Is Tuition Agencies Really Worth it for tutors?

Having to pay the tuition agency after they have sought a tutor or a client out, is it really worth the price? According to the tutor’s point of view, having to fork out the fee after the tuition agency found a client for him or her, is it worth it?

If you put some thought into it, you would realize that by contracting with a tuition agency, it would save you a lot of time from searching for a client.

With its available resources, a tuition agency can easily market and advertise a tutor and within a short time span, find a suitable candidate for the tutor. However, if the tutor advertises on his or her own, wouldn’t it take up more time and money than needed? The result would also not be certain and unless the tutor’s qualifications are exceptional, it would be hard to find a student in a short period of time. Thus, paying the agency for its services is really not a big price to pay.

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Why are the Services of Tuition Agencies Required?

Often, when parents or students seek out a home tutor, they find themselves hiring a home tutor that does not fit the criteria that they hoped for. This wastes the precious time of the student that is seeking to improve his grades and they have to carry on looking for yet another tutor. There are many parents that have complained about hiring a tutor that does not have the qualifications to teach and yet charging an extorting amount for fees. Thus, tuition agencies come in hand in times like this.

By looking for a tuition agency for their services, parents and students can be reassured that the home tutors that have contracted with the tuition agency is usually qualified and the agency will be responsible for employing the tutor. With such a service, parents and students will simply have to state the criteria of the tutor they are looking for and be put at ease.

If you need a home tutor for your child, you can visit tuition agency singapore

Private Tuition or Tuition Centers

Which one should you choose: tuition center or private tuition?

This article goes out to parents out there who are deciding between sending their kids to tuition centers and getting them a private tutor.

When deciding where to send your child for tuition, tuition centers will seem to be an attractive option. But, are they really good? Let’s find out.

Benefits of sending your child to a tuition center

Price is usually the main factor that spurs you to consider sending your child to a tuition center. Sending your child to a once-a-week, two-hour tuition at a tuition center costs you only a little more than half the price of getting private tutor.

Furthermore, tuition centers usually promote themselves as hiring only qualified teachers to teach in their centers, which makes them more attractive. On top of that, certain tuition centers are often integrated with after-school care services, which enable you to leave your child in the hands of an experienced care taker after tuition classes.

You may visit pros and cons of group tuition for more details about group tuition

Benefits of getting a private tutor

On the other hand, getting a private tutor has its advantages too. Even though private tuition costs significantly more than tuition centers, private tutors can undertake a more targeted approach to address the needs of your child, whereas tuition centers are more like miniature government school classes, where 15 to 20 students come together to practice under the supervision of one qualified teacher.

Private tutors also offer you and your child the flexibility in choosing the time, duration and location of lessons that best fit your busy schedules, instead of having to accommodate to the fixed timings of the tuition center classes and to go out of the way to send your child to the tuition centers for tuition. You will also be given a say in which subjects and topics the private tutor should focus on to suit your child’s needs, as compared to a generic lesson plan at tuition centers that caters to a general audience.

Engaging a private tutor for your child also provides you with the opportunity to observe how the tutor interacts with and guides your child, something that is not possible if you send your child to a tuition center.

Considering both sides of the coin, you can now make an informed decision on where to send your child for tuition – to a tuition center where your child gets a chance to do additional practices on a subject with a smaller group of peers, who might or might not be of the same level, or to a private tutor at the comfort of your home, where your child learns under close guidance and follows a curriculum that matches his or her progress.

At the end of the day, it all boils down to what your child needs to achieve from tuition. If he or she just needs more practice, he or she could get it at tuition center or even alone at home, under your occasional supervision. But if your child needs help to understand what is going on in class, it would be wiser to opt for a private tutor. In the end, you must remember this – you only get what you pay for.

You may visit pros and cons of private tuition for more details

Which learning method suits your child most?

While most of us rely on the schools and the Ministry of Education (MOE) to develop and adopt the best learning methods for our children, it is difficult to come up with a one-size-fits-all learning method that every child is comfortable with. In order to teach efficiently to a large group of students, schools tend to adopt the learning method that best suits learning in a big group. One such method is lecturing, where school teachers teach and the students listen and learn passively. Though this method ensures that the teachers can finish teaching the allocated syllabus within the stipulated time, it may not be the best method to help students internalize the knowledge taught.

Most children cannot learn just by listening; they need to see and do it themselves to fully understand. This is why schools and enrichment centers are now adopting creative learning methods that encourage hands-on activities, where children are given the chance to understand through the use of various senses, instead of just listening.

In the recent years, Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) has developed to become a popular and effective model for identifying effective learning methods for students. NLP is a behavioral model that studies how excellent individuals think and communicate to become successful. From there, NLP develops a series of tools and strategies to identify and remove ineffective behaviors and to encourage effective ones.

Here are some of the learning methods that you could consider using for your child at home to stimulate learning:

Graphic stimulation

If your child finds it difficult to remember concepts in his or her textbooks, try using graphics! Mind mapping is a good way to help them. It allows your child to summarize important points of a topic on a single piece of paper using different colors, graphics and keywords, and to arrange them in a manner that helps them to remember better. Summarizing also allows them see the bigger picture and understand the concepts better.

