Approach

Math is a language.  To use it well, we have to be fluent.  As with spoken languages, it is not enough to learn in a classroom.  We need to really use it to become fluent. I encourage families to join in the learning fun - rolling dice to create math problems, playing games (UNO, Yahztee, Cribbage, Scrabble), telling the time on digital and analog clocks, and pulling the change out of pockets to be counted.

I aim for hour-long, weekly sessions to keep knowledge fresh.  The first four to six weeks tend to be slow-going while we focus on fundamentals.  Once fundamentals are mastered, we will repeat each new process until mastery.  Once we catch up to class, we will work on skills current to what they are learning - often in advance so that class time becomes review.  Finally, we will work on natural extensions to prepare for future grades and to create general fluency.

The best way for me to understand why something went wrong is to see where it went wrong.  Did your student lose track halfway through or add something in?  This is where you, parent or guardian, come in: send a photograph or scan of your student's marked work so I can see what's happening.