Math is a subject that can be intimidating for kids, especially in middle school. If you want your students to succeed at math, it’s important to set up an effective math team and make sure they’re getting the proper resources. Here are some tips on how to set up a successful math team:
Talk with your math director.
The next step is talking with your math director.
First, let’s make sure that everyone on the team is old enough and it’s okay for them to take part in this activity. You’ll need their parents’ approval as well as yours (and mine), so be sure to ask them before setting up a group!
Next, make sure you have a list of interested students in your school district who might like being part of a math team. You can also ask other teachers around campus if they know any kids who would be good candidates for such an organization. Once we’ve got that information handy, all that remains is getting our hands on some paperwork!
Handpick your students.
- Handpick your students.
- Choose students who have good attitudes and are willing to work hard.
- Choose students who will be able to put in the extra effort if they need it, but also understand that not every student is going to be able to do everything at once.
Choose your competition level.
When you choose your competition level, consider the following:
- The right level of competition is important. Do your students have the skills and knowledge to compete at a higher level? If not, then it’s probably best to stick with something lower than competing against other schools.
- Is this competition appropriate for your school? Sometimes schools will hold competitions that are too difficult for their students’ abilities or interests—even if those same students could handle higher-level competitions if they had more experience in them. So before deciding on a competition level for yourself or for your school’s math team, think about whether or not this particular event would be successful at all!
Communicate expectations to parents.
You will need to communicate with your parent about what you expect of the child. This is important because it allows them to help you and the child in their best interests.
Some things you may want to include in this communication:
- The type of work that needs to be done by the student each day (e.g., homework or projects)
- Any special requirements or accommodations that are needed for this assignment or project, such as extra time on tests or assignments, etc.
Don’t forget to practice!
You should practice!
Practice makes perfect. It’s true that you can have the best math team in the world, but if you don’t actually get to practice with them on a regular basis, then it won’t be as useful as it could be. Practice should be fun and focused on skills that need improvement.
A coach or teacher will help guide your team through this process so they can learn from each other’s mistakes and make improvements in their chosen area of study over time.
Get the right resources.
You need to make sure you have enough time to prepare and get everything in place.
- Make sure you have the right resources. You need everything from paper, pencils and erasers to calculators and rulers or tape measures if you’re using them for a project. It’s also important that you have plenty of time for set up before classes start so that your team has enough time to set up their materials at home before school starts each day (and after school ends). If there are any delays in deliveries during the week due to weather conditions or other reasons outside of our control then we will do our best through phone calls before class begins but please remember this isn’t always possible! We can’t predict these things ahead of time so please be patient 🙂
- Get the right equipment for each student on your team so they don’t feel left out! The teacher might say “everyone needs a pencil!” – but if some students don’t have one then those kids won’t get much work done because they’re not allowed access right away when everyone else gets theirs first thing in morning assembly 😉
Celebrate success!
Celebrate success!
It’s important to celebrate the students who do well in class so that they continue to work hard and achieve their goals. If you have a math team, consider rewarding them for good work with stickers or medals. You can also recognize students for good behavior during recess by giving them candy bars or other small rewards like stickers (or even just saying “Well done!”).
Conclusion
We hope this post has helped you set up your math team in middle school. Congratulations on making it through high school! We can’t wait to see how your students do in the upcoming competitions. Good luck with all of this—we know it’s a lot, but we’re sure that with some patience and tenacity anything is possible!
