The Keys to Home Study

Understanding about the way we learn has changed significantly in recent years. Educational psychologists and teachers have worked on projects to find the right formula for maximising the benefits from teaching and self-directed learning.

In order to give your children a helping hand with their school studies, signing them up for home tuition can give them the boost they need to get ahead with their work. Choosing a tuition programme carefully can maximise not only their subject-specific learning but also their general study skills and confidence with the material in all their school subjects.

Finding the right tutor

In order to ensure your child is getting the most from their home studies, it’s vital to find a tutor who understands your child and works with them in a way that allows them to perform to their full potential. Finding tutors that work with them on the subjects they struggle with is helpful, but often supporting children to develop their core abilities will give them what they need to progress and excel in other areas of their work too.

Which one of these is the key to success?

Which one of these is the key to success?

There is no accreditation for home tutoring in the UK and while school teachers and college staff need a Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) before they can teach, there is no such requirement on those offering private home tuition. Indeed, having a PGCE is no guarantee of good teaching while not having one does not mean the tutor doesn’t have something to offer. What’s important is the approach the tutor uses to teach children and the results they see from their teaching.

One thing that is important is ensuring that your child’s tutor has been cleared to work with children. An enhanced level of checking with the Criminal Records Bureau will bring to light any concerns about an individual being allowed to work closely with children. By choosing a tutor registered with an agency, you can be sure that the tutors will have been cleared but it’s always worth asking. When securing an individual tutor, you should ask to see their CRB clearance to assure yourself of your child’s safety.                                                                         

Building study skills

Although most tutors tend to be secured to work with children on a specific subject area, one of the most neglected and overlooked areas is building the child’s skills and self-sufficiency so they can study alone between school and tutor sessions.

The building blocks of successful study

The building blocks of successful study

Finding a tutor that uses a method that allows children to develop their abilities to concentrate, motivate themselves, complete tasks and achieve their goals will provide more useful skills than concentrating on the subject matter alone. Development of core skills such as basic literacy and numeracy will also help with subject-specific tasks. If a child understands how language works, they will be more readily able to grasp what is being asked of them in History, Geography, English and other social science disciplines. Basic numeracy will not only help them with their maths studies, it will give them the basis from which they can more easily understand chemistry, physics and even music.

Conclusion

Finding the right tutor for your child can be a challenge. If your child is struggling in a particular subject, it can be tempting to find a tutor to focus on that specific area of their studies to support them to achieve.

However, finding someone who’s more able to work with them on the development of their core understanding of basic skills will stand them in good stead for getting the most from all of their subjects. Finding a private tutor who can support your child to grow in both knowledge and confidence will make for a more well-rounded experience and better performance at school.

 

 

Image Credits: CileSuns92 and ogimogi

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