Music-aided learning

Some children cannot concentrate when it is too quiet around them. For these children, playing relaxing and soothing music quietly in the background while they are studying can help them to learn better. However, do take note of the type of music used. Try using classical music or jazz and avoid using music with lyrics, so as not to create unnecessary distraction.

Show and tell

Instead of teaching on paper, try and engage your children by making their lessons ‘come alive’! For example, when teaching them about plants, bring them to the Botanical Gardens and show them the plants! Let them have a chance to see, touch and smell the plants. Such hands-on lessons enable the children to remember and relate better to the information taught in their textbooks and also help to increase their learning interest.

By identifying and adopting a learning method that best suits your child’s learning pattern and interests, you child will be more inclined to study and will become a more effective learner in time to come!

Is Mother Tongue important?

As a full-time tutor, I often take on tuition assignments that cover English, Mathematics and Science, but very seldom for Mother Tongue. Whenever I ask parents why they do not want to get a Mother Tongue home tutor for their children, I will often get the answer ‘Mother Tongue is not important’.

Parents tend to rank the importance of a subject according to its weightage in schools. Generally, technical subjects like Mathematics and Science are perceived to be more important than language subjects as these subjects are the ‘scoring’ subjects. English is added into the package not only because it is one of the ‘scoring’ subjects, but also because it is the language medium used to teach all other subjects except Mother Tongue. This leaves Mother Tongue in an awkward position.

Language subjects used to be as important as technical subjects in the eyes of the education system and in that of the parents and students. But ever since the society becomes more and more English-oriented, people are slowly losing interest in and exposure to their Mother Tongue, which they deemed unnecessary.

The education authorities responded by changing the teaching approach for Mother Tongue, especially for the Chinese Language, to a ‘more enjoyable’ one, where students do not need to be worried about reading and writing the complicated Chinese characters at the beginning, and only need to focus on oral communication and word recognition.

Little did they know that not only does this encourage students to lessen their focus on Mother Tongue as a subject, it also prevents them from building a solid foundation in their Mother Tongue. As these students move from oral to writing stages, they realized that they have big shoes to fill within a short time. The steep learning curve further discouraged them from learning their Mother Tongue.

As time pass, students become more and more ‘westernized’. They have forgotten how to read or write in their Mother Tongue. Some Chinese students do not even know how to write their Chinese names! While this is a worrying trend, many parents chose to overlook this fact as they think that Mother Tongue is not crucial to their children’s future. However, many failed to realize that this is no longer true.

With the rising of China as a global power, many native Chinese are streaming into the rest of the world to work and to do business. As a result, Chinese is fast becoming an important language to learn when dealing with China companies. There is now increased demand for bilinguals who are good in both English and Chinese to do the necessary business translations. This used to be an edge that Singaporeans have over others. However, with the declining Chinese standards in Singapore and the increasing English literacy rates in China, native Chinese are fast overtaking Singaporean Chinese in terms of bilingual ability.

If our students continue to disregard their Mother Tongue, they will very soon be phased out of the race and eventually lose their competitive edge in the workforce. So, is Mother Tongue really that unimportant?

This article was written by Vivien. Vivien is a full time tutor who is teaching at the western area of Singapore. She taught English, Math and Science for Primary School student. If you are a parent who is looking for a full-time home tutor at the western area of Singapore, you may give us a call or submit your online home tuition registration. Our friendly staff will call you as soon as possible.

Despicable Me Movie Review

Parents often look for a film they can take their child to, and not have to worry about language and sexual innuendos. The creators of Despicable Me took that information to heart, and created a fun and powerful film.

In this film, there are many lessons your child can learn, along with having a great time! Ultimately, the story is about impressing your parents and finding that no matter what you do, their love for you will remain. Of course, because of the title, we find those means are through two of the top super villains in the world.

Gru, who is played by Steve Carrel, goes through a number of changes during the movie. When it first begins, he is outright evil with no hint of having a heart. But as it progresses, he finds love and has a family. He quickly learns that in the end, the most important thing is the love of your family. For children who have big ambitions, this may have them stop and think about the priorities in their life.

Teamwork is another important part of the film. Children will learn that everything that goes on with Gru wouldn’t be possible without his little yellow minions. Of course, parents should guide their child that a person cannot have minions, rather friends who are there to help them reach a goal together.

Loyalty is another very important theme in the film. When the chips are down, the friends of Gru continue to pull together and help the final goal be reached, and it may even leave a few parents with tears in their eyes. The film is powerful in its messages, although some of them may be presented in an obscure way.

One such odd way is the power of family theme. During the film, you understand the closeness that the family has in general, but some of their outrageous antics make you wonder what their true motivations are. Still, the obvious change is at the end of the movie, when the entire family bonds strongest for one final challenge that faces them as a group.

