Tuition Classes – Make it more productive!
In a recent survey, 7 in 10 parents send their children for primary tuition classes. The majority of parents are spending hundreds of dollars per month on tuition, hoping that it will make a difference to their children’s academic grades. So how can we help children learn more from tuition classes? If you are already engaging a tutor for your child or thinking of getting a tutor to help support your child’s learning, here are some tips about getting the most out of the sessions so that they can be as productive and beneficial as possible.
1. Have an open discussion with the tutor
Discuss openly with the tutor your expectations and your understanding of your child’s progress. Try to specify what you would like your child to learn from the tuition. It could be certain areas of revision, knowledge of specific concepts or topics or foundation skills. It is a good idea to make a list of goals your child should achieve after a period of tuition with the tutor for the respective tuition like Primary English tuition, Primary Math tuition and Primary Science tuition. Your tutor should tailor a plan to meet these goals. Everyone should be clear about this plan and on the same page. Hence your child should be aware of this plan so that he/she understands the objectives of the lessons.
As the weeks go by, a regular review of this plan is required. How is your child learning in class? Are there new areas that need attention for your child?
A key question is: do you want your child to have homework from their tutor? Many students have busy schedules with after-school activities and homework. An overwhelmed, overworked student isn’t a happy or productive one, so if you do agree that homework will be set then figure out when it will get done (a mad rush ten minutes before your tutor arrives is not a good idea…). A major plus for a bit of homework is that you can cover more ground and faster, but a reasonable balance must be struck.
2. Culture, Methods and Choices
Every tutor teaches differently, just like every child learns differently. Finding the right tutor can be tricky if you do not understand your child’s learning needs well. Pay a visit to the tuition centre personally or ask the tutor how a typical lesson will be carried out may help to give you an idea of the culture and teaching method. Request for a trial lesson as it is best to let your child experience first-hand how the lesson is being carried out.
If your child comes out of the lesson, beaming, you know this is the right tutor.
3. Be your child’s learning partner
Show interest in your child’s learning after each lesson by a striking conversation about his/her tuition. What did she/him learn from the tuition? What did he/she find interesting? If your child is in a group tuition, find out about his/her classmates. Your child may be very happy interacting with a child of a different school and this will promote positive peer interaction and learning.
During the tuition programme or enrichment programme, you can sit down with your child as your child does his/her tuition work. You can learn the concepts/topics together and extend his/her learning by finding out more about the topic. This will encourage your child to ask questions in class and seek clarification from his/her tutor.
It is important to encourage your child to ask good questions during tuition as this can promote a deeper understanding of the subject and helps to build confidence.
4. Preparation is the key prior to tuition classes
Teach your child to keep all his/her tuition work in a file and organise them properly. In order to learn more from tuition, preparation is key! Your child should also have his/her stationery and notepad ready for lessons so the tutor can start straight away. Spending extra minutes at the start of the lesson looking for last week’s worksheets on Maths word problems can set a lesson off to a bad start!
5. Right time, right place
An average Singaporean student spends 7-8 hours a day in school. If the child still has to attend tuition classes after, it will likely result in a grumbling and tired child. Choose a day when your child does not have much after-school activities so tuition will not be a chore. Sending your child to a tutor that teaches only on the other side of the island is neither wise.
Having a fresh mind will help your child will only get the most out of the lessons. Hence making sure your child has her basic needs covered (lunch, bath and rest) is as important as choosing the right tutor.
We hope that parents can understand more about tuition or enrichment programmes to make their children’s learning more interesting and productive. Feel free to talk to us at BlueTree Education.
