Isolate each type of math difficulty to help analyze which problem or problems give your student the most trouble. Output difficulties deal mainly with recalling basic math facts, rules, formulas or procedures. Organizational difficulties arise when students struggle linking multiple steps in a problem. Language difficulties can cause confusion in word problems, dealing with abstract terms or math vocabulary. Attention difficulties are apparent when a student becomes easily distracted or mentally fatigued during math activities. Visual spatial difficulties arise when students are overwhelmed when faced with a whole page of math problems or if they struggle copying problems correctly.
Once the learning or mathematics difficulty has been isolated, try to find a real-life application of a math problem. For example, if the difficulty and errors are typically with basic facts and procedures, you may want to use items and objects to help organize basic though processes surrounding addition, subtraction, division and multiplication. Allow your student to take multiple breaks and to work at their own pace if they present with attention difficulties. Allow the students with visual spatial difficulties to do just one problem at a time.
Have the student analyze their own work, perhaps circling any mistakes with a colored pencil. Offer students praise and recognition for finding their own errors. Often, students can process their difficulties in an all-or-nothing, or pass-fail, context that deprives them of learning from their mistakes. Have your student find their own mistakes on a regular basis and encourage your student to get into the habit of double-checking their work before turning it in.
Ask your student to verbalize the process during or after they have solved their math problem. Among the different learning styles, being able to verbally process externally with another person is one learning intelligence that often is overlooked in the classroom. Different intelligences include kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, linguistic and mathematical. Find out how your student learns best and use that as a technique for improving math abilities.