One of the most difficult processes to get through a student's head is to: Show their Work! Showing work is a crucial component to learning Algebra. It is also one of the most difficult concepts to talk a student into doing on a daily basis. You as the adult can force a student to show their work in your presence, however most often the students will not when you are not around. Try not to get too frustrated with this.
No kid wants to be the dummy of the class and peer pressure is a powerful thing. More importantly, focus on them showing work correctly on every single homework problem using the rules every time. Eventually, some of it will become habit and the student will not need to show work...do not assume this is the case. When I work with students, I tell them they have to EARN the ability to do it in their head. Only when they can do every problem with 100% accuracy do they get the priviledge of not showing their steps.
Showing every step not only helps the student work through the rules, processes, and arithmetic, but it also helps you as the parent, teacher, or tutor recognize exactly what the student is struggling with. Pay close attention to each step and watch for repetitive behaviors. Believe me, this will be the source of much frustration and arguments. But in the end it will be worth it. Again, do not get too upset on tests or quizzes if the student does not show work - we will talk about how to deal with this in a future post.
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