Perhaps the most important lesson parents can help their children find in this film is self worth. While every movie directed at families may touch upon this theme, Despicable Me teaches the evil doctor Gru that he is worthwhile, and that there are people who are going to love him as a regular person or a superhero. This should also show children that love is the most important thing, and no matter what we accomplish in life, we should focus on our relationships over other items.

Some good questions to ask your child after viewing the film:

• Why do you think Gru wanted to impress his mom?
• Would you choose to be evil still, or focus on your family?
• Were the yellow monsters good or bad?

Remember there are no right or wrong answers here. Encourage your child to think about what they saw in the film, and let them use that for stronger analytical skills.

Getting Kids Hooked on Science

Many parents recognize their children won’t love every subject that is presented to them. But when a child is struggling enough, the active parent should step in and teach them the fun that a certain topic can have. One of the toughest subjects your child will encounter is Science, but if you make it fun for them, they will succeed!

Think about what you loved doing in science as a child. Most likely, you remember the exciting experiments that your teacher let you do! To get your children interested in their science course spend some time doing some simple experiments that will get them laughing and having fun.

To begin with, use summer vacation as a time to help your child’s passion for science grow. There are several options you can do, and they’ll love each one! To begin with, plant a garden and discus why the different plans and vegetables grow.

Weather is another interesting area of science that you can get your child interested in. Begin to talk about the sun and clouds and why it rains sometimes. Depending on the age of your child, you can adjust the depth of the topic, but any questions that have be certain to answer!

Baking is another great way to teach your child about science. The next time you make cookies with them, take the time to show them why you mix things together. Explain that while on their own some of the ingredients don’t taste good alone, together they can turn into something different and make a chocolate chip cookie.

While in the kitchen, let them perform several different experiments as well. For example, place four cups with different colored water in them on an easily cleaned floor. Next, have your child fill four spoons with different amounts of baking soda. At this point ask them which will bubble up the fastest and the highest, then step back and find out!

This process allows the child to understand that different combinations will result in different outcomes. In addition, it will give them an insight into the fun part of science and begin having them ask new questions as to why this happened. You can explain to them about the reasons that the baking soda lead to the eruption in the different cups as well.

Encouraging your child to explore is another way to get them excited about science! When they ask questions and you can turn it into a project, choose to go that route instead. This way they can learn how to do valuable research that will aid them later in life, while finding the answer to a question they have been desperately having.

Another great option is to encourage participation in school science fairs. When you learn that one will be happening sit down with your child and ask them what they might like to do. Don’t discourage any project ideas they have, instead think about how you can turn it into something that will work for them at their grade level.

Getting your child excited about science can be easy and rewarding. Take the time to explore the world with them. In addition, ask questions and let them seek out their answers as well.

The Karate Kid Movie Review

What began as a cute little movie in the 80 has become a cultural icon to many. Anyone who has ever felt beaten down by a world full of bullies could identify with the Karate Kid and his thirst for vengeance. What he received however was an education from Mr. Myiagi on the importance of self-control and discipline and wax on wax off become a household phrase. The question for most is will Jayden Smith be able to fill the shoes of Ralph Macchio and can Jackie Chan steal your heart the way Pat Morita did?

For lovers of the first film The Karate Kid 2010 edition will have some marked differences such as the setting for the film. In both cases, there is a traumatic, for the teen hero anyway, move from everything they know and love. However, instead of moving halfway across the country Dre and his mother move halfway around the world to Beijing China. In this colorful but foreign land, Dre encounters the bane of every teenager’s existence, the bully. Dre’s bullies are rougher than most, thanks to their Kung Fu training. The key to enjoying this movie is not to compare it scene for scene to the original but to accept it for what it is a new way to look at the lessons of life.

Fresh Perspective
You must give The Karate Kid time to get started, in the beginning you may think it is a tired remake with very little going for it, however at the point where Dre finally learns the meaning of “jacket on, jacket off, throw it on the ground, pick it up and hang it up” you gain new found respect for the creators of this movie and the messages behind it. When Mr. Hahn explains to Dre that Kung Fu lives in everything you do, from taking off your jacket to how you treat people it is a truly aha moment, for the characters and the audience.

The View
One of the most spectacular things about this version of The Karate Kid is the wonderful imagery. Ancient and modern elements of China explode off the screen in all their colorful splendor. Sweeping landscapes, gorgeous architecture and historical references are enough of a reason to see this film even if you are not a huge martial arts fan.

Moral of the Story
There are many lessons to be learned from Dre and Mr. Hahn, not the least of these is the idea that when life knocks you down you have the choice to get back up again. Movie aficionados will recognize this from Batman Begins but it still rings true in the latest installment of The Karate Kid. Other key character lessons include respect, vision and dominating the things you fear most.

Conclusion
You may go into this movie with many preconceived notions of how it should play out, but if you will open yourself to simply experiencing The Karate Kid for a new generation, you will leave with a smile on your face and a deeper appreciation for the struggles that everyone faces. This was a feel good movie about a young man’s enlightenment and journey toward a deeper understanding of life, love and endurance.