Once you have completed the planning steps and are comfortable that you are well prepared for the lesson(s), its time to implement all that hard work and reap the fruits of your labour.

Before you start the lesson, read through any notes you may have made as well as the lesson for the day. Have your manipulatives ready and at hand (if necessary) and make sure that you have all the required stationery. The last thing you want to have to do is look for a sharpened pencil when its time to write, this may throw you off balance and all the hard word you have put into getting comfortable with the subject will be for naught.

When you sit down with your student to “tackle” the subject, make sure that the environment is calm and quiet and that you don’t have any unnecessary distractions.

Remember to stay calm. Your mood will affect the mood of your student and will directly impact the lesson. Calm teacher makes for a calm and receptive student.

I sincerely hope that you have learned something from this series.

To see what other topics were covered in this series, click here.

All the “How do I Teach a Subject Out of My Comfort Zone” posts:
Introduction
Understanding My Limitations
Asking for Help
Planning
Implementation

If you are teaching a subject that’s out of your comfort zone, planning each lesson is extremely important. Going through each lesson and making sure you understand what you need to teach, what manipulatives you may require and how you need to direct your student. “Winging it” while you yourself aren’t comfortable is a recipe for disaster. This is a very hard lesson to learn.

While planning Noo’s mathematics lessons in particular, I followed the following sequence:

• Go through each lesson thoroughly
• Make the necessary notes (I put my notes on the weekly planner so that I don’t loose them) and ask for help if necessary
• Set out the necessary manipulatives for each day in advance
• Go through your notes before the start of each lesson to refresh yourself on what needs to be done
• Relax, you are well prepared for the lesson

Please be sure to pop in tomorrow to read more about “implementation”.

All the “How do I Teach a Subject Out of My Comfort Zone” posts:
Introduction
Understanding My Limitations
Asking for Help
Planning
Implementation

I am very independent and I have always been of the opinion that asking for help is a sign of weakness. It took a lot of self reflection to realise that it’s ok to ask for help. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness, it is, in fact, a sign of personal growth and self realisation.

I am in the fortunate position where Papa Steve and my father in law are both good at mathematics and were available to help when I needed it (which was often in the beginning). I had a million questions and realised that I actually know a lot more than I gave myself credit for. I just had to figure out how to communicate with Noo to get him to understand the concepts and fall in love with the subject again.

Ask for help if you need it. Its imperative that you realise that it’s not a sign of weakness. Acknowledging that I don’t know everything has made a huge difference on how I see myself and has had a positive effect on my self confidence.

Please be sure to pop in tomorrow to read more about “planning”.

All the “How do I Teach a Subject Out of My Comfort Zone” posts:
Introduction
Understanding My Limitations
Asking for Help
Planning
Implementation

When I started homeschooling Noo 5 1/2 years ago, I was comfortable with all the subjects. Then he started Grade 4 and I realised that I couldn’t teach him mathematics in a way he understood and my patience was wearing thin and we were both incredibly frustrated with the situation. This was not helping either of us and we had to reach some sort of level ground so that he could learn and I could teach. Mathematics had been his favourite subject and I didn’t want to kill his love for the subject. I had to change me!

I had to understand my limitations where it comes to teaching and why I have an aversion to doing and teaching mathematics. I had a fantastic mathematics teacher in grade 4, Mrs H, and though I struggled with the subject and really didn’t grasp the concepts the first time round, I eventually got them with her guidance and loving manner. Then I went to grade 5 and that all changed. I had a new teacher, Mrs X, and she was the total opposite to Mrs H and didn’t go out of her way to help those who really struggled and made us feel like we were absolute morons. That’s where my aversion to mathematics began.

Going through the mathematics curriculum for Noo’s grade 4 had me in cold sweats, panic and suffering from anxiety. I didn’t want to kill his love for learning the subject and project my hate for the subject, but I also didn’t want to teach him the wrong way. That was my problem, I was worried that I couldn’t do it and I didn’t know how to.

Please be sure to pop in tomorrow to read more about “Asking for help”.

All the “How do I Teach a Subject Out of My Comfort Zone” posts:
Introduction
Understanding My Limitations
Asking for Help
Planning
Implementation

This week I’ll be contributing to the “How do I teach…“ hosted by Jill over at Enchanted Homeschooling Mom. My topic for this series is “How do I teach a subject out of my comfort zone?“.

To meet my fellow contributors.

This is a topic that is close to my heart. I was never (and still aren’t) an academic and as a result there are subjects that are out of my comfort zone, namely mathematics.

This series will cover the following areas:
1. Understanding my limitations
2. Asking for help
3. Planning
4. Implementation

Please be sure to pop in tomorrow to read more about “Understanding my limitations”