Deciding whether your child
would benefit from tuition and then choosing the best tutors can be a daunting
task. So how should you set about it?
Does your Child Need history tuition?
Many parents have contacted me,
uncertain about whether their children need, or would benefit from history tuition. As tuition can be
expensive you should understand what it can achieve because tuition can help
children in a number of ways but it's not all about getting the best tutors:
• To catch up on areas of work
they find difficult.
• To stretch, improve or extend
the child understanding.
• To help engage 'bored' or
'disengaged' children.
• To improve their confidence.
Choosing the Best Tutors
History tuition is a considerable investment in time and
money. So you need to choose the best possible tuition agency in Singapore. Making the right choice is
important from the vast range of tuition schemes available. So ask these
important questions of the Tutor.
• Are they qualified to teach?
You can ask to see their
teaching qualification and their MOE certificate. Some of the qualifications
that teachers might have include: Post Graduate Certificate in Education,
Professional Graduate Diploma in Education and Bachelor of Education.
• Are they government checked, and is the check an 'enhanced
disclosure'?
All adults who have regular
contact with children, like tutors, should have an enhanced check. You can ask
to see this. Most schools require a new check every three years. But do
remember that a CRB check is only as good as the information that is held on
the teacher. It is a good safeguard but you should always monitor the safety of
your child.
• Do you and your child like them?
The best tuition is the result
of a good, effective working relationship between pupil and teacher. So to
maximise the effectiveness of tuition ensure that your child responds well to
their history tutor. It is not worth
sticking with a tutor that your child does not like!
• Will they be able to meet your tuition needs?
When you send your child to
tuition make sure you, and your tutor, has a clear idea of what you want to
achieve. Ask the tutor if he/she can deliver what you want.
What Type of Tuition is Available?
There are many different types
of tuition service available - so make sure you get the service best suited to
your child's needs. I have grouped these into several categories, each one
having something different to offer.
One-To-One Tuition
So you think one-to-one is the
best? Perhaps you think it must be because it is usually the most expensive!
It may be true in the short
term, just before exams but generally the tutors are dominant, and one-to-one
tuition does not allow the child to enjoy learning independently, and it does
not provide a forum for discussion, to express their opinions, their
difficulties, or to interact with other children in the learning process.
Moreover, the best tutors and teachers assess through watching children
interacting with each other, discussing problems, and working and playing with
other children.
As one-to-one tuition has been a
flag ship of government policy since the 2010 election and is now widely
available and some is delivered through schools in 10 hour programs although
now the budget has been given to schools many are opting for small group
tuition.
There are also history teachers who provide this
service privately. This is usually the most expensive tuition option as the
teachers full attention is devoted to your child. It can be effective, and certainly
children should make progress. However, in addition to cost, it is harder to
make the sessions 'lively' and 'fun'. Teachers will spend a large part of their
time waiting for the child to finish their work.
And it is also difficult to
foster independence in one-to-one tuition. Children often stop thinking through
concepts and just wait for the teacher to teach, and explain it to them. In the
long term, this is unhelpful. It is possible to find very cheap one-to-one
tuition in some areas, but whilst this might appear attractive, parents should
ask about the qualifications, and the skills of such tutors.
Small Group Tuition
Small group tuition is available
across Singapore. It is usually
cheaper than one-to-one tuition, and so makes better use of the teacher's time.
It also provides children with the opportunity to share ideas, and for the
teacher to use competition and games to enhance the learning of each child. As
the session comes alive in this way it becomes easier for teachers to assess,
build confidence and inspire children.
Small group Tuition Centres
usually have up to eight children in each group. Between four and six children
per tuition group is an ideal number as this allows good group dynamics and
individual attention. If a group falls below three it becomes difficult to
encourage group dynamics.
Larger tuition groups cannot
guarantee, and often fail to provide each child with the individual attention
they need and often seems no different to an ordinary school classroom. If your
child is having difficulty then putting them in this situation is likely to
make the emotional barriers worse.
Continuity and consistency is
important to any tuition group. So attendance should be regular. Each group
should have matched children, or similar ability. And the same tutor should
lead the group.
Large Group Tuition
There are many large group
tuition centres in some areas, some with between 15 and 30 children. Again,
some of these groups do not use qualified tutors. So whilst these centres are
often cheaper per session, the parent should ask whether the tuition provided
is able to provide something different to what is being offered at school.
If your child is not achieving
their academic goals nor has a barrier to learning in large classrooms in school,
why should large tuition groups be more effective?
Study Programs
There are many study centres in Singapore. Many are 'on-line' websites,
which sit your child in front of a computer or provides them with worksheets.
Children are then expected to work through them on their own. The amount of
teaching done is minimal.
History tuition Singapore | History tutor Singapore | Geogcafe
History equips students with knowledge and attributes, History helps students to draw connections between the past and present by understanding how the nature and impact of past developments explain today's world. Individuals matures into more balanced, discerning, empathetic, enquiring, knowledgeable and methodical individuals able to make well-reasoned arguments and decisions.
So the parent should ask what I am paying for.
The answer is the worksheet resources. These can also be found on the internet,
the local library or in a book shop. It always amazes me how much parents are
prepared to pay for these history tuition programs in Singapore when similar materials are
available in shops at a fraction of the cost. Additionally parents considering
a study center should note that children who require tuition need the support
of a tutor to help them learn, and to unblock any obstacles to their learning.
Study centers do not provide the teaching and support your children need.
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