It sounds obvious, but a strong understanding of math is essential for a teacher to effectively instruct students in a remedial program. A teacher who doesn't fully understand each mathematical concept is unlikely to be fully effective in teaching those concepts to students who are already struggling in math. It also enables a math teacher to provide explicit instruction that follows the curriculum in a specific sequence, which is a proven way to improve math performance, according to the National Dissemination Center For Children With Disabilities.
The most effective teachers, math or otherwise, should have a clear understanding of child development and what students are capable of doing at what age and what grade level. Remedial math students almost always fall behind normal developmental patterns. The job of an effective remedial math teacher is to provide one-on-one and small group individualized instruction based on needs of each student to boost math comprehension and performance. The most successful remedial math teachers have a range of instructional strategies that they can rely on when working to meet the needs of each remedial math student, according to the National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality.
Remedial math teachers have duties that fall outside traditional classroom instruction. One of those jobs is to recognize and diagnose learning problems in her students. Once the teacher knows what the exact problem is that's holding a student back from achieving at grade level, she can adjust her lesson plans and instructional strategies to boost student performance. For example, a remedial math teacher might use math manipulatives, which are hands-on math tools, to encourage students to become interested in mathematical concepts, as well as more easily grasp those concepts.
Once a remedial math teacher has identified what's holding each student back, she must be able to decide what intervention is appropriate for each student. These interventions can take a range of forms including hands-on practice, self-directed practice and one-on-one time with the math teacher. Students might also work together to grasp mathematical concepts, and that can boost performance, according to the National Dissemination Center For Children With Disabilities. Along the same lines, remedial math teachers must make proper use of assessments to gauge what students have learned and what they still need to work on.