Fourth grade is one of the critical years in each kid’s education. For many 4th graders, learning mathematics could come as a challenge; therefore, finding a way to make your kids learn is an important task.

Online classes offer parents and educators a flexible approach to teaching and easing the complexity of mathematics. If you are an online 4th grade math tutor, you can use the following teaching tips to shape your lessons and bring the best out of your students.

Tips to help your 4th grade kids learn math online

Teaching math to 4th grade students may come as a challenge for tutors. However, to help students understand math easily, you can follow the tips below:

Try graphics

While going over math concepts or introducing new ones to your 4th graders, trying new approaches is essential. Rather than solving standard exercises from textbooks and other conventional learning methods, you can employ graphics.

Keep in mind that ambiguous texts on the screen are counterproductive to the learning of your 4th graders. However, since on-screen text enables note-taking, which keeps the session moving forward, incorporating it into graphics and audio recording is a key to eliminating distraction.

Although visuals are great for learning, too much of them may be counterproductive. As an online tutor, use only those graphic representations that relate to the concept you are teaching.

Encourage feedback

According to the Victoria State Government Department of Education, feedback is one of the most effective features of any teaching method as it facilitates learning and understanding between students and tutors. Furthermore, input from kids fosters critical thinking and boosts their self-confidence and esteem. For any online tutor, regular feedback is critical in understanding students.

Instead of staying behind the screen without knowing whether your students are following, encourage them to communicate openly, comment on concepts, and ask their own questions.

Fourth graders need all the attention they can get to learn and understand concepts quickly. Therefore, after regular 4th grade online school sessions, engage your kids in regular communication to make them feel more invested in math and increase the likelihood of them retaining what they learn.

Adopt online resources

Using online resources like worksheets will make your kids learn more. You can get these worksheets from online tutoring websites and incorporate them into your virtual classes.

For every concept, there are tons of online learning aids with interactive graphics representing real-life objects and animals. Also, there are online math games that can improve students’ retention and ensure they perform excellently in class.

State out rules to guide the conduct of your students

Keeping 4th graders’ attention is not easy. Hence, you must be creative in stating the rules and regulations guiding your students’ behavior.

However, it is not enough to establish and communicate the standards for your classroom; you must consistently enforce these rules by adding sanctions. For instance, you can silence or remove a student from the course if they are disrupting the class. It is also essential to inform parents whose kids consistently go against the general class standards.

Incorporate time for relaxing

Working round the clock without time to relax and interact with peers can be detrimental to students’ learning. One online teaching strategy you can use for your 4th graders is creating time away from additions, decimal points, fractions, and other mathematical concepts.

Allowing time for relaxation and interaction would create a vital relationship between students and their tutors. You can choose time before or in between classes depending on your schedule.

Understand your students

Fourth graders are known for their playful attitude and apparent expression of feelings — happiness or sadness. These kids are gregarious, energetic, hard-working, and curious, yet they can also be competitive, passionate, and critical of themselves.

Tutoring kids in grade four requires knowledge of their needs and care in handling them. You must use a calm tone and a positive attitude in teaching these kids. Students in fourth grade will lean towards a real and tangible approach to education and will feel more at ease with a soft-talking tutor.

As a tutor, you must look out for your fourth graders to know when they are happy or sad. Kids have different ways of learning, so understanding their needs will give an insight into the most suitable style for each kid. Furthermore, maintain a bright mood and appeal to their sense of humor and childlike attitude.

Virtual awareness is key

One of the essential characteristics of an excellent online instructor is awareness in the online classroom. Observing students’ behavior in an offline classroom is easier than in an online class. Hence, you must find a way to keep an eye on students in your online 4th grade class.

Midway through a lesson, students’ attention tends to wander. If a student is not paying attention in class, don’t make their action seem severe by using a harsh tone; instead, adopt a constructive way to get their attention.

If the introduction to your class is exciting, it will get your students wanting to go on. Encourage your students to put on their cameras. With the cameras on, midway through the class, you can check to ensure they are following. If a student is not paying attention or their screen is off, politely inquire if they are okay.

Finally, being sensitive to mood and signs is instrumental to a tutor’s job. In your 4th grade class, you must be observant of your students’ mood and body language; this will help you know when it is time to stop or do something more exciting. Since 4th graders can only learn for short bursts, pause in between to help your students stay focused.

Conclusion

Like other graders, students in 4th grade require special care and an interactive teaching approach to learn successfully. The tips in this article are important in boosting the mood in your classroom and keeping your kids attentive. Finally, using this information, you can help your kids learn math with ease.