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The Math Tutor's Handbook

Strategies and Tips for Success

By: Steven Leinwand, Caroline Welty

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Product Details

Grade Level: PreK-12
ISBN: 9781071964798
Published By: Corwin
Series: Corwin Mathematics Series
Year: 2024
Page Count: 160
Publication date: October 31, 2024

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Review copies may be requested by individuals planning to purchase 10 or more copies for a team or considering a book for adoption in a higher ed course. To request a review copy, contact sales@corwin.com.

Description

Boost confidence, reduce anxiety, and spark those “aha” moments for students through effective math tutoring!

Filled with research-backed guidance for tutors to ensure students develop the confidence and skills they need, The Math Tutor's Handbook: Strategies and Tips for Success is the ultimate guide for effective math tutoring. As national data suggest that students are falling behind in mathematics performance, the role of the math tutor is more critical than ever before.

The authors bring decades of wisdom and know-how to the tutoring table. Steve Leinwand—a renowned leader in math education—and Caroline Welty—a sought-after tutor who brings current insight into today’s learners—have blended their collective experience into a comprehensive handbook that offers clear guidance for effective tutoring in grades K-12 mathematics. With their conversational style, the authors provide hands-on resources to help diagnose individuals’ mathematical strengths and needs to make sure that each tutoring session carries the necessary impact..

Through a range of activities, checklists, examples, stories, and suggestions, this handbook

Focuses on the importance of personalized instruction that no computer program can match
Describes how to develop strong, supportive relationships between tutor and student
Identifies common stumbling blocks around the big ideas in mathematics across grade levels and suggests how to overcome them
Celebrates mistakes as valuable learning opportunities to foster a deeper comprehension of mathematical concepts rather than just getting the right answer
Promotes skills needed for the future, such as problem-solving and critical thinking, which are beneficial not only in future math classes but also in various aspects of life and work

Let The Math Tutor's Handbook empower you to create a positive learning environment for your students and help them boost self-confidence, reduce math anxiety, and master essential skills. Whether you are a private tutor or parent, you work in a tutoring center, or you are an in-school K-12 math teacher, coach, or specialist, this is the resource you need for the math tutoring strategies and practices that are foundational to successful learning.

Author(s)

Steven Leinwand

Steven Leinwand is a principal research analyst at AIR, the American Institutes for Research in Arlington, Virginia, and has more than 40 years of leadership positions in mathematics education. He currently serves as mathematics expert on a wide range of AIR projects that focus on high quality mathematics instruction, turning around underperforming schools, evaluating programs, developing assessments and providing technical assistance for school improvement. Leinwand co-authored "What the United States Can Learn from Singapore's World-Class Mathematics System (and what Singapore can learn from the United States." He has spoken and written about effectively implementing the Common Core State Standards in Mathematics, differentiated learning and “What Every School Leader Needs to Know about Making Math Work for All Students.” In addition, Leinwand has provided school and district-level support and technical assistance for the General Electric Foundation’s Ensuring Futures in Education project and the Microsoft Math Partnership.

Before joining AIR in 2002, and after teaching high school math in Middletown, Connecticut, for eight years, Leinwand spent 22 years as Mathematics Consultant with the Connecticut Department of Education where he was responsible for the development and oversight of a broad statewide program of activities in K-12 mathematics education. Steve has also served on the NCTM Board of Directors, has been President of the National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics, and chaired the Writing Team for NCTM’s Principles to Actions.

Steve is an author of several mathematics textbooks and has written numerous articles. His books, Sensible Mathematics: A Guide for School Leaders in the Era of Common Core State Standards and Accessible Mathematics: 10 Instructional Shifts That Raise Student Achievement were published in 2012 and 2009 respectively. His most recent Invigorating High School Mathematics: Practical Guidance for Long-Overdue Transformation, co-authored with Eric Milou, was published in 2021. In addition, Leinwand was the awardee of the 2015 National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics Glenn Gilbert/Ross Taylor National Leadership Award for outstanding contributions to mathematics education and has been awarded the 2021 NCTM Lifetime Achievement Award.

