There are a number of myths about tutoring:
• It’s only for wealthy people
• It’s only for high or low achievers
• The subject is the problem
• Tutoring is a “last resort” to cram before a test
Fortunately none of the above is true.
Education has changed… although there continues to be an emphasis on the three R’s, at least at primary school. However children are also expected to develop strong confidence and self learning skills. Subjects are no longer confined to text books. We encourage students to question issues even more – not to accept answers at “face value.” Where it once seemed the subject was encapsulated in learning 300 pages now the whole world can have their say.
It’s very exciting to see all these developments and I’m quite envious of the opportunities our children have. The only concerns are:
Information overload – how do you sort out the bits you want?
Information reliability – how do you know it’s truthful?
It’s likely that your child will need increasingly diverse life skills: self employment, remote working and subject specialisation will form part of their working lives. They will need to cope with fast technological change and access to massive amounts of data. If the objective of school is to prepare for the world of work then our teachers are faced with a difficult task.
A good tutor can cut through to the heart of the child’s needs and help them navigate confidently. A carefully structured, individual programme will work wonders for a child’s confidence. Giving the student self assurance and a solid foundation encourages them to become more motivated.
Tutoring will identify the child’s existing skills and support them to develop further. It’s certainly no longer about a child who is “failing at school.” Many students simply require clarity in a specific subject and assistance to sort through the information. Some would benefit from achievable short term goal setting.
Others need motivation and mentoring to become more independent learners.
Whatever your child’s academic ability, tutoring can help to get the very best from formal education. Much more than just learning how to do long division!
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