Who doesn’t love an eraser? It gives us second chances, and for students that struggle to solve their math problems, second chances may be a necessity. Whether you’re an online tutor or a math student looking to get some online study help with your math homework that you can implement in your private study time, read below to see why the eraser is every math student’s best friend.
Firstly, erasers make mistakes OK. Everyone makes mistakes. Some of the most brilliant people on the planet took the scenic route when solving their problem. So why not the rest of us? Erasers make the process of mistake-making something normal for us.
Erasers also promote autonomy. Who hasn’t hesitated to write down something when they weren’t 100% sure of the answer? If students feel as though what they put down to solve a problem isn’t set in stone, they’ll be that much more likely to take a chance and go ahead and answer. If the answer they provide is incorrect, their online tutor can simply tell them so and ask them to relook at the problem.
Erasers encourage free thought. Sometimes, when you’re trying to work out a problem, the best way to do that is to work through something. This might mean a whole, long-winded set of equations in order to arrive at the correct answer. That’s okay, and totally not environmentally wasteful, when you have an eraser! We’ve all heard the saying ‘when in doubt, write it out.’ Erasers take away the guess work and let students experiment a little without feeling vulnerable.
If you’re an online math tutor and you’re looking to encourage your students in their private math study, make sure you communicate how important it is to work with an eraser nearby.
If you’re a math student looking to get online math help and math study tips, take it from us at Skooli — one of the most important tips is to carry an eraser-tipped pencil. Be free, make mistakes, and learn!
Happy studying!