What is Bridge the Gap Math™?
It begs the question: Will your child be ready for high school math?
If G4, 5, 6 or 7 (or maybe already G8+), this question is a concern for us all.
Are, or will the fundamentals be in place?
Bridge the Gap Math™ is a NEW & DIFFERENT parent/student handbook to equip and empower parents to tutor their child in JUST the often-missing-but-really-need-to-know-bits from the Intermediate math curriculum.
It targets JUST core essentials – the Intermediate math ‘GOLDEN KEYS’; it aims to firm up math fundamentals, to equip students to hit the ground running in G7 and high school.
It’s so good to hear students say, “Yes! Nailed it... let’s move on!”
Why did you decide to write it?
I realized that the methods I use for the 1:1 lessons to help students gain confidence in math, could be shared with thousands more students if I showed parents WHAT I teach and HOW I teach it.
I had the list of skills... and ways to get them across simply; it was time to share.
Who would benefit from this book and why?
I felt I had created a resource which could help anyone who wanted to firm up fundamentals, and the timing was good as there was lots of National and International news coverage and heartfelt concerns about HOW to best ensure math fundamentals are in place.
Initially it was to help G5, 6 & 7 students preparing for high school, but then I used it with students who were already in G8 & 9 (or further) who needed to backtrack – but in a ‘sensitive’ way which didn’t talk down to them – I had found a way to help, where students could keep their dignity. I have used it with adults too who needed to pass math tests for new jobs!
I also started using it with bright G4 students who wanted to get ahead.
Another important person I had in mind was ‘the concerned parent’: many parents asked me to make the book ‘script-like’ and easy to deliver – they told me they didn’t really feel secure themselves to teach the math concepts in the ‘right way’, as methods change.
It is now being used in the following arenas: both homeschool and mainstream students, later elementary and early high school students, special education, relief of math anxiety, teenage support, EA’s, adult use, international students and ESL/E2L
How did your educational experiences in UK and Canada influence the book, and why do you consider yourself worthy of being called a specialist in the field?
As both a teacher in mainstream school for 20+ years in UK (therefore having a realistic view of coping with class sizes of 30+/trying to keep on top of government guidelines about what to teach and which methods to use), and then over 8 years 1:1 in Canada, having the luxury of being able to focus JUST on Intermediate core elements, I believe I am able to count myself as a specialist in this area; my experiences, research and trialing have been extensive... and results from using the program have been excellent. I still teach it daily.
How is your book different from all other math resources out there?
There are two main differences:
1. Bridge the Gap Math™ is NOT another single Grade text book; it does not have every single math concept you would see on a curriculum list for a particular Grade, level or age group... INSTEAD it has only the concepts I identified in my experience as being common sticking points, and this makes it different.
To firm up fundamentals, it is not practical to revisit every individual Grade – the thought of that feels overwhelming and depressing; this book is unique in that it has ONLY the main essentials selected from G4-7 so you can zoom right into the core issues.
2. It is NOT simply another ‘work-through-these-questions’ text book – it TEACHES the learning objectives via a script of what to say and do, before you try out questions. It provides instant parent/student self assessment: “Have we achieved this?” If yes, move on; if no, revisit. It provides a ‘do-able in the busy family home’ solution to nailing the vital bits.
It has 100 learning objectives and uses the words of a math teacher of 28 years’ experience. There is only one page per concept: a straight forward learning objective, a concise teaching section, 8 questions to try with support... then 8 questions to ‘test’ to see if the student can say, “Yes! Check it off – I’ve got it!
Where can people find more information?
Telephone: Laurie Beesting (+1) 604 947 0520 (BC, Canada)
Website: www.bridgethegapmath.ca
Email: info@bridgethegapmath.ca