The deconstruction method
For complex or multi-step word problems, teaching is scaffolded: the large problem is taken apart into steps a child can actually act on.
- 01
Break down what is given
The child learns to reduce a long paragraph or a diagram into separate pieces of information. Most children who are stuck are not stuck on the arithmetic — they never read the problem all the way through. Do this step properly and the calculation often takes care of itself.
- 02
Build the logical bridge
Through questions — "What do we know at this point?" "What do we need to find next?" — the child states the solution path themselves. I do not hand over the method. A path the child articulated is one they still have next week; a path I explained is gone by Thursday.
- 03
Write it out properly
The full derivation, clearly, on paper. Not only the right answer, but reasoning you can follow. In the early grades this looks slow. By algebra and geometry it is decisive — a child whose steps are unclear gets lost inside their own rough work as soon as a problem gets long.
One test of whether a session worked
At the end of the hour, can the child explain in their own words why the problem is solved that way? If yes, the session did its job. If not, there is a layer still missing, and we keep taking it apart next time.
Start with an assessment, then decide
Every new student begins with a one-hour thinking and skills assessment. Afterwards you get a written picture of where the gap actually is, what pace your child needs, and how sessions should be scheduled. You decide from there — and if I am not the right fit, I will say so.
Sessions and communication in English, Mandarin, or Cantonese.