Caroline Welty

Caroline Welty is a senior at Cedar Ridge High School in Hillsborough, NC. She has tutored 4th-8th grade students in both math and English since 2020. Caroline attended the North Carolina Governor’s School in Choral Music in 2024, and she is President of her school’s A Cappella Club. She also is a member of her church’s Worship Team, the chair of her middle school’s Young Alumni Council, and the President of her school’s Public Forum Debate Team. Caroline hopes to go into educational policy and help create a better system for the next generations.

Table of Contents

Dear Readers

Part 1: Personalizing Tutoring

Chapter 1: Building Relationships

Chapter 2: Diagnosing Strengths and Needs

Chapter 3: Reducing Math Anxiety

Part 2: Planning Your Time

Chapter 4: Designing Successful Sessions

Chapter 5: Launching Effective Sessions

Chapter 6: Excelling at Remote and Virtual Tutoring

Part 3: Implementing the Art and Science of Effective Tutoring

Chapter 7: Setting High Expectations and Building Self-Confidence

Chapter 8: Asking the Right Questions

Chapter 9: Honoring Mistakes

Chapter 10: Incorporating Alternative Approaches and Multiple Representations

Part 4: Reflecting on Tutoring Sessions

Chapter 11: Providing Feedback

Chapter 12: Reflecting to Revise Plans for the Next Session

Part 5: Math Tips and Word Problems

Chapter 13: Our Best Ideas for Teaching the Biggest Ideas of Mathematics

Chapter 14: Strategies for Tackling Word Problems

Conclusion

Appendix 1: Parents as tutoring partners for their children

Appendix 2: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Eight Mathematics Teaching Practices

Appendix 3: Great websites for lesson launch activities, lesson tasks and engaging activities

Appendix 4: Questions to launch a tutoring session

Appendix 5: Tutoring session planning template

Reviews

This book is the complete guide for well-developed math instruction for single students or for small groups of students. The book not only emphasizes the basic needs of the students, building relationships, but incorporates all the important elements of math instruction in the
21st century.

Jaime M. Miller
Marlborough Public Schools

Clear and concise! Highly recommend for new and experienced tutors.

Laura Hatheway
California State University—Sacramento

This one-of-a-kind book is the ultimate guide to achieving the ‘Oh! Now I get it!’ moments every tutor strives for. The intergenerational duo Steve and Caroline provide readers with a perfect mix of research and practicality.

Susan Looney
Same But Different Math

This book adopts an asset-based approach to tutoring support. Firmly rooted in research and best practices in math tutoring, it also humanizes tutoring support by offering real-life examples and strategies. It provides guidance on fostering strong relationships between tutors and students, and techniques for reducing and eliminating anxiety. This book effectively links strategies, actions, and research to promote successful tutoring.

Robert Q. Berry III
University of Arizona

Thank you, Steve and Caroline, for such a practical and robust guide for tutors of mathematics, written so that tutors of various experiences can effectively support their learners. Each section offers many excellent suggestions that focus on developing the learners’ competence and confidence—an excellent resource for school tutoring programs as well as professional tutors!

Jennifer M. Bay-Williams
University of Louisville

Steve Leinwand brings the wisdom of experience, and Caroline Welty brings empathy with students, together creating an essential guide for math tutors. They demonstrate how math tutoring isn’t just social or cognitive work but both simultaneously, and they’ll show you how to excel at it.

Dan Meyer
Amplify

Finally, a toolkit for tutors that offers practical strategies, concrete examples, and tips to create an asset-based lens that cultivates positive math dispositions. Grounded in research, this guide considers different types of learners, the role of math anxiety, and the importance of relationships in a successful tutor–tutee relationship. The Math Tutor’s Handbook: Strategies and Tips for Success is a must-have resource for tutors looking to create productive, positive, and engaging tutoring sessions.

Alison Mello
Alison Mello Consulting

Other Titles in: Mathematics | After School, Tutoring & Out-of-School Programs

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Related Resources

The Math Tutor's Handbook, Chapter 2: Diagnosing Strengths and Needs [Book Excerpt]
The Math Tutor's Handbook: Parents as Tutoring Partners for Their Children [Book Excerpt]
The Math Tutor's Handbook: Tutoring Session Planning Template [Lessons and Strategies]