At various points during their time at school, children will face different challenges. Private tuition can support them in these moments, guiding them and their families through the tricky minefield of education. Parents want the best for their children and to give them strong foundations for future success. Private tuition can help achieve this, but what can parents expect from their investment?
Confidence
Private tuition can hugely increase a child’s confidence. Good tutors will get to know the children they teach and pinpoint the exact issues a child is facing and how they can be addressed. Knowing that they are receiving help and have the opportunity to discuss the problems that are affecting their learning, can greatly enhance children’s self-esteem.
One-to-one support
In crowded classrooms, sometimes 30 students or more, many children can get overlooked. A teacher’s time is hugely limited and can’t stretch to provide children with the one-to-one support many of them need.
Once a child is struggling in the unforgiving environment of the classroom, they may become unwilling to ask questions crucial to deepening their understanding.
In pressurized schools, there is also only a limited time to review children’s work and check understanding. Working with a tutor gives students the opportunity to review the areas in which they may be struggling and to plug the gaps in their knowledge. Unlike the pressurized environment of the classroom, tutors can work at a pace suitable to the student and study a topic until the child is confident with it and ready to move on.
Motivation
With a private tutor focusing solely on the success of the individual student, this means students are more likely to perform to the best of their ability. Knowing that they now have the extra-support and can address those gaps in their learning, students have the extra motivation and belief to succeed in their studies.
Comfortable environment
School can be a challenging and sometimes hostile environment for students. Working at home, in a familiar setting, often allows students to relax and therefore become more productive in their studies.
Attainment
One of the biggest questions asked about private tuition is whether it actually improves the attainment of the students receiving it? The answer depends totally on the tutor- a good tutor should improve their student’s attainment. It is crucial that parents appreciate though that in cases where children have an underlying or significant learning issues, very often success translates on a smaller scale, such as the understanding of a certain topic or the mastering of a particular skill linked to a subject.
Recent research has also suggested that investing in the attainment of older siblings can rub-off on younger brothers and sisters, positively effecting their attainment and directly effecting their school-grades.
Personalized learning
At school, students don’t get a choice as to what teacher they have. With tuition, that choice is available to some extent, meaning that students can be matched with tutors who may teach in a manner more suited to a particular child’s learning style.
Homework help
One of the most stressful parts of the parent-child relationship is homework! By the time it comes to getting round to helping their child, parents (and child) are often drained and the weekly Sunday night battle to finish homework can be incredible stressful for the whole household. Tutors can help ease these tensions by working with children on their homework, ensuring they learn more effectively from the homework and also empowering them with greater responsibility for their own learning (and easing the stresses of mum and dad!).
Exam Technique
In many primary-level assessments, children fall down on poor exam technique, nullifying a sound knowledge of a subject. Tutors can provide crucial exam technique advice and work through past papers with children on a one-to-one basis, checking their understanding and addressing any misconceptions.
Innovative methods With private tuition typically on a one-to-one basis, tutors are far more willing to experiment with new teaching styles which may work more effectively for the student. Many teachers who work as one-to-one tutors outside of school are typically far more likely to try innovative and novel approaches to learning, often with exceptional results for their students.