Feeling that my maths tutoring needed some more variety than the usual studying pages of revision guides and working through exercises and past papers, I decided to make some DIY teaching aids.
One summer I made a demonstration of Pythagoras’s Theorem out of painted plywood. I found this quite time-consuming, given my limited woodworking skills. After that, I made others out of white-fronted cardboard to demonstrate various principles of algebra and geometry. This proved to be easier to do.
I expected students to find these aids a refreshing change and interesting in their own right but generally I have been disappointed. There is usually an initial flicker of interest followed by the sense that what is being demonstrated is either already well-known or is pretty self-evident. Yet, when we come on to exercises and example questions, they show that either they do not really understand the principle demonstrated or at least do not know how to apply it to exam-type problems.
I have wondered about the reasons why these demonstration aids have been relatively ineffective. Generally, of course, most students are attending school and have already encountered the theory of say, Pythagoras’ Theorem, possibly with demonstration aids similar to my own. According to the concept of kinaesthetic learning style, I perhaps need to let them play with the bits and pieces themselves rather than just demonstrate what they are intended to show myself. Maybe, also understanding a concept or principle is very different from having the ability to apply it, particularly for the select population that have identified themselves as needing tuition in the subject.
Do any tutors here have experience with practical teaching aids and or have any thoughts or contributions to make on the subject?
