With the Leaving Certificate and Junior Certificate exams approaching students have done all they can and now it’s time to be put to the test! Some may have taken grinds and you may be already considering grinds to help with such exams or with other motivations borne in mind. But have you signed up for grinds just because?
In other words, are you subject to the casual private tutoring industry in Ireland? We are currently living in a society where social media and swift means of communication are assisting our ‘hectic’ lifestyles. It means that it’s very easy for anyone to create a social media page, advertise their tutoring services on tutoring websites, and potentially create recommendations and reviews. It also means it’s very easy for potential students to sign up on a click!
Who’s to know if there is a truth to that PhD in Physics and 10 years’ teaching experience? Many of these tutoring businesses are working as an agency, solely facilitating the tutor’s profile instead of working as a proper company. The business does not take any responsibility for the loss of time, money and effort of the student due to the unprofessional tutoring they receive. They are skipping the crucial screening stages and necessary personalised tailored approach, matching the correct tutor with student. Essentially, do you really know who your tutor is from these sources? Moreover do you know if the tutor is the best for you as a student and will you be safe? In reality, you are inviting a stranger into your home or entering a stranger’s home.
What is this causal tutoring business lacking then? Origin Tutors asks themselves, what qualities do we look for in a tutor? For Origin Tutors, a skilled tutor with an excellent level of maturity and professionalism (including measurable progress report and regular feedback) is of utmost importance. We value our service to our clients. If these fundamentals of a great tutor are not on par, you could be subject to a loss of valuable time, a financial loss but most importantly it can sometimes be detrimental to the student’s learning.
What are the reasons a student decides to take grinds in the first place?… Possibly because he/she has a teacher with poor teaching technique and is consequently having difficulty following class. If an additional teacher complicates this further it can be more damaging. It means there isn’t a positive learning outcome but more significantly it inhibits the student’s confidence in his/her learning ability and tackling of the given subject.
So what’s Origin Tutor’s approach? We believe in procedure orientated teaching not answer based. Using techniques such as trial and error and eliminating incorrect possibilities creating self-discovery learning in class. Students retain their learning more effectively this way. They remember the process in which they have learnt. Giving students the direct answer is the easy and lazy approach. The student’s experience shouldn’t be bombarded with millions of extra notes and solutions on top of what they get in school. This is daunting! We have resources such as www.examinations.ie only a click away to access solutions to examination papers. This isn’t the primary role of a teacher.
Let me give you an example of how we approach things, a student of mine that’s currently taking English language class made the following mistake ‘I have seventeen years old’. I would typically repeat what the student said emphasising ‘have’ and asking the student if it sounds corrects. If it is not evident they should use the verb ‘be’, I create an anecdote. I show them a picture of a girl and I say ‘This is my best friend Mary. Mary is 27 years old. I am 26 years old. How about you?’ The student is thinking for himself/herself and learning given a real life example. This is the learning that’s required in the classroom and in the real world. We are never given a simple sheet with the answers!
Another thing we’re keen about is keeping students and parents in the loop and we place a lot of emphasis on evaluating our students’ progress and report on it on a regular basis.
Fortunately as a small nation, renowned for having the gift of the gab, word of mouth still remains one of the most reliable sources for selecting a tutor and that’s something we really experience at Origin Tutors. If you are really lost with finding a tutor, why not have a conversation with us and we can assist steering your learning/ your child’s learning in the right direction.
© Origin Tutors Limited and www.origintutors.com, 2017. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Origin Tutors Limited and www.origintutors.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
(3) Comments