Students struggle because . . .

1. All maths concepts are connected. Continued success in learning depends upon students having achieved and retained a high level of understanding of their previous lessons.
2. Students must be able to apply the maths concepts that they have already learned speedily and correctly in order to comprehend and complete their current lessons. There can be a host of reasons why students fail to understand earlier lessons.
3. Unless the earlier work is revised and understood, the current and ongoing work becomes a mystery to the student. These students will continue to lose confidence and struggle throughout their school years.