Zero enlightenment in mathematics, how does an ordinary child change after six years of primary school life?

My son is now in the first grade of junior high school and is the math class representative in his class. Mathematics is his favorite subject. In math class, the teacher sometimes asked him to stand on the podium and give lectures to the students. In his spare time, he also studies mathematical problems. When he talks about mathematics, he lights up. He did not learn mathematics in advance, and he is not currently taking any mathematics tutoring classes. However, his mathematics learning status is the best. Even the teacher said that he loves mathematics deeply. However, in the lower grades of elementary school, math was his least favorite subject. Maybe because I didn’t do any mathematics enlightenment in kindergarten, so when my children entered first grade, they struggled to learn mathematics. The scene when I tutored math homework is still vivid in my mind: the child was playing with the rubber irritably, and I stared at him angrily… The air was always filled with the smell of gunpowder smoke. The child later told me that when he first sat in the math classroom in first grade, he felt that he could not learn math well and was very frustrated. How did this magical, huge transformation from not liking mathematics to liking mathematics happen? Looking back on my son\’s six years of mathematics learning, although he is an ordinary child without extraordinary IQ, he can learn mathematics well by setting reasonable goals and finding suitable methods. I believe that my son’s experience can inspire everyone, and I hope to help more children learn mathematics well, or at least achieve varying degrees of improvement. Setting reasonable goals is easily overlooked by parents, but it is the most important. When my children first entered elementary school, I held a lot of expectations and visions, dreaming that my children would be excellent in all subjects. Later, when I saw that his math scores were not good, I was frustrated and confused, and I also looked forward to helping him improve his scores quickly through tutoring classes. When I saw some children around me taking Mathematical Olympiad classes, I thought carefully about it for a long time and felt that it was not suitable for them, so I should not blindly follow the trend. The goal I set for him is to understand the mathematics in class and achieve average grades. This goal is based on the child\’s current level. If the goal is set too high, the child will inevitably give up because he cannot reach the goal. If it is set too low, it will not be able to promote the child\’s progress. Under the guidance of this goal, we did not sign up for math tutoring classes from the first to the second grade. We just completed school homework seriously and asked me questions we didn\’t understand at ordinary times. However, he has always struggled to learn. I\’m also a little anxious. The turning point in finding the right approach occurred in the second semester of my sophomore year. I enrolled my child in an online tutoring class to improve mathematical thinking skills. There is only one class a week and it is not very intensive. Moreover, the teacher is very interesting and can explain complex mathematical problems in a simple and clear way. The child learned step by step in this way, and his interest in mathematics gradually increased. I think the biggest gain in this tutoring class is that I learned three good methods. 01Drawing method Teachers always draw pictures when giving lectures. Sometimes problems that are not easy to understand can be easily understood by drawing pictures. For example, line segment graphs are useful for solving multiples and course problems. The drawing method is also useful for solving chicken and rabbit problems. After learning this method, when I explain math problems to my children, I alsoMuch easier. 02 Little Teacher Method (Feynman Learning Method) The teacher encourages the children to be little teachers and explain the problems to their parents after each class. In fact, this is the Feynman learning method. I posted a whiteboard on the wall, and I would sit upright and listen carefully to the children while they were drawing pictures and talking about math problems. When his speech was not good, we would encourage him to organize his thoughts and continue telling us. Gradually, the habit developed and the child enjoyed being a little teacher very much. 03 Contact Life Method For children, some mathematical concepts may be difficult to understand when they first come into contact with them. For example, the concept of fractions. If it is connected with life and the batch method is used, it will be much easier to understand. If a pizza is cut in half, one half becomes one half. Similarly, the concept of decimals is also difficult to understand. When taking your children to the supermarket, you can let them observe the prices of the products (usually in decimals) and compare which one is cheaper. The child has attended this tutoring class for two and a half years, and his math scores have improved to a certain extent. Every time I take a test in the tutoring class, I get more than 90 points. But the results in the school exams were mediocre. I\’m confused and don\’t know where the problem lies. After observation and analysis, I found that there are very few test questions in the tutoring class and the children can get them right. However, the school exams have a large amount of questions and a lot of calculations, so it is easy to lose points. I also found several problems: poor grasp of concepts, insufficient proficiency, lack of