StudyBlog

Success in any area is found in the mastery of its most basic skills and concepts. Every NBA all-star had to learn to dribble a basketball perfectly. Every concert violinist playing in Carnegie Hall had to learn the proper way to hold a violin bow. The same is true for our school subjects. When we start with a new student, the first issue we scrutinize is basics. In English, that may be vocabulary or indentifying nouns, verbs and adjectives. In music, this could be a knowledge of scales or even the proper way to hold the instrument. Nowhere are the basics more important than in mathematics.
For example, when a student is having trouble grasping a concept like finding the roots of a quadratic equation (I’m sure you ALL remember how to do that, right?), I first look to the concepts of basic multiplication tables, and then an understanding of factors and multiples before trying to teach the more complex skill. If the student has mastered the basic concepts, I’ll know within a matter of minutes, and we can move on from there. But if they haven’t yet mastered the basics, then learning the more complex skill will become much harder to manage.
The key here lies in understanding the problem-solving process. Complex concepts are made up of smaller, simpler concepts (which are in-turn made up of even simpler ones). If a student is having trouble with one of these fundamental skills, it presents a stumbling block each time they need to use it in a larger context. Whether the student is using the skill incorrectly or simply has a moment of uncertainty or hesitation as they go through the process, this leads to more mistakes. More mistakes mean more uncertainty, which leads to more mistakes. Gone unchecked, this is the sort of thing that frustrates a student and, without the benefit of a little perspective, makes them feel that they are “just no good” at math. On the other hand, a student with a solid foundation in the basics is more comfortable with new and unfamiliar concepts. They are less likely to make mistakes. They trust that they can rely on their fundamental knowledge when they reach a place in a problem where they are unsure how to continue.
Will this solve every problem? Certainly not. But it’s a crucial first step in getting any child back on track in school. Time spent on the basics is always time well spent.