Math Help 7th Grade Pre-Algebra - Teachers Need to Focus on Math Help

Math Help 7th Grade Pre-Algebra - Teachers Need to Focus on Math HelpI've been a math teacher for about five years now, and over that time I've found that I still struggle with the math help 7th grade students get in pre-algebra. While I have some excellent teachers who really know how to help students learn this subject, there are times when they seem to focus more on the test taking and less on helping students learn.Pre-algebra is not that difficult, but it can be challenging for students. It can be helpful to have a math teacher who will focus on math help rather than get involved in what students are doing. You don't want your math teacher to constantly be explaining why something isn't working for the students, but you also want them to make sure that you understand the concepts and can easily apply them to your homework.The issue that I have is that many teachers go to pre-algebra and spend most of their time showing and explaining how to do problems, rather than focusing on m ath help. They will talk about the steps to completing the problem and how to use the answers to solve the problem. But when it comes to solving the problem themselves, many students don't even know what questions to ask, or what types of problems to ask. Many times this is because teachers have a negative attitude towards math and will focus too much on students' homework rather than on how to teach students to do their own work.I believe that if we are going to start to address math help in pre-algebra we need to focus on helping students develop the skills to do their own work rather than on lecturing them about it. The best way to help students do their homework is to give them the right tools and resources to make the work easier and more enjoyable. Unfortunately most teachers are very conservative and only use ancillary tools when teaching math, instead of giving the students the tools that will help them learn more efficiently.There are three tools that I would recommend that all teachers should use for students, rather than giving them any type of a 'helpful tools' lesson. These tools have nothing to do with your test scores or a promotion at the end of the year. I'm talking about teaching students to ask questions, and building their self-confidence through project work.The first tool is to give students problems and homework and to give them a deadline to finish. Why do you want students to finish their homework? Why should students pay attention to their homework? If you can show students that by finishing their homework they will be rewarded, they will be more likely to complete it and they will probably learn faster.Second, you should give students multiple choices for solving problems. When students are struggling with a math problem, they have many different solutions to choose from. Don't make them choose just one option, allow them many options so that they can be as creative as possible with their solution.Last, if you are asking students to complete homework for a test then you need to use some type of math help. Get your students to use math projects and other types of tools to help them learn math. Students need to know the answers before the test day, so make sure that they know that before the test, but use math projects and other tools to give them practice problems and practice answers in advance of the test.