computing skills, etc. When I usually tutor my children, I will help them practice in a targeted manner. For example, we use Xiaoyuankou arithmetic to practice calculations and only do ten questions at a time. Children love this gamified learning method. Although I am not obsessed with high scores, why should I help my children improve their scores? Because, I found that if a child improves his grades through hard work, his self-efficacy will increase. When he thinks he has the ability to learn mathematics well, he is more willing to learn it. The arrival of the double-cut period Later, with the promulgation of the double-cut policy, school homework was reduced. The tutoring class has also changed its format and we will no longer sign up. Homework is reduced, which brings huge benefits to the children. First, he has more time to understand and absorb the knowledge he has learned. He can slow down and understand each question carefully instead of working hard to solve the questions. We do not agree with answering questions simply and crudely. As mentioned in \”Deliberate Practice\”, naive practice is basically just doing something repeatedly, and hoping that just by relying on that repetition, you can improve your performance and level. In fact, you cannot improve by repeatedly brushing up on the questions you already know how to do. Secondly, he has more time to play. Because I studied the book \”Self-Control\” in the Anxiety-Free Parents Club, I learned that self-control is limited and I need to relax and rest. The child spent a day at school and had to do homework when he got home. His self-control was almost exhausted. If you have to do homework after finishing your homework, your child will be in bad shape. So, after finishing his homework, I let him play freely, and he was very happy. On the other hand, after I stopped attending the tutoring class, I was quite anxious at first. I still check my kids’ math homework. But gradually, he didn\’t want to let me check anymore. Learning to let go and not help my children check their homework is a huge benefit to metest. This meant I had to give up part of my sense of control and security. What supported me was what Teacher Jing Fang wrote in \”Children, may you be brave throughout your life and have light in your heart\”: Believe in the power of belief. You must unconditionally believe that your child is willing to learn and can learn well, and that he will grow up through self-motivation sooner or later. Before that, accompany him through all the difficult times and help him find the power of self-confidence. Letting go doesn\’t mean letting things go. During this time, I will still accompany my child to learn mathematics, but I will always wait for him to come to me on his own initiative. We will analyze the errors together and find specific problems, such as: poor grasp of concepts, insufficient proficiency, etc. Then, we will practice in a targeted manner. In fact, this is the purposeful practice mentioned in \”Deliberate Practice\”. Purposeful practice requires stepping out of your comfort zone, practicing with focus, and having clear goals and feedback. The effect of this is very good, and the children\’s grades have improved. One thing to remind is that after letting go, parents should accept their children\’s scores that fluctuate up and down. You can\’t take back control as soon as you see your child\’s score drop. Parents should encourage their children more, help them analyze each test paper, find problems early, and make targeted improvements. Sixth Graders with Stable Achievements By the time children enter sixth grade, their math scores are relatively stable. He has developed good study habits, such as listening attentively in class, doing homework carefully, and understanding all the topics he does not understand. Moreover, he has built up his confidence in mathematics learning. At this time, I no longer care about his mathematics study. But if he had questions that he didn’t understand, he would still take the initiative to ask me. At this time, I turned my focus to cultivating his self-learning ability. During the winter and summer vacations, many children are attending tutoring classes to learn new knowledge for the next semester in advance. I didn\’t sign him up for a tutoring class, but encouraged him to read books on his own to preview. He read more slowly, and I didn\’t force him to read as much as he could. The child\’s math scores gradually became the top ones in the class. In the graduation exam, he scored 95 points. We are all very satisfied with this result. After all, he didn\’t spend any extra time except studying at school and completing his homework seriously. Looking back on these six years of mathematics learning, we have done some things wrong. For example, there is no mathematical enlightenment, and in the lower grades of primary school, the children\’s difficulties in learning mathematics are not understood. However, fortunately, we found the right direction and established reasonable goals. Moreover, it helps children develop good study habits, necessary mathematical thinking skills, suitable learning methods and protects children\’s interest in mathematics learning. Of course, parents’ encouragement and companionship are also essential, and this is also a process of gradually letting go. I believe that with the right method, every child can learn mathematics well. In fact, it is the same not only for learning mathematics, but also for learning other subjects and even hobbies. Parents should carefully observe and explore their children\’s passion, protect their children\’s interest in learning, and over time, they will see good results.