Many, if not all, of us, have required assistance in learning new things or developing existing skills, whether it be learning to drive, training for a new job, asking for directions, or seeking clarification because of mishearing something. We can also assume that everyone has, at some time during their educational endeavors, needed help from someone more experienced and knowledgeable in a subject. After all, that’s the purpose of the relationship between a teacher and their students.
Education has existed since time immemorial, with the earliest writing systems said to have originated in Egypt around 2,000 B.C., some 4,000 years ago. Education, since these early times, has made great advancements. One important aspect has to include the creation of the curriculum. It ensures everyone has the opportunity to learn the same thing at the same time, attempting to create equal learning opportunities for all.
Topics in subjects have to be taught at certain times throughout the academic year so students can be assessed at regular intervals. This means teachers are often hard-pressed to help a child that’s finding a subject difficult to master. Private tuition can help bridge this gap in their knowledge and stop them from falling behind their peers. If you’re considering hiring a private tutor for your child(ren), here are four benefits of doing so.
1. Teaching with Specialist Knowledge
As a child, we rely on our parents, or guardians, to help us. We look to them when we’re hurt, when we’re hungry and need help with homework. Somewhat unfairly, perhaps, we expect them to know everything and we’re not alone. There have been many posts on the internet about parents struggling with their child’s homework, almost like a plea for validation of being unable to complete their child’s homework whilst simultaneously seeking out help to complete their child’s homework, regardless of whether they or their child understands it.
The difference between using a private tutor and relying on the latter method is that a private tutor will not only know the answer, they will help your child understand how to figure out the answer themselves. That’s if you get a tutor that is knowledgeable in the right subject and knows how to impart knowledge in a way that is meaningful to your child, which not all tutors can effectively do. The specialists behind Tutor Storm state that hiring a private tutor that positively impacts your child’s learning can take time and plenty of trial and error to discover. This is not because there is a shortage of private tutors - far from it, in fact.
But it’s because not everyone can impart knowledge in an understandable way, in more than one way, or find the way that appeals to your child’s specific style of learning. Your child’s preferred learning style could consist of one or more of them, which are visual, auditory, reading/writing, or kinesthetic. To further complicate this, your child’s preferred learning style for one subject could greatly differ for another subject. There are no hard and fast rules in this regard. A good private tutor will not only know this but be able to adapt to their student’s needs, accordingly.
2. Developing Intrinsic Motivation
From the time a private tutor starts teaching, they are solely invested in your child’s success. They will adapt their teaching style to suit your child’s learning style to enable them to understand what they are being taught. Furthermore, private tutors are more likely to use innovative approaches for teaching your child and teach more than what the curriculum requires. This can be beneficial in several ways. For instance, it can intrinsically motivate your child as they become more interested in a subject so they naturally want to learn more about it. The extra knowledge they acquire can also be useful when completing homework or feeling confident in contributing to lessons whilst at school.
Intrinsic motivation is an important skill for a child to develop because it is behavior that drives a person to do something. In this case, their intrinsic motivation could be said to encourage your child to want to learn because of a genuine interest they have. When young, this can often be affected by how we are taught, so finding a private tutor that connects to your child’s educational aspirations is vital.
Intrinsic motivation should not be confused with extrinsic motivation. Extrinsic motivation occurs because of external forces, such as avoiding a penalty. In the case of your child learning, an example would be them being compelled to read about a topic not because of being interested in it but to avoid getting into trouble.
A good teacher can foster a love of learning in their students so that intrinsic motivation within them encourages them to want to learn. It has been found that people are more creative and curious when they are motivated this way, which can remain with them throughout their lives. For instance, people tend to want to learn new things when their curiosity is piqued, especially when goals they pursue have personal meaning.
3. One on One
Class sizes often mean students are jostling for individual teacher time, perhaps because they have a question about the work they are expected to complete or if they require assistance. As there is usually only one teacher to a class that often has more than twenty students, it can be extremely difficult for a teacher to ensure they meet every child’s needs. However, with a private tutor, your child is able to have any questions they pose answered immediately.
This means they can receive help instantaneously to develop their understanding of a subject they may have had difficulty with during lessons. This will then positively impact their ability to complete their schoolwork, making it less of a chore. Furthermore, with private tuition they are able to have the quality of their work reviewed as soon as it’s done, enabling them to immediately work on areas that require additional attention with the guidance of their private tutor.
Working with a private tutor will increase a child’s confidence to ask questions without feeling embarrassed whilst also developing their knowledge in any given subject. A good tutor will never make a child feel conscious to ask a question or voice either an answer or opinion during their time together.
Another advantage of private tuition is that there are no other distractions that can inevitably occur due to learning with a classroom of peers. It is just your child and your tutor. There is a limited amount of time that they have together, so it must be effectively utilized. As your child’s tutor is not going to be disturbed by another student during their allotted time together, there is less chance of the tutor’s attention being distracted from your child. This means that every moment is spent helping your child learn a subject in a meaningful way.
3. Success!
Your child naturally wants to do well at school, whether it’s understanding a topic to effectively complete homework, pass an assessment, or get accepted onto another course. Your child’s private tutor is hired to help them achieve this and a good one will naturally want to see all those children they help succeed, your child included. Private tuition in Australia is a burgeoning sector, with the main reasons including children passing exams or requiring general help with their schoolwork.
With many considering the Australian curriculum more demanding than ever, it is thought more and more of our children are falling behind, hence the need for private tuition. Although having a tutor cannot guarantee success, it can definitely help, especially if a child is willing to put the effort into learning. A private tutor can identify gaps in your child’s knowledge and help them improve their academic performance, simply because their focus is on your child alone and not on over twenty students.
This is important when educational achievements are often measured by a child understanding what they have learned in conjunction with possessing the ability to convey their newly acquired knowledge in a prescribed manner, which is usually via an assessment.
A private tutor may even discover any potential learning difficulties that could affect your child’s ability to learn. In a class with twenty or so peers, it is easy for a child to develop coping mechanisms to hide their weaknesses, whether it’s through fear or anxiety. With early intervention often being key in preventing a child from falling too far behind their peers or becoming disengaged in their learning, private tuition can undoubtedly contribute to your child’s academic success. Furthermore, it will help to demonstrate to your child there is nothing wrong with being different or having to learn in a different way.
When a child becomes disengaged in learning or their education, it can have a detrimental impact on them that can last through their educational experience. As this child develops into an adult, their ability to intrinsically motivate themselves becomes harder, potentially meaning that they will never realize their full potential.
Private tuition can change how your child perceives learning by providing them with the necessary support to demonstrate their ability to learn something and successfully apply it to their schooling. It enables your child to review what they have learned at school and extend this learning by possibly discovering things outside the curriculum during private tuition. By establishing a thirst for knowledge and a curious mind, private tuition will equip your child with vital skills that will stay without them throughout their lives, which is a benefit within itself.
