

There is no one solution solves it all. Before you should start (though you probably already did so) on a solution path you need to diagnose the reasons for her math problems, or lack of knowledge. The reasons can be numerous: 1. She just didn't learn those things. 2. Partial knowledge resulting in too large gaps. 3. Lack of understanding of concepts. 4. Lack of technical skills. 5. Lack of practice (resulting in any of the above). 6. Mental block.

I have assumed she has no learning problems since you would have mentioned those.

The solution and approach that should be taken, as well as the material to use would depend on where her problems lie. I'd be happy to help you more if you provide me with more information. You can see how I approach teaching Math on my website.

Good Luck!
Moti

Debby,

Please take a look at http://www.ziizoo.com for all levels of Math help.There are tons of really smart tutors online from schools like Stanford and Harvard and a bunch of them even tutor for free.

We use this site http://www.conquermaths.com/

I can´t say enough good things about them. Learning maths has been a breeze and very enjoyable for my 2 boys. The whole high school course is covered. Honestly it is fantastic.
Even if you decide not to subscibe, make use of the 16 free lessons!

We have Scholastic Explains Math Homework,
and find that a brief look at a page or two is all it takes to make sense of things and provide some additional tips to success.

Hello eeyore6067

I can help online. Just post your questions to me. Or go to my website. I was a primary schoolteacher from Singapore.

Chin Lau