When students sit down to take the TIMSS exam [a mathematics and science test given to elementary and junior high students around the world], they also have to fill out a questionnaire. … it is so tedious and demanding that many students leave as many as ten or twenty questions blank. Now, here’s the interesting part. … countries whose students are willing to concentrate and sit still long enough and focus on answering every single question in an endless questionnaire are the same countries whose students do the best job of solving math problems. … [Erling] Boe’s point is that we could predict precisely the order in which every country would finish in the Math Olympics without asking a single math question. All we would have to do is give them some task measuring how hard they were willing to work.
School classrooms can be exceedingly difficult places in which to learn mathematics well.
Teachers vary in passion and ability (as is natural); class behaviour and attitudes (and bullying) can alter the learning environment radically; learning in a large group at the same speed and with little opportunity to receive one-on-one help leads to boredom or frustration for many/most students; textbooks vary in quality and frequently lack stimulating material (because publishers restrict the size of the books); and sometimes students are negatively influenced by parents and peers who share their own bad experiences or attitudes.
Home educators, too, often feel that they lack sufficient understanding to teach their children mathematics … and the resources that they have access to can sometimes be bland, unstimulating, and even poorly explained or constructed.
My wife and I home educated our daughter and I have taught and tutored mathematics for many years. I am aware of the difficulties listed above and have often been asked by students and parents to create a website to share my understanding and resources with others. Crystal Clear Mathematics is the result.
Because this medium is not interactive (in the sense of allowing immediate interaction between you and me) I cannot provide the quality of tutition that I would like to offer you … but I hope you find the videos and the supporting files to be useful none-the-less.
This website and its associated FaceBook page and YouTube channel were all launched on Tuesday 20 November 2012.
You, sir, are the best teacher I’ve ever known in my life. You made maths the most interesting subject for me. I really can’t express my gratitude in words for your amazing teaching!! I never knew integration could be so easy! You are the reason why I excel at all my tests.
Thank you very much for these videos sir …
Sahil D (on a CCM YouTube video explaining How to Integrate With Speed ~ Recognise and Use ‘Integration by Parts’ Pattern )
