How to Build Your Mathematical Skills & Right Mindset? 

Mastering maths requires polished skills and the right mindset. But a lot of students find mathematics a difficult subject to ace. Whether it is lack of confidence or simply due to math anxiety, many believe that excelling in maths is not a possibility.

Nope! We say that is not at all true. If you are wondering how to be good at math then here is what you need to know. Skills are not something that you just have but something that you build with practice, hard work and consistency. As for the mindset, there are some effective techniques that you can practice to develop the right one.

In this article, we will be sharing some of the ways that have been proven to work for enhancing your skills in maths and nurture the right mindset. Let’s get exploring them.

Work On Your Basics

You cannot jump on to solve complex mathematical problems if you are not thorough with the basics. Many primary level students might feel they know the basics, however, they make errors while doing calculations. Some of these mistakes are —

• Addition & Subtraction: Well, dealing with simple numbers when it comes to adding or subtracting is easy. However, with big numbers many students mess up. Decimal and fractions also make the operations difficult where they can misplace or carry numbers incorrectly.

• Multiplication & Division: When multiplying a lot of students cannot align the number properly or get confused with division facts.

• Spatial Reasoning: This involves numbers and shapes fitting together. A concept many struggle with.

• Place Value Confusion: Students often misunderstand the digits value depending on their position in the number.

Working on these basics lays the groundwork for improving your mathematical skills. The only way to ensure you don’t make these errors is when you spend time practicing again and again. It is the key to nail these concepts or in fact, any math concept in general.

It is a great way to work on your skills in math without stressing yourself out. As a parent, this is an effective way to help your child to let them know maths by doing the daily things. Some examples are —

• Inform them how fast the car is running when you drive them to school.

• Ask your child to add the price as you fill up your cart in the grocery store.

• Help them understand sports and team statistics when you catch a game on TV.

• While baking, explain how 6 quarter cups of flour is the same amount as a cup and a half of flour.

These are simple tasks but so effective to show your kids that math is applicable in real life. These ways also make math relatable and easy to understand, as a result improving their skills.

You cannot develop expert math skills overnight and you certainly cannot nail every concept in a short amount of time. You need to have patience and give yourself time to understand.

If you find your current lesson too tough then don’t just skip it assuming you will come back to it later to learn. Each lesson is set in your school curriculum in a systematic way. This means one topic is built on top of the other. For example, you will have difficulty solving some of the questions in compound interest if you don’t know anything about fractions.

To ensure you have improved skills in math, you need to take time to understand each concept. Re-examine and reinforce the topic you have picked up until it makes sense.

You might not be an expert right now in maths but that doesn’t mean you will do every math exercise to make yourself better. This approach will only backfire. What you need to do to improve your skills math is set goals that are realistic.

How can you do that? Well, the best way is to learn your weak points. Once you identify them then you move to set your goals to address the points. Overdoing your practice work can only cause frustration and weaken your confidence.

When things don’t work your way, be sure to step back and take time. Cramming yourself with long hours of study isn’t going to help if you are not understanding anything.

The best way to improve skills in math is to seek guidance from an expert. A specialised math tutor will make things easy for you in the journey of improvement.

They are qualified, trained and experienced to give you right tutoring and support in learning the concepts. In fact, they might even incorporate some of the above listed ways in helping you develop your maths skills.

Now that you are aware of the ways to boost your skills in mathematics, let’s look at some tips to grow the right mindset to ace in this subject.

• View mistakes as learning opportunities rather than failures.

• Focus on progress, not perfection.

• Aim to understand the "why" behind mathematical concepts instead of memorizing formulas.

• Start with simpler problems to build confidence before tackling more challenging ones.

• Replace thoughts like "I'm not good at math" with "I can improve with effort."

• Accept that some problems may take time and effort to solve.

• Organize your work clearly to track your thought process.

• Celebrate accomplishments to stay motivated.

Rather than asking the question—how to be good at math, take action and build your skills with these techniques and tips. If you are interested in getting supplementary help to embrace these ways on your math learning journey then consider joining Miracle Learning Centre.