How can I help my son sharpen his math?

i have a master degree in civil engineering with a 3.92 GPA and believe it or not, i don’t know how to do 23 x 47 in less than 1 minute without using my calculator. math is not about numbers or shapes. it’s about logics if you asked me. so not to worry if what you mean by “sharp” is about doing calculation. he’ll be alright.

if he’s having difficulties to understand math, in my own experience, i found it hard to learn something from others (tutors, lecturers, teachers etc). it’s easier for me to understand things all by myself. well not entirely all by myself. i still need others to correct my mistakes.

Not to insult the first poster or anything but please don’t be so quick to assume they have a learning disability, it is very possible that he just needs to practice more, and needs your support and help.

My parents always told me that to be good at math you had to come home EVERY night and review, I , like most other children thought they did not know what they were talking about and never did it. Mind you they did not push it because I could usually come by okay grades with no effort in school. But once I did what they said I did much better.

So the moral of this long story is , just help him and make him study more (math takes hard work) and after a while if he is trying very hard and getting nowhere (you tried tutors and all) then take him to get evaluated.

I am 90% sure he just needs practice but if that is not the case you have no choice as a loving parent but to do what is right and take him.

I am also under the impresion that this is a grown man, same rules apply I guess.

He may have a mild learning disability in it. The school psychologist could evaluate him for that. He could just be more a language-type person, and need tutoring.

maybe your son is just too lazy to learn it because math is a dry subject. why don’t you ask him to teach you his math? it will force him to understand how to solve the problems, and you should also act interested as he explains how he got his answer to you. and yes, practice makes perfect, so do you see him practicing on his math? or doing it last minute???

Not really, try a tutoring lab on campus (these are usually free) maybe hire a tutor, or try an online tutoring session.