Why are kids struggling in PSLE maths & how we can help them?

It shouldn’t be surprising to see a kid struggle in a particular subject in today’s time. In fact, PSLE Maths is one of the subjects that most kids struggle to conceptualise as it requires logic and understanding. In short, Maths is not as easy as it seems and it’s not everyone’s forte. Although, there are some students who seem to breeze through the subject without any difficulty.

If you have kids struggling in Primary Maths, don’t despair. When it comes to Maths, there’s still hope! In this article, we’ll discuss some interesting points on why these students struggle in Math and how Global Education can help them do better without compromising on their mental health.

Here’s what you need to understand first

Unfortunately, not all children are born with a natural propensity towards Math and the ones who are successful in Math, don’t necessarily tend to be good in other subjects. Learning mathematics can be challenging, especially if the child struggles in the subject at home or school. As a result, it becomes challenging to cope with the pressure.

Here are some of the reasons why your kid is not performing well.

The questions that appear on the Final Paper

There are many kids in Singapore who faces so much pressure due to the overwhelming questions that appear on their final paper. Sometimes, it’s so overwhelming that they give up on the question in advance because it doesn’t make sense to them, leading them to have doubts about the answer despite how much practice they had.

Let us show you an example that was recently trending in Singapore. This was one of the questions that left kids trembling.

“Helen and Ivan had the same number of coins. Helen had a number of 50-cent coins and 64 20-cent coins. Helen’s coins had a total mass of 1.134kg. Ivan had a number of 50-cent coins and 104 20-cent coins.”

1.  Who has more money in coins and by how much?
2.  Given that each 50 cents coin is 2.7 grams more heavier than a 20 cent coin, what is the mass of ivan’s coins in kilogram

Unfortunately, this particular question turned out to be quite complicated, requiring kids to go through so many calculations and considerations that may often leave them confused and very much unsure of the correct answer. Even adults had difficulty answering this question.

The poor grades

Many parents in Singapore have high expectations of their kids performing well in their school. And that’s okay but if their kids don’t do well, he/she could be labelled a failure and it could affect their self-esteem. Moreover, some kids fear their parents for calling them out for not studying hard enough by lecturing or punishing them. These are valid factors that could lead a child to do poorly.

Whilst, some may be able to escape the pressure as their parents are generally supportive, some children just cannot cope hence causing stress and anxiety in a child.

Pushing fear onto the kids

Some may think that enforcing fear in a kid might push them to do better in life but instead, it may also do the complete opposite. Parents or teachers would warn kids that if they fail in school, they can never come back from that as others would only see them as failures. But this really discourages kids to believe in their ability to succeed.

In fact, the kids may begin to convince themselves that they aren’t good enough and this may hold them back to engage with their studies.

How Global Education in Singapore can help struggling kids?

 If your kid is struggling to perform in Math, it could be because of:

• Fearful of the subject
• Fear of failure
• Not having enough practice
• Difficulty in understanding the logic
• Feels demotivated after a poor performance
• Doesn’t have a great support system

But Global Education is offering an alternative solution. With our extra-curriculum program, we can help students hone their skills at problem-solving, strategic thinking, and mastering topics that are eventually covered in the PSLE. There is only so much students can learn and perform with. But with enough time to reach out to struggling students and help them cope, kids could eventually gain confidence and perform to their highest ability.

It is our goal to have a positive impact on the life of a child by taking him/her away from the stressful pressure that school life often causes.  Global Education recognizes that it is not about getting the right grades but rather, the journey. If students are having trouble with their schoolwork, we help them to boost their skills by coaching, helping them through the conceptual issues in their works.

If you are a parent looking to take your kid off the pressure and push him/her to perform well in Math, there is a great alternative in Global Education. Our dynamic, creative, and motivational teachers are truly passionate about children and truly believe that children should be encouraged to believe in themselves and their abilities. As a parent, you can see that our presence instils a safe environment for children to flourish in and gain confidence.

Reach out to us!