Chapters
- 01. How to engage with students as an online tutor for Maths?
- 02. How to develop the right online teaching materials as a Maths tutor?
- 03. What are the ways to help students understand Mathematical questions?
- 04. Why should you teach Maths online?
- 05. What is the best way to become a Maths online tutor?
Online classes are now the new normal that everyone is embracing worldwide. Anyone can learn and teach, anywhere and anytime according to their plans. In Malaysia, there is also an increase in demand for private tutoring especially online tutors when most students have no choice but to stay indoors for their lessons.
If you have a passion for Mathematics and teaching, you should certainly consider being a Maths online tutor to unleash your potential and help various students to experience the joy of mastering Mathematics at the comfort of their homes.
Click here to find out where to find Math tutors in Georgetown and Alor Star.
How to engage with students as an online tutor for Maths?
If you are a beginner in online tutoring, here are some ways you can apply to teach Maths effectively.
a) Optimizing various visuals and drawings in your teaching
Mathematics is more than just a subject about numbers. It is also about pattern recognition, interpreting diagrams and shapes and even sketching lines and graphs that have significant meanings in our everyday life. For instance, by using illustrations of different shapes to explain the concept of geometry and algebra, your students can easily identify different angles of a cone.
Let's say there is a question that requires a student to determine the volume of a cone. Even though certain figures are given in the question, it would certainly be helpful if you use a simple drawing to have a more accurate calculation. Drawing out the diagram of a cone will enable students to recognize the radius, length and height of the given shape.
Source: Photo by cottonbro from Pexels
b) Question and answering sessions
One of the benefits of private tutoring is the fact that you can give undivided attention to your students between lessons. Your students do not need to worry about waiting for the right time to ask you questions and they are less likely to feel embarrassed when you are the only one in front of the screen. Students are also more likely to feel motivated during online classes, as they feel more responsible as they are the ones who get to regulate their studying and learning styles with their tutors online.
c) Grading online
Most of the time, Maths assessments or test grading are done separately after lessons. Through online tutoring, you can actually mark the exercises that were done by your students within the lessons. This will motivate them to do better and also to pay attention to the details of the grading as you explain why you give them certain marks for their answers. They are also likely to remember what went right and what went wrong as they watch how you grade their answers.
How to develop the right online teaching materials as a Maths tutor?
Let's say you are planning to teach the SPM Modern Mathematics subject as an online Maths tutor. Here are some actions that you should take before your start your first lesson.
1. Review the syllabus and examination format of the Maths subject that your student is currently taking
Be sure to go through the updated KSSM syllabus that includes all chapters from the Form 4 and Form 5 textbooks. As you plan your lessons, remember to cover all the chapters explaining the core concepts, showing sample questions and providing relevant examples alongside the latest SPM format.
Form 4 SPM Mathematics chapters
- Quadratic Functions & Equations in One Variable
- Number Bases
- Logical Reasoning
- Operations on Set
- Network in Graph Theory
- Linear Inequalities in Two Variables
- Graphs of Motion
- Measures of Dispersion for Ungrouped Daya
- Probability of Combined Events
- Consumer Mathematics: Financial Management
Form 5 SPM Mathematics chapters
- Variation
- Matrices
- Consumer Mathematics: Insurance
- Consumer Mathematics: Tax
- Congruency, Enlargement and Combined Transformation
- Ratio and Graphs of Trigonometric Functions
- Measures of Dispersion for Grouped Data
- Mathematical Modelling
2. Assess the student's real comprehension of the topic that you plan to teach for the lesson
Explain to your student the real need of testing their basic understanding of certain topics before going deep into the chapter that you intend to teach. For instance, before starting a lesson on Linear Inequalities in Two Variable (Chapter 6, Form 4), you can perhaps give your student a simple assessment in the form of handouts on basic linear equations.
Think of it as a win-win situation. If your student performs well for the assessment, he/she will gain confidence as he/she learn. If not, your student can also realise his/her mistakes or confusion about the topic and you can step in to clarify them first before you proceed.
3. Using a physical/online whiteboard for collaborative learning
Remember that interaction and clarity are two very important elements to ensure that your students make the best out of their online lessons. For a subject like Mathematics, it is essential for your students to look at how you solve the Mathematical questions step by step and also be directly involved when answering questions.
What you can do is get a medium-sized whiteboard and write down important things for your students to take note of while the lesson is on. Another way is to use online whiteboard tools that are available on the Internet such as Hey Hi Whiteboard to allow students to also insert images, files and even diagrams during the lessons.
Source: Photo by Vanessa Garcia from Pexels
What are the ways to help students understand Mathematical questions?
Remember that your role as a Maths tutor is more than just repeating and copying what is in the textbooks or sample questions, but also to enable your students to experience the joy of doing Maths. This can only be achieved when your students really comprehend what is taught during your lessons.
Here are some tips that you can refer to as you begin your lessons:
1. Establish a clear foundation or definition of a Math concept from the beginning
Confusion is something that you want to avoid when you are teaching. What you can do is list down a few formulas or Mathematics statements that you will constantly use during the lesson at the start of the class. For instance, if you are teaching about volume and surface areas of shape, you can list down the formulas below:
i. Volume of pyramid = 1/3 x base area x height
ii. Volume of prism = area of cross-section x height
2. Don't spoonfeed them with answers, but let them work out their steps first
Let your students know that it is absolutely okay to not get answers immediately at one try. Show them various examples and alternatives to solve the questions using the given concept without telling them the answer or asking them to "memorize" what you have written blindly.
Why should you teach Maths online?
a) Flexible time, income and cost-effective in the long run
Distance learning has always been encouraged even before the pandemic happened. As long as you have the relevant mobile devices and a strong Internet connection, you can always plan your online lessons effectively. As a Maths online tutor, you can decide how many days per week you want to teach, the number of hours per day, the number of students, as well as the number of subjects you intend to teach. This means you can also decide your own hourly or weekly rate of Maths tutoring.
If you decide to teach online, you can expand your sphere of teaching not just in Malaysia, but also to students from all across the globe. You can also save the cost for transportation, renting a place, and additional expenses of registering with a tuition centre.
b) Easy to connect with students
A recent article from The Guardian reported that one of the greatest challenges that Mathematics teachers and tutors face is to instil the love of Mathematics among students. Most of the time, students have the tendency to feel disconnected from the learning of Mathematics because they are always rushing to learn all the syllabus without having a deep understanding of the subject.
Through online lessons, you can have the time to really get your points across and your students will also find easier to directly communicate with you.
Source: Photo by August de Richelieu from Pexels
What is the best way to become a Maths online tutor?
The question that you might have now is where should you start to find students to teach Maths and how can you kickstart your venture as an online tutor successfully. Fret not, as we have the perfect solution for you!
We highly recommend that you create a tutoring profile with an established and reliable tutoring learning platform, which is SUPERPROF!
Why Superprof?
Firstly, it is a platform that directly pairs tutors and students according to the subject and location that they prefer to teach and learn from. Secondly, it is RISK and COMMISSION FREE! It is not only free to create a tutoring profile, but you also get to keep 100% of your earnings as a Maths tutor. Thirdly, you do not need to have high qualifications to start tutoring Mathematics with Superprof. You can still tutor even if you are a student!
Becoming an online Maths tutor is no longer an impossible dream as long as you are willing to take the necessary steps to equip yourself and also promote your tutoring services effectively with a reputable tutoring platform like Superprof!
Sign up as a Maths tutor today!
The platform that connects tutors and students
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