As a homeschool teacher and tutor for kids/teens in-person and online, one of my specializations is working with children and teens who have difficulty with understanding math, retaining math content, and/or anxiety about math. So, I'm always looking for strategies to help my students learn effectively.

One strategy that I've read a lot about in research studies is using an advance organizer. An advance organizer is like an outline or preview that shows the student what a lesson is going to be about. Using an advance organizer may improve retention by helping students make connections between what they've already learned and what they're about to learn. One of the goals is to help your child see how the new lesson relates to what they already know. (Source: Denham, 2018. See reference list at the end of this post.)

Here's what you might include in an advance organizer:

• A review of any "pre-requisite" knowledge the student needs for the lesson,
• The goals/objectives of the lesson,
• Rationale for learning the topics in the lesson.
  (Source: Miller & Hudson, 2006)

To view images of one of my advance organizers and read more, please view this blog post: http://www.autismhomeschoolsuccess.com/single-post/2019/01/23/Math-Teaching-Tip-Use-an-Advance-Organizer

References

Denham, A. R. (2018). Using a digital game as an advance organizer. Educational Technology Research and Development, 66(1), 1-24.

Miller, S. P., & Hudson, P. J. (2006). Helping students with disabilities understand what mathematics means. Teaching Exceptional Children, 39(1), 28-35.