For as long as one can recall school, the fondest memories are perhaps students bonding over their dissatisfaction in a subject. Unironically and universally, this subject has always been math. Research reports that many kids in Australia start disliking math very early before knowing about formulas and equations. This distaste is not just a pattern in Australia, but many other countries experience similar experiences.
As far as mathematics is concerned, it is one of importance. Hence, many parents worldwide use a math tutor to assist their children in gaining some interest in this subject. In engineering, biomedical, and life sciences, math is used extensively in conducting research. In physics and allied sciences, math forms the basis of even the most fundamental theories. Most schools treat math as a core subject, implying that kids’ scores predict their future in school and university.
Why is math disliked?
The importance of math as a discipline is well known to all of us. But there must be a reason as to why so many children dislike such a fundamental subject. As seen on the surface, Math might seem like numbers, equations, and formulas that do not make sense. One cannot always explain math practically, like with other sciences. Due to this trait of the subject, children consider math as something abstract and irrelevant.
At the crux of math, it is tied deeply with philosophy. Therefore, many theories and variables may seem dull to the subject’s counterparts. (History, Geography, etc.). Due to this distaste, learning becomes difficult as children struggle to make sense of the abstraction.
Tutoring
Many institutions have devised a tutoring system to assist children in scoring well and understanding the subject. These systems start from middle school and go up till university-level education. These systems involve a senior student teaching a junior peer for credits or pay. The tutors might even be adults taking up part-time jobs to make ends meet for children who get home-schooled.
Tutoring usually does not have an extensive test system as other academic training experiences. It involves simplifying difficult-to-understand content so that the learner quickly understands it. The growth and efficiency of the tutor are assessed through learner performance in school or university tests. Australia currently employs almost 50,000 people as tutors!
How does it work?
Be it a math tutor or science tutor, they all have few fundamental roles that come with the job. One crucial factor that decides the teaching approach of the tutor is what the child needs. Tutoring is for both children who struggle with a subject and children who want to polish their knowledge on that subject. Based on the need, learning style, activities, and test difficulty will vary.
For example, a math tutor might focus on enhancing the child’s abilities in conceptualising the problems. They might help the child in garnering confidence in their understanding of the sum. Some tutors focus more on the learner’s goals. If the child wants to score 90% in the upcoming test, the tutor will undertake targeted lessons to help achieve that. These tutoring classes also occur on an hourly basis, allowing the learner to extend the services if they feel they need it!
Why tutoring?
Tutoring helps the student and the tutors in many ways:
- Students gain a sense of confidence and interest in the subject.
- Students are empowered to score better and reach their learning goals.
- Tutoring provides targeted lessons to optimise the learning experience.
- Tutors are experts who are picked after a training and testing program.
- Tuitions follow the school curriculum and, therefore, remain relevant.
