There are seven steps to successful math teaching/learning:

1. Attitude (both instructor and student)
   
   
2. Perception (problem must be perceived by one of the five brain sensory inputs - usually language)
   
   
3. Recall (knowledge - information that can be recalled)
   
   
4. Affiliation (memory is automatically triggered and categorical math-rule similarities are scanned for the “type” of math involved, i.e., is it an exponent problem?... a fraction problem? … an integer problem?... etc.)
   
   
5. Distinction (after the affiliation has been chosen, exactly which math rule is to be used, i.e., if it’s an exponent problem, will the exponents be added or subtracted, or if it’s a fraction problem, are the fractions being added or multiplied?)
   
   
6. Execution (once a math rule has been identified and selected, then it is applied)
   
   
7. Verification (double checking the solution)

Richard Gardner is a Math e-Learning Strategist at Alliant International University in San Diego, CA. 
Email him.