58 | October 2012 www.womanthismonth.com How does tuition complement school? Most schools are structured in a way that means children are told what to learn, when they will learn it. In some cases, children may be beyond the planned learning for their year group in certain elements and they may become bored if not challenged. In other cases, it may be true that children do not yet have the pre-requisite skills in order to fully access the planned learning for their class. In contrast, tuition can continue to work on your child’s needs be they generic, such as writing or specific such as long division. Schools tend to be curricular led and structured in a way that there is an end point to topics/projects and modules. Tutors can be more selective in what they teach in an attempt to develop targeted areas of need. Schools also provide necessary belonging, understanding of responsibilities and structure under the umbrella of ‘life skills’ for social and emotional development as part of their ethos, which is one argument against full-time home tuition. In short, it is important to see tuition as complementing school. What resources will the tutor provide? A ‘good’ tutor will always welcome questions from parents, so by asking about the resources they use, you will know if they are up-to-date with the relevant curricular and other needs of your child. Check that the tutor will be able to cater for the specific learning needs of your child — a wide range of resources should be available including professionally designed worksheets (including differentiated and sometimes more effective individually developed ones), modern textbooks and other learning aids. If you are having your child tutored for a test, ask about the types of past papers or sample questions being used and other materials to reinforce this. What about ‘me’ tutoring my own child? Some parents are extremely knowledgeable, patient and gifted tutors of their own children whilst others find it a challenge. A child may conform in school, yet, sat at a desk or table at home seems to be a whole new ball game! It can be hard being a parent trying to help your child, especially when the way you were taught to calculate, for example, is very different than how your child is taught. Sometimes, parents and unqualified tutors are unaware of curricular content and approaches, Tutor Checklist Consider these points when selecting a tutor for your child: l What qualifications and experience does the tutor have (years teaching/ tutoring as well as a teaching qualification and relevant degree)? l Have they been recommended by a friend/relative/teacher/school? l How will you know what impact the tuition is having on your child? l Is feedback provided? l Are sessions one-to-one, or within small groups of children? l Are groupings age or ability or both? l Can a child be changed between groups as they progress? l What approach to learning does the tuition take? l Has the tutor been screened (CBR or equivalent)? which can actually hinder progress or confuse a child by introducing new concepts at an inappropriate stage. Try not to compare your child to their peers; they are all unique with regards to the age that they grasp reading, for example. Effective and ongoing communication with your child’s teacher/tutor is essential. In short, tutoring can raise levels of school performance, help a child to increase their confidence, enjoyment and motivation in a subject and develop study skills and discipline that can be applied across a number of subjects. So, you want your child to have some tuition? Make sure you select a tutor that is a qualified and experienced facilitator who can guarantee they are being provided with the right content and delivery for their needs! Parenting
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