One of the biggest objections we hear in regards to tutoring is ‘Tutoring is just giving kids the answers.’ This could not be further from the truth. A good tutor will, yes, teach your children the curriculum, but they’ll do it in a way that adapts to your child’s particular learning style and level, and teaches them to think critically and creatively. A good tutor will never tell your children the answers. They’ll arm them with the tools to figure the answers out for themselves.<\/p>\n
Thinking back to when you were in school, did you ever wonder why your Maths Teacher would insist you \u201cshow your working\u201d in your grid book?<\/p>\n
Did it ever cross your mind as to why your English Teacher would say, \u201cyou can make any claims you like about a text\u2026 as long as you back it up with evidence\u201d?<\/p>\n
Tutors use a similar approach, but are in the advantageous position of focussing on one child at a time.<\/p>\n
Simply giving students the answers to an equation, riddle or problem does not teach the child\u00a0how<\/em>\u00a0to answer similar questions in future. In fact, authors\u00a0Dan Rothstein<\/a><\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0Luz Santana<\/a><\/span>\u00a0reveal that encouraging students to\u00a0ask the questions<\/em>\u00a0is more important than having them give the answer. Your child\u2019s tutor won\u2019t give away the answers. Rather, they will help your child consider the right questions to ask, support dynamic thinking, and investigate a problem or question from a variety of angles.<\/p>\n The authors go on to note that tutors who use this approach facilitate deeper learning, and suggest four simple rules for structured questioning:<\/p>\n Rule 1:<\/em>\u00a0Encourage the child to ask as many questions as they can, as this gives permission to ask.<\/p>\n Rule 2:<\/em>\u00a0Do not judge, discuss, or answer any question in the initial stages, as this creates a safe learning space and protects the child\u2019s potentially fragile confidence.<\/p>\n Rule 3:<\/em>\u00a0Record every question exactly as it is stated, which shows the child the tutor respects their independent voice.<\/p>\n Rule 4:<\/em>\u00a0Help the student change any statements into a question.<\/p>\n Students who embrace this approach are able to look further into a topic and unlock alternative interpretations of meaning. Not only that, but their confidence is established at a base level.<\/p>\n There is much argument for the teaching of\u00a0processes<\/em>\u00a0as opposed to\u00a0tools<\/em>\u00a0in modern education, as evidence suggests this generates transferable skills in students.<\/p>\n Shaun Beard<\/a><\/span>, Superintendent of Teaching and Learning in the USA argues that it is important to teach students\u00a0why<\/em>\u00a0we use certain tools or programs, rather than simply\u00a0how<\/em>\u00a0to use them, and it is argument is valid.<\/p>\n Beard explains that learned skills should be transferable to the workforce after graduation, and that while one business may utilise a specific program, interface or tool learned through school, another may lean towards use of another.<\/p>\n A good tutor will take a holistic approach to your child\u2019s learning, with the view to build upon what they already know, and encourage the application of critical thinking, questioning and understanding of processes in a broad array of areas.<\/p>\n Our Online Tutors at Choice Education Group provide students with a \u2018toolbox\u2019 of broad learning skills that help your child get ahead, including the\u00a0how<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0why<\/em>\u00a0of tools commonly practised in the classroom.<\/p>\n Another reason to have a tutor is the chance to master new material before your child has learned it in school. Not only does your child have the added advantage of understanding a concept or topic before their peers, it also helps build their confidence in that area, and encourages participation in class discussions where perhaps they were reluctant before.<\/p>\n A good tutor will start by reading the current syllabus with your child, using this as an opportunity to guide them in understanding\u00a0why<\/em>\u00a0they are learning specific topics or completing certain projects. This is also a chance for the tutor to explain the rubric, what their teacher is looking for in a submission, and\u00a0why<\/em>\u00a0\u2013 giving your child a better understanding of the whole area of study and its relevance.<\/p>\n At Choice Education, we believe children are learners with a natural instinct to seek improvement and achievement. With the knowledge that classroom teachers are under significant pressure to provide every student with the same level of attention (where in reality, time and curriculum teaching requirements do not allow), our long-time tutors are dedicated to providing students with descriptive and useful feedback on their work, which they will use to guide the child towards reviewing their own work with a critical eye.<\/p>\n In the past, teachers would deliver (sometimes scathing!) feedback to students in front of the whole class. Needless to say, this was arguably a demoralising and defeating experience. Education Consultant and Curriculum Writer\u00a0Laura Reynolds<\/a><\/span>\u00a0reminds teachers that feedback should always be either positive or neutral; this is because the ultimate goal of providing feedback is to give the student a \u201ccan do\u201d attitude in their approach to academic study.<\/p>\n Suffice to say, your child\u2019s tutor will always focus on your child\u2019s best efforts. It is not uncommon to hear a tutor deliver constructive feedback that includes phrases like \u201cWhat I love about your submission is\u2026\u201d or \u201cI love how you tried to include the main criteria points in your response\u201d or \u201cYou\u2019re halfway there already \u2013 fantastic!\u201d, before moving into areas for improvement.<\/p>\n Feedback is important to improvement. Students can find it discouraging when they put significant time and effort into their schoolwork, only for it to remain unchecked or to receive harsh criticism. Therefore, it is imperative to the progress of your child\u2019s academic knowledge and skill to receive and apply constructive feedback regularly.<\/p>\n Likewise, there are students who feel they are not challenged enough at school. Perhaps they are considered high achievers in their mixed-ability English class, or simply don\u2019t find the Mathematics equations difficult to comprehend.<\/p>\n Often times, classroom teachers are aware of a student\u2019s extraordinary capabilities and will plan ahead, providing them with an additional stimulus, a more challenging problem, or extra-curricular work. However, teachers are frequently so busy managing large class numbers that high achieving students will complete their work quickly, and waste the remainder of the lesson on unrelated tasks or form detrimental behaviours.<\/p>\n Fortunately, our tutors at Choice Education Group are well-adept at providing such students with academic challenges targeted to their ability, encouraging children to delve deeper into topics, and hone a higher-level of thinking. Not only will your child have a broader understanding of learned concepts at school, they will be able to question and critique at a learning level beyond that of their age group.<\/p>\n Once your child has accessed the \u2018tutoring toolbox\u2019 and become acquainted with their newfound skills, they are on the fast track to becoming independent learners.<\/p>\n Becoming independent in your learning gives a child the authority to decide what they learn (often beyond the curriculum), how they learn (using a variety of study techniques proven most suitable to them), where they learn most effectively without distraction, and whom they learn with.<\/p>\n Tutoring does not mean giving children the answers. It is providing every student with bespoke learning strategies and one-on-one education within and beyond the curriculum. It is the process of learning how to learn, how to question, how to research – and applying those skills to all facets of a child\u2019s life.<\/p>\n Whether you\u2019re looking for High School Tutors, Online Tutoring or preparing for a Scholarship test, at\u00a0Choice Education Group<\/a><\/span>, we are ready to help your child think critically and creatively in our one-on-one, group and online tutor sessions today.<\/p>\n https:\/\/www.choiceeducationgroup.com<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Authors Rothstein and Santana<\/p>\n https:\/\/www.kqed.org\/mindshift\/24472\/for-students-why-the-question-is-more-important-than-the-answer<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Shaun Beard<\/p>\nLearning Transferable Skills<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n
Get Ahead of the Curriculum<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n
Feedback is Important<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n
Tutoring is for High-Achievers, too<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n
Learning to Learn<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n
Resource:<\/strong><\/h4>\n