The education system today demands much more from students than it did about 20 years ago. The education system prepares students to specialise in specific areas of study (more importance lies in the math and science field) and compete with one another. It has been constantly evolving to adapt to the ever changing corporate landscape and it is indeed quite a challenge to stay ahead of the curve. Students are deprived of a breathing space to internalise what they are being taught, be it through lessons or through experiences.
Unfortunately, the teaching and resources provided in schools is insufficient for students to ace in their examinations and on top of all that, school teachers’ teaching skills are becoming somewhat obsolete, losing its effectiveness. There are many reasons for this phenomenon such as, a large teacher to students’ ratio (there’s a lack of opportunity for proper attention). It’s impossible to fulfil every students’ learning needs and hence students are deprived of customised teaching which could possibly help them excel at a much faster rate.
One of the stark differences between a classroom environment and a one-one-one tutoring is that, the class strength will be much lesser for the latter. Smaller student to teacher ratio is one of the biggest advantages that private learning offers. Students will be so much more focused during lessons as there is no sources of distractions around them. However, in a tuition centre or at school with many students in one classroom, there is a high chance of unnecessary distractions that could be created and tutors may even waste their precious time disciplining them to maintain a conducive learning environment.
2: CUSTOMISED TEACHING
Every student is unique and has different learning capacity, speed and learning needs. A private tutor will patiently wait and figure out the details of the student with regards to how he or she takes in information and processes it. Thereafter, the tutor will guide his or her student in a systematic way to ensure effective learning. Whereas in tuition centres and in schools, tutors cannot customise their teaching to meet each student’s learning needs though this is much needed. Instead the teacher can only at most use certain strategies to help students with slower learning pace to catch up. An example could be grouping the slightly weaker students together and allocating the stronger students to each of these groups for peer guidance. Nonetheless, the kind of customised learning that students get from private tuition is extremely useful and, in this aspect, private tutoring is indeed advantageous.
3: RESOURCES
The study materials given in schools are usually not enough and more often than not, the resources are restricted to what the syllabuses demand and do not provide information or insights beyond the syllabus. Sometimes extra explanation is required to understand certain sub concepts in an abstract and complex topic. This is the reason why home tuition in Hong Kong also has free test papers to train students. Practice make perfect and hence students require a constant supply of resources to continue getting better with each round of practice.
BOTTOM LINE Home tuition has various benefits and it aims in bringing the best out of students. Home tuition (上門 補習) is an excellent option and many senior parents who have had chosen this path can vouch for its effectiveness. The guidance is essential for students to ride the fast track and stay ahead of the curve. The ride may not be easy but learning is fun and it is indeed so when a private tutor is there to guide and advise.
The
education system demands a whole lot more from students today than it
did about a decade or more ago. This is a way of adaptation to the
continuous progress that is taking place all around the world in
terms of economy, technology and education. Math, being a fundamental
subject, which branches out into many career options and forms the
base of many areas in the corporate landscape, has been given much
more emphasis in the education system in the recent years.
Singapore Math is now known to be challenging and students feel that there are many hurdles they have to jump pass to excel. On top of all of this, they feel unequipped to deal with them too. Excelling in Mathematics is not impossible but to do so, it takes a lot of time, dedication, persistence and perseverance.
Figuring
out what works and what doesn’t all alone can cause students to
become frustrated at times and they might end up feeling helpless.
Over time, this may cause them to feel insecure and their confidence
may take a beating. In order to set them on the right path, teachers
play an extremely important role.
Some
parents may assume that the Mathematics teacher in school will take
care of it all but truth is, school teachers cannot give personal,
specialised attention to each and every student, because
pragmatically speaking, they can’t. This is the primary reason why
students consider the option of seeking help from tuition teachers,
and they indeed reap many benefits.
You might have certain fixed opinions about mathematics tuition, about its pros and cons, etc. But, let’s take a look at the benefits of mathematics tuition (數學 補習) which is likely to change your perspective and give you a fresh outlook.
#1: MASTERING THE BASICS
It
is impossible to excel in anything without mastering the basics, let
alone mathematics. It is essential for students
to have internalised concepts and know their formulas at their
fingertips in order to solve mathematical problems with ease and
confidence. This initial stage is challenging and intimidating for
students because learning a new concept which is complex can be
exhausting and it can add on to confusion and uncertainty to a
particular extent. Good math tutors will make sure that they explain
the concepts thoroughly to their students, get their students to
practice beginner-level math questions to test what they have learnt
and solidify their basics. This is absolutely essential to establish
in order to proceed to the more advanced stages.
#2:
CUSTOMISED TEACHING
We
have briefly acknowledged that students require personal attention in
order for them to progress at a good pace, but let’s take a look at
why this is as such.
Teaching
a group of 30 children vis a vis tutoring one child (or a small
group) is completely different. With a smaller group of students, the
tutor will have the liberty and space to be able to analyze and
comprehend each student’s learning capacity, memory retention
ability and areas strengths and weaknesses. This observation and
understanding will eventually translate into a more customized, or in
other words, a more personalized teaching approach which will enable
students to progress at a much faster rate than he or she would when
struggling alone.
#3: SOURCE OF INSPIRATION AND MOTIVATION
Tutors
never lose faith in their students they are always trying to work
towards the better. Some school tutors may have a pessimistic outlook
on under-performing students and they may not make the necessary
arrangements or give proper attention to these students who are
already helpless and insecure. On top of all this, peers’
criticisms or comments and parents’ disappointments may cause
children to become emotionally mangled; and their educational journey
will become an unenjoyable and unhealthy one.
Tuition
teachers give their students the confidence to believe in the
possibility of improving and excelling. It takes lots of time for
effort to manifest itself in the form of good results and tutors
communicate this truth and the importance of remembering that being
patient and persistent is crucial.
BOTTOM
LINE
Teaching
is a noble profession because it’s almost selfless dedication in
many ways. Tutors are willing to answer questions at any time of the
day and they go above and beyond to understand a student and redesign
their teaching style or break conventional teaching rules to bring
the best out of the student.