Academic excellence is highly valued in Singapore, and parents always seek ways to empower their children. One popular and effective tool for primary school students is one-to-one tuition, which provides personalised learning support to supplement classroom education. This approach has many benefits and helps young learners reach their full potential.
One-to-one tutoring offers numerous benefits for primary school children. This article will demonstrate the advantages of this tutoring approach over other options, focusing on primary school tuition.
What about the alternatives to one-to-one tutoring?
Before considering one-to-one tutoring, let’s explore other options to support students from primary to secondary school, up to GCSE and beyond.
Parent choices tend to boil down to three options:
1) The purely digital tuition with online website courses
The benefit of this online course is that it is simple to register, doesn’t cost much, and offers many free options. However, the downside is that navigating can be challenging, and the lessons are not personalised to the child’s needs. It requires a significant amount of input from the parent to ensure that the child is working at the appropriate level and on the correct activities. Furthermore, this approach may not be suitable if the child would benefit more from a relational approach to their tuition lessons.
2) Face-to-face group lessons offered after school by organisations
Attending tuition centres can be challenging, especially with a busy family life. Despite small group classes, it takes work to get personalised support as the groups can become quite large. Moreover, Kumon’s teaching method is worksheet-based, making it challenging to keep your child motivated. Children may soon get tired of the daily grind and lose interest.
3) The ‘home school option’ – i.e. you do it yourself
It ultimately depends on your circumstances and your relationship with your child. Home-schooling could be viable if you both have enough time and a strong bond. However, this may not be the most appealing choice for most of us, especially after the Covid-19 experience. Nevertheless, it might work if you possess a solid grasp of the curriculum, understand how answers are scored, have access to excellent resources, and exhibit endless patience!
4) The one-to-one tutoring option
One-to-one tuition is widely considered the most effective way of boosting a child’s confidence and helping them reach their full potential when it comes to school tutoring. However, finding a suitable tutor for in-home tutoring can be expensive and challenging. In this article, we will touch on some of the benefits of one-to-one tutoring and address any concerns you may have.
TuitionCentre SG has provided one-to-one tutoring to primary school pupils via our qualified home tutors with excellent results. Book a tutor with us today and see the TCS difference!
What does one-to-one tutoring or ‘1 on 1’ tutoring involve?
One-to-one tutoring involves a dedicated tutor working with one student at a time, focusing on a particular subject typically at one to one and a half hours per session. This type of tutoring is most commonly used for maths or English at the primary level and maths or science at GCSE and A Levels. It resembles a regular classroom lesson, with the difference being that the teacher tailors the teaching to the individual rather than a group of students. Most one-to-one tuitions that TCS offers can be arranged in less than 24 hours.
In-person one-to-one tutoring
One-to-one tutoring can occur in your home or at the tutor’s residence. Before and after the lesson, there may be some discussion about homework or progress, but typically, no formal reports are provided. Nevertheless, your child can expect to receive tailored and personalised support.
Online one-to-one child tutoring
Online one-to-one tutoring can be conducted in various ways. The most common method is through call software like Zoom or Google Meets.
Benefits of 1-to-1 home tuition
The benefits we will discuss today apply to both in-person and online tutoring. For more information about online tutoring, click here.
1. The child receives individual attention from a one-to-one tutor
The most apparent benefit of one-to-one tuition is often the most overlooked: the individual attention that a student receives during the session.
Modern classrooms usually have 20 to 30 students per teacher. This large number of students makes it challenging for teachers to provide individual attention and long-term personal focus, particularly to students who are performing average or need help with their studies.
The same thing might occur (though less dramatically) with group tutoring, where tutors have to divide their time equally between fewer students.
Students who require additional attention to make progress may not receive the necessary help. 1-to-1 tuition provides a tailored learning experience that caters to individual needs and learning styles, improving students’ understanding and skills in challenging subjects. Tutors can customise the learning pace, style, and content to match each student’s strengths and weaknesses, which results in a more profound understanding of concepts and boosts confidence in their academic abilities. One-to-one tutoring ensures that students get individualised time and attention, allowing them to achieve their full potential and progress faster.
2. Learning happens