Often,
a tutor is employed as an emergency measure to assist with examination
preparation, or when a pupil feels they are struggling or have become behind
with lessons. By then it can often be too late. A key advantage of private tuition, and one that is often
overlooked, is the way in which tutoring can promote independent learning and
independence of thought. Indeed, this is what the best tutors seek to develop
in their students.
History Tuition Singapore |
1. Assessment for learning
Successful
combined humanities teachers will always incorporate peer marking as one way of
allowing pupils to assess their own progress. This is vital if pupils are to
become familiar with the assessment objectives and understand how they can
improve. However, it is also important that pupils are critical of their own
work, learning how to develop and edit their ideas. Not only is this a vital
skill for the highest grades in public examinations, but it is a key life skill
that needs to be learned and developed from an early age.
Furthermore,
this process encourages pupils to approach their history tutors in Singapore
with specific questions which will enable them to improve their essays, rather
than: 'please read this and tell me what grade it is and how I can improve it.'
This sort of question can be detrimental to a pupil's progress for several
reasons and a good teacher will discourage this type of question. For a start,
examination boards restrict the amount of feedback a teacher is able to give on
a coursework draft, meaning that only generic advice can be given to this type
of question.
In
addition, private tutors can only give feedback on one coursework draft as a
whole, whereas they can answer as many specific questions about the text as
they like.
Clearly,
this is going to allow a far more detailed discussion. Private tuition will
develop a pupil's ability to be more critical of their own work, understanding
how they write and where the areas of weakness in their writing are likely to
be.
Humanities
tuition will help them identify specific areas in which they need support. With
all the goodwill in the world, teachers simply do not have the resource of time
that they would like to spend with each individual and this is where h2 history tuition can be invaluable.
Interaction with their teacher is going to become far more valuable as a
result, because pupils will be approaching them with specific queries and
textual approaches, which is what is going to help them the most.
2. Developing confidence in ideas and opinions
In
promoting independent learning, it is important that a pupil gains confidence
in their own ideas and opinions. Examiners are looking for pupils who are able
to put together a fluent and cogent argument, not simply regurgitate notes made
in lessons, or write down everything they have ever learned about the text.
Private
tuition can provide pupils with a vital platform on which to refine their
critical views without fear of what the 'rest of the class might think.'
Pupils' views and opinions can be challenged in a friendly and supportive
manner, encouraging them to build confidence in their own ideas.
3. being reflective
Independent
learning in level history tuition is
about being able to take a reflective approach to one's work. Too often, pupils
look at the grade on a piece of work and ignore the comments. However, an
independent learner will not be knocked back by a less than satisfactory grade.
They
may initially be disappointed, but then they will move on and work out how to
improve. This is where tuition class can be instrumental. A tutor can work with
a pupil to reflect on their last piece of work and set focused targets for
improvement. They can spend the time with the individual that the classroom
teacher simply cannot afford.
History Tuition Singapore |
A
good tutor will have a passion for the subject and should be able to convey
that enthusiasm to the pupil. This is the 'X-Factor' that you should be looking
for in a good tutor. A tutor will also be able to set pupils clear goals and
targets. These can be tailored to the individual and should be specific,
achievable and manageable in the time frame. Pupils can then keep track of what
has been achieved and they can clearly chart their progress in the subject at higher
level.
5. Reading around the subject
Reading
widely around the subject is the key to achieving excellent examination results
in secondary school. The ability to draw on a wide range of references and set
your argument against a background of critical thinking is integral to subjects
such as History.
6. An alternative private tutoring solution:
full-time private tuition
It
is this sort of add-on tutoring, typically provided a few times a week for a
limited period after school that comprises the majority of tuition agency in
the Singapore. But there is another
sort of tutoring which has also grown steadily in this country and
internationally: full-time private tuition in place of or as a major adjunct to
school.
There
are more and more parents who, for one reason or another, want something more
for their children than a school-based education is always able to provide.
The
reasons that a family might consider tutoring of this sort can vary widely.
There could be problems in secondary school of various sorts, or special
educational needs that are not being adequately addressed. A family living
overseas may want to provide a certain type of education for their child that
is locally unavailable. Or a student might be in serious full-time athletic
training, and need history subject to fit in with those demands in a way that
school generally does not.
7. The practical side of full-time private tuition
So
how does it work? Take the following as general paper. A family recruits a
tutor to work with their child in their home for a year. The tutor has an
academic background appropriate to the student's requirements, and ideally has
proven teaching skills as well.
8. There is more to gain than simply an excellent
education
This
scenario in Singapore, in one
version or another, is played out all over the world. Tailor-made to their
educational needs, personalities, and schedules, taught to standards of excellence
that meet-and most often exceed-those of top private schools, students can
benefit enormously from this unique form of education. What's more, in a good
tutor a student gains not just a teacher, but also a friend, mentor, advisor,
and role model. Full-time private tuition can truly make the difference in some
students' lives.
History Tuition Singapore |
9. The challenge of finding the right private tutor
But
a bit of reflection will reveal a huge question: how to bring it about? Success
in private tuition doesn't happen through the simple fact of having a tutor,
but through having the right tutor for the educational situation. This means
that private tutors have to be selected carefully, with an awareness of a
number of factors that can affect the quality of the outcome. But how many
parents have that sort of know-how?
The
obvious answer is a tuition centres, and there are many out there. But here
too, parents are left with little information to go on.
10. The importance of using the right private
tutoring agency
Fundamentally,
the relationship between a family and a tuition agency should be a constructive
partnership. A tutoring agency should not be merely an employment agency or a
temping firm. Instead, the agency should be engaged and available throughout
the entire tutoring placement to offer advice and support with the student's
well-being clearly in view. After all, with so much to be gained, as little as
possible should be left to chance.
The
problem is that most tutoring agencies focus on providing tutors on the
part-time, hourly, after-school model, and few of them have useful experience
with full-time tuition. Accordingly, parents considering full-time tuition face
the question of finding a suitable History tuition agency to begin with.
Principles that can guide parents in the choice of
private tutoring agency
First, a tutoring agency
should be willing to meet and talk with the family in person, before any
contracts are signed, to fully determine what the academic situation is and
whether or not the agency can fairly address it.
Second, a tutoring agency
should be up-front and transparent in their policies and procedures. For
example, they should be able to clearly describe their tutor recruitment
process, vetting procedures, projected time-frames, and of course the costs.
They should also be willing to detail their company's history, background, and
track record.
Third, a tutoring agency
should be able to offer proper contracts for the relationships between
themselves, the family, and the tutor.
Fourth, a tutoring agency
should offer a guarantee of complete confidentiality. A family should be
assured that the agency, and the tutor that will enter their home and come to
know them well, hold confidentiality and discretion as basic principles of
conduct.
If all seems to be in order on those four points,
parents can then consider the following:
•
What sort of educational background and teaching experience can a family expect
the tutoring agency to be able to provide in their tutor? If a student's goal
is Oxbridge for example, will the tutor be up to the task?
•
How extensive are the background checks that the tutoring agency carries out on
its prospective tutors? After all, the tutor will be entering the family home
and the family circle for an extended period, and it is essential for the
family to feel comfortable with the tutor as a person of integrity and good
character.
•
A good tutoring agency should remain in regular contact with the family and the
tutor throughout the period of the posting, and should always be available for
consultation. Parents should confirm that the agency will provide that service.
•
What sort of safety net does the agency provide should things go wrong or questions
arise?
Ideally,
a good tutoring agency will offer you all of this information from the start.
You shouldn't have to work hard to find it.
The cost of good private tuition versus the cost of
a poor education
Good
private tuition, particularly full-time, does not come cheaply, but the other
side of the question is the overall costs of a less than satisfactory education
for a child. In that light, the value for money of focused, one-on-one tuition
can actually be excellent, especially if one tutor teaches more than one child
in the family.
Private history tuition
works like this: you hire a personal tutor, arrange for a definite schedule to
work with, and your tutor comes to your home to tutor your child at the
specified times. In many cases, personal tutors are paid per hour, and may have
varying study schedules with their students, such as after school hours or at
night.
There
are many moms and dads who admittedly are too busy with work to monitor their
children's school work first-hand. Getting a tutor to keep track of your
child's homework and grades can be a big help, especially if you have little
time on your hands. Your tutor updates you on what is being done and how well
your child is doing with academics.
One
can only begin to count the ways of how ideal and helpful a history tutoring
program can be, for any student as well as the parents concerned.
Private History tuition,
or hiring or personal home tutors, has been both a successful business venture
and a helpful academic tool. Many schools encourage volunteer tutoring programs
for students' exposure, and many parents choose to hire home tutors for extra
help for their children when it comes to school work.
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