High School Math Tips & Tools
High school math can be a tough subject for many students. From algebra to geometry, trigonometry to calculus, each level of math builds on the one before it, requiring students to master foundational skills while learning new, complex concepts. If your teen is struggling with math, it can feel overwhelming for both of you, because let’s get real… You’re probably feeling more than a little rusty on most of these concepts, too.
The good news? With the right strategies, tools, and resources, your student can overcome these challenges and gain confidence in their math abilities.
Troubleshooting High School Math Struggles
Before diving into solutions, it’s important to understand why your child is struggling. Here are some common reasons and how to identify them:
- Gaps in foundational skills: Math concepts build on one another. If your child struggles with fractions, decimals, or basic algebra, more advanced topics will feel impossible. Regularly revisit previous concepts to identify specific areas of confusion and solidify the basics before you move on.
- Difficulty with problem-solving: Math requires critical thinking and problem-solving. If your child can’t make sense of word problems or multi-step equations, they may need extra practice breaking problems into manageable steps. Read More: Building Strong Logic Skills for Better Critical Thinking >>
- Cognitive skill weaknesses: Strong math skills depend on cognitive abilities like memory, attention, and processing speed. If your child frequently forgets steps or gets lost mid-problem, cognitive training could help strengthen these foundational skills that they need.
- Lack of engagement or confidence: A negative mindset can hinder progress. If your child believes they “just aren’t good at math,” they’re less likely to put in the effort required to improve. Read more: overcoming math anxiety >>
Strategies to Solidify Math Concepts at Home
While targeting the root cause of your student’s struggles with math is key to building lasting confidence, there are things you can do in the meantime to help make math more tolerable. Here are a few places to start:
Use Real-World Applications
Help your teen see how math is relevant to everyday life. Cooking (fractions and ratios), budgeting (percentages), and DIY projects (geometry) are great ways to reinforce math concepts in a practical, engaging way. Instead of jumping to a calculator or Googling every answer in real life, work with them to exercise their problem-solving skills in scenarios that naturally arise!
Incorporate Online Tools
There are countless online resources designed to make math more accessible. Some favorites include:
- Khan Academy: Offers free video tutorials and practice problems for all levels of math.
- Desmos: A free, interactive graphing calculator for exploring algebra and calculus concepts.
- IXL: Provides targeted practice problems with immediate feedback.
Break Down Problems
Encourage your teen to tackle problems step by step. Write out each step, even if it seems obvious, to build clarity and confidence. Even if it’s not “required” for the assignment, help your teen build some intrinsic motivation to grow their ability to tackle math problems.
Review Notes & Practice Problems Daily
High school math often requires memorization of formulas and processes. Regular review can help solidify these concepts and prevent last-minute cramming before tests. On the other hand, the only real way to study math is to do the problems. Find practice problem sets either in the textbook, online, or from their teacher to keep past challenging concepts fresh and current even as they progress to different topics.
Focus on Cognitive Skills
Cognitive skill weaknesses can have a major impact on a teen’s ability to grasp high school math. This can look like…
- Poor long term memory (struggling to remember past concepts that have been taught, formulas, math facts, or processes)
- Weak working memory (losing their place and having to restart because they forgot a key part of the problem)
- Being easily distracted (a lack of attention can lead to careless errors, frustration, and frequent mistakes)
- Slow processing speed (if they are processing slowly, frustration can build and they can grow mentally fatigued)
- Inability to reason (maybe they can do a problem one day, but when it’s presented slightly differently they can’t apply what they know in a different context)
If your teen struggles in areas like these, consider cognitive training programs like LearningRx. Strengthening these skills can help them process and retain math concepts more effectively.
Learn More About Our Math Training Program >>
When to Seek Extra Help for High School Math
If your child continues to struggle despite these strategies, it might be time to seek outside support. Tutoring can help reinforce current lessons, while brain training programs at LearningRx address underlying cognitive skill weaknesses that make learning math harder. By targeting the root causes of your child’s math challenges, you can help them build the confidence and skills they need to succeed not just in high school, but in life beyond the classroom.
