by Chuck Summers | Aug 31, 2015 | Math
I think most of us tend to look at the success of others and think, “Well, they are just talented.” I could never do what he does ”. How is it that the Michael Jordans, the Steve Jobs, the Tiger Woods of this world are so extremely successful at what they do, while a lot of others languish in mediocrity?
There has been a lot of research in this area in the last few decades, so the answer is not a mystery. The common view is that one person succeeds because of some innate ability they were born with, and unless you are born with that ability, you are not going to be as successful as they are. In a book titled, ‘Talent is Overrated’ Jeff Colvin outlines the key to achieving greatness: specific practice over time. It is not the practice that most of us do when we hit a few balls on the driving range, it is focused guided practice that has as it’s goal improvement in a specific area.
Key to this focus is feedback. It is necessary to receive feedback as quickly as possible as you practice. It is exceptionally helpful if you have a teacher, a parent, a mentor, or tutor who can help you see where you are failing. It is not necessarily 24/7 focus, but a couple of hours a day every day over time can make you exceptional in whatever you are working towards. Note that failure is necessary if you are working towards improvement in anything: it means you are pushing the edge of your capabilities and will grow as a result.
Most of us have a model of learning that limits our capabilities. We view our brain like a big box that can only hold so much. We are afraid that when we learn something that is not useful to us at a future date that we are taking up valuable space that we will need at a later date. Your brain is not in danger of getting full. The more connections you make, the better you are able to learn new ideas and make new connections. It has been shown that learning a new language helps in learning other things as well. Learning the much maligned quadratic equation (especially it derivation) helps your brain with the discipline of learning in general. When you memorize a poem or even memorize baseball statistics, it helps your brain learn to learn, and that is what you want to improve. Mental games that you can use when you are bored or driving can help your ability to focus. The ability to learn can be improved with practice, but if you don’t practice your brain will become lazy.
At MaThCliX, our goal is not simply to help you get good grades, but to help guide you towards exceptional results in math and in your life. If you come in and do your homework, get some encouragement and leave, then you are not taking advantage fully of what can really help you. Instead of being happy with just what is assigned, ask us to guide you to what the next step would be to improve your abilities and disciplines.
We have access to the curriculum of most students in our area and can help with more focused practice in areas you want to improve and once you have mastered a topic, we can show you what is next and help you excel. Don’t be afraid to learn something new and difficult: that is how you stretch your mind and disciplines.
The principle of focused practice over time works in every area of your life and can help you become the best you can be in the areas you are called to be successful.
by Chuck Summers | Jun 29, 2015 | Math, Teaching and Learning
The ideas expressed in this blog are certainly not new or original to me. I would like to give credit to Chris Brady, CEO of Life Leadership for these ideas.
I am an electrical engineer by training and practice. I know a lot about circuit design, digital signal processing and software design. One thing I was never taught in school, or as an engineer, however, is what Chris Brady calls the “checkpoint race”.
A checkpoint race requires participants to pass certain checkpoints in order to proceed in the race. There are no short cuts: every checkpoint has to be passed.
At MaThCliX®, we must meet certain checkpoints if we are to be successful tutors. Those three checkpoints are 1) Make a friend, 2) Find a need, 3) Meet that need.
To be effective as a tutor, I have to convey to the student that I truly care for them as a person. This cannot be faked. If you do not have a sincere concern for the well-being and success of your students, you either need to find a way to develop it or quit tutoring, because you will not have much success as a teacher and may, in fact, do more harm than good. There is saying that applies here: “They won’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”
One way of approaching this is to view a problem a student may have as a common problem, one in which you are working together to solve. At MaThCliX®, we first demonstrate how to solve the problem, then solve the problem with student, then let them solve one by independently. We are not there to show the student how much we know, but rather listen with humility to discern what problems they are having.
Listening is somewhat of a lost art. You will be amazed at how much more effectively you will become at helping students when you master this skill. When you listen carefully you can pick up on seemingly unrelated things that will greatly impact a students comprehension.
An extension of the quote above goes like this, “They don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care, but then you had better know something! ” At this point the student is ready to hear.
Finding the need is important because we don’t won’t to help the student with a problem they don’t have. This is an area I struggle with because there are areas of math that I get really excited about. It is real easy and enjoyable for me to spend time talking about those things, but I have to work hard to find their problems or concerns and not my own.
Once the needs are identified, we use multiple techniques geared to a student’s learning style to help the student understand solutions that they can embrace. Of course, you know their learning style because you have been actively listening and picking up on their visual and auditory cues (part of making a friend).
These three steps or checkpoints are applicable to a host of other endeavors and are the basis for successful sales and leadership. You may not realize it, but anytime you are trying to get your point across, you are selling and influencing. So, every time you interact with a student you should make a friend, find a need, and help them solve a problem.
by Chuck Summers | May 2, 2015 | Math
Slow and Steady…
While aptitude may have something to do with your success in math, hard work and perserverance trumps any natural ability that you may have. There is a principle called the slight edge that teaches that idea in a big way.
Simply put, the slight edge says that with small incremental advances over time, you can achieve huge results. It also says that if you put in a little more effort daily than the average student in practicing math, you will be many times better than they are over time.
Say, for instance, your friend who is awesome at math, spends only 15 minutes a day on his math homework and none on practicing previously learned material. You, on the other hand, take longer to do homework, BUT you spend 15-30 minutes every day practicing what you have learned, and you will soon find that you will surpass your friend in math awesomeness.
This principle applies to everything you want to have success in. For example, if you only read 1 minute of night in a particular subject, you will have read 8000 words in a school year, while if you read 20 minutes a day, you will have read 1,800,000 words! That is a huge difference, and you will be becoming an expert in that field. Studies have shown that students who read every day for 20 minutes will have larger vocabularies, and much more success in school and life assuming the subjects are positive and practical.
Regards,
C00lnerd
