In many classes that push the student to the background and the lecturer and slides or blackboard to the foreground, the instructor will sooner-or-later find a large discrepancy among the students’ math levels. Thus, it is essential for the instructor to put emphasis on student participation. This participation should be not only teacher-student participation but student-student participation as well. This is a form of guided discussion, which allows the whole class to progress as a group, lowering the probability that an individual student is left behind.
Role reversal techniques put the students in the teacher’s shoes. An example would be writing a problem on the board and having a student or group of students come to the board to solve it, rather than the instructor solving it herself. This strategy allows the educator to know with certainty that the students understand the material. It is often the case in remedial classes that students are not truthful about whether they grasp the material; this method will let the teacher bypass subjective statements and see objectively how the class is progressing.
Remedial students often have problems with memorizing material. Thus, a teacher should use memorization strategies. One such useful memorization strategy is that of verbal rehearsal. Examples of verbal rehearsal that you can use in a math class are Mnemonics, classroom posters and cue cards distributed to the students.
Cognitive modeling is, in short, thinking aloud while solving a problem. Not only should you use cognitive modeling when you are instructing students, but students also should make attempts and employing cognitive modeling while solving problems. The action of displaying your thoughts to the class shows students what paths successful problem solving should take. In addition, by requesting that your remedial students think aloud while solving math problems, you can easily correct incorrect thought processes.