Math, Done Right
For U of T courses go to our 'tutoring' tab
"Let us judge people by their questions, rather than by their answers." – Voltaire
"It's not that I am so smart, it's that I stay with problems longer."
– Einstein
"Our children are only as brilliant as we allow them to be."
– Eric Micha'el Leventhal
Deep learning. Real Results.
Math isn't taught properly in our public schools. Teachers don't understand the material, can't explain concepts or answer questions, and students are chronically confused, stressed, and unprepared for university mathematics. We do math right. We explain every concept in depth (i.e. we show students where the math they're doing comes from, and why it works – not just how to do it) and answer questions before they're asked. Our students develop real, deep, lasting understanding, and head to university confident and primed for success.
Enrol your budding scholar today, and see what math learning should be like!
For individual and group tutoring go to our 'tutoring' page or email us!
For MAT223 weekly review sessions go to the 'university' tab –> 'MAT223' email us!
Check out this explainer video from our pre-university bootcamps!
What schools do, what they don't do, and what they do wrong.
Math teaching in our public high schools is a disgrace. Disturbingly large numbers of teachers don't understand the material they're presenting to students, can't answer questions, and encourage lazy and ineffective study habits. The result is that students are chronically stressed and confused (with many giving up on math, and all the academic and career options that go along with it) and arrive at university woefully unprepared. Rather than helping students develop real, deep understanding and problem-solving skills, teachers all too often give them short-cuts and cheat sheets so that the class average will be decent (making it look like they're doing a good job) and then send them off like lambs to the proverbial slaughter – primed for shock, panic, and failure when they encounter the rigours of university math (especially in demanding programs like Commerce and Engineering). This isn't real math teaching. Our education system is flat-out failing our children - with effects that can last the rest of their lives – and it has to stop.
The role of math in education, industry, and life
It's no secret that math is vital to many industries and careers – from engineering and computer science to economics and commerce to the physical and life sciences.
It is less well-known that fairly high levels of mathematical background are required to get into top graduate programs like medical and business school, or that math is the stumbling block that keeps many students from getting into the program of their choice. Standardized admissions tests like the GMAT (for MBA programs), MCAT (med school) GRE (general graduate admissions), SAT and ACT all have large mathematics components, which are the hardest part for most students. With few exceptions (e.g. Law School) proficiency in higher math is crucial to professional success, and, unfortunately, students are chronically under-prepared – with lasting consequences for their education and careers.
Still less well-knows is how the abstract thinking and problem-solving skills developed in the course of learning math (properly) can improve virtually every aspect of life. Once you've begun thinking mathematically – approaching problems of all kinds in a logical, structured way – you will see everyday problems, issues, and discussions in a totally different way, and with a magnificent clarity. Whether it's in business, science, politics, or day-to-day dealings with the world, developing your 'math mind' will give you insight and understanding, as well as an incisiveness that will set you apart from the pack, help you solve seemingly intractable problems, and leave an impression on everyone you encounter (especially employers). Math isn't just a collection of techniques and theorems – it's a way of thinking – and once you've mastered it (with the help of a competent and passionate teacher) it's like opening your eyes for the first time – you'll never see life, or the world, in the same way again!
What we do, what we don't do, and how we do it right.
At Math Done Right we do things very differently. Instead of just showing students how do use mathematical techniques and then telling them to 'just memorize it', we show them where these techniques come from, and why they work. This not only makes rote memorization unnecessary (when you really understand something you don't have to memorize it – you can derive everything for yourself, with complete confidence that it's right) but also helps them cultivate deep understanding, so that they can gradually piece together a cohesive 'web' of understanding.
Math is just bursting with inter-connections and deep relationships, and understanding these relationships is what allows students to see the 'big picture' and truly understand and learn – like turning on a light in a dark room, rather than poking around with a flashlight. Memorization is like the flashlight: it lets you see what you need to at the moment, but only for as long as you continue pointing it in that direction – and while you're doing this you can't see the rest of the room. Real, deep understanding is like turning on the light: you no longer have to remember how many steps from the door to the sofa, or keep pointing the flashlight around from place to place, seeing one thing at the cost of all the others – everything becomes instantly, perfectly, refreshingly clear, and what used to seem difficult and scary is suddenly as simple as can be.
This is what math teaching should (and can) be like – you don't need to feel like you're bumping around in the dark. Taking the time to really, truly learn and understand will dissipate your math anxiety, improve your grades, and show you how fun and exciting (as cliche as that sounds) math really can be!
The importance of asking 'why?'
It's a grim testament to the state of our education system that students are so often taken aback when we say: "That's correct – but do you know why it's true?" They almost always look shocked and confused, and ask questions like: "Does that matter?" "Do I really need to know that?" and "What do you mean 'why'?" In fact, one of the great struggles in helping students learn math right is helping them understand why they should ask why.
This is highly distressing, but hardly surprising, given the sorry state of math teaching in our public schools. Those students who do ask 'why' are almost universally told 'just because' or 'it doesn't matter' and are left feeling confused and frustrated. Both of these answers are badly wrong, and absolutely disgraceful coming from people who call themselves math teachers.
Nothing in math is true 'just because' – there is always a reason, and usually (at the high school level) a simple proof which could make it crystal clear to you exactly why it is true. When you ask teachers 'why' and they say 'just because' it means that they don't know why, and can't show you this simple proof, because they don't really understand math themselves. Is it any wonder, then, that they have trouble teaching it to their students?
No matter what your "teachers" told you, the 'why' absolutely does matter. Understanding why things work and where they come from is not only the key to remembering them, but also to being able to solve problems you haven't seen before, and getting the 'stumper' questions that separate the 85% students from the 98% students.
Think about when you were learning to read and write: if you were shown the word 'knowledge' written down, and told what spoken word it corresponds to, you would certainly ask 'why'? Why don't you pronounce the 'k'? Why is the 'o' pronounced like 'aw' and not 'oh'? Etc... What if your teacher told you: "It doesn't matter – just memorize it."? Would anyone ever learn to read if they had to memorize every word in the English language by appearance, without knowing how those words were built-up from the alphabet, which letter combinations make which sounds, and all the other rules/reasons/exceptions that allow us to use written language effectively?
Certainly not – yet when it comes to math, inexplicably, the current approach in our schools is to have students memorize facts, theorems, and techniques, without understanding or knowing why they work or where they come from. Under these conditions it's amazing that students learn anything at all – and virtually guaranteed that they will be confused, anxious, and perpetually stressed.
All of human scientific and technological progress has come from curious people striving to understand things that were beyond their comprehension. From Gallileo and Newton looking to the stars and wondering what makes them move the way they do, to Einstein considering the nature of light, time, and gravity – all the great advances of history have come as a result of people asking "Why?" So the next time you find yourself saying "Why should I ask 'why'?" instead ask yourself "Do I want to merely exist in the world, or do I want to change it?"