Every parent in Singapore has possibly undergone the headache of selecting a tutor for their children. This article seeks to focus on the five things parents should take into account when choosing a Physics tutor for their child to ensure that they perform the best in school.
How is the student’s school teaching the concepts?
A common complaint some parents have is that the school expects students to seek external help for their subjects, neglecting to teach them important concepts. If the student has not learned the basics of the subject from their school, it would be good to find a tutor who will explain concepts from the ground up instead of one who focuses on drilling or exam preparation.
Has the student made use of online resources or tried tuition from someone else?
Parents should bear in mind complaints about the former tutors of the student. Certain tutors have a different teaching style and may not be suitable for the student. Parents should ask the student what he or she liked about the tutor and what could have been improved to ensure the correct fit for their child.
Moreover, students should inform their parents of the alternative ways they have tried to study for the subject. At times, online resources may be useful, but it could lack suitability due to not fitting well into the Singaporean syllabus or not being relevant to the material learned in class.
The more information the parent knows about the child’s experiences with learning on their own or with another tutor, the more questions a parent can ask a prospective tutor about the best way for their child to learn. In return, the child will have a better experience with a tutor who knows what the child and his or her previous tutors have tried to do.
How soon is the student’s exam?
Parents should think about which tutor is best for their child depending on whether their exams are close or far away. A more rigorous tutoring may be necessary closer to the exams as the student would require more drilling and preparation for tackling exam questions. However, if the student’s exams are still far away, then a gentler approach which seeks to explains concepts in a more thorough manner instead of dealing with drilling and exam preparation could be better for the student’s learning.
Does the student struggle with a particular chapter or does he/she lack the proper foundation in Physics?
Parents should ask their child whether they are having difficulty with a certain chapter of Physics or whether their basic understanding of Physics is weak as a whole. A student lacking the basic understanding required in Physics needs a tutor who will break down the most basic of concepts for the student to build his or her understanding.
However, if a student is struggling with a particular chapter, the parent should find a tutor with specialised knowledge or a unique way of explaining a certain chapter to try to get their child to have a better understanding of it. At times, a unique perspective of a topic is needed to help students understand better, which requires a bit of creativity on the tutor’s behalf.
In selecting a tutor for Physics, parents should ask their child for as much information as possible. Often, a child who is already in their teenage years could have some semblance of an idea about what they need to improve in a subject. Although Physics can be challenging for some, identifying what a student does not know about the subject could provide a useful benchmark for the tutor about where to begin the student’s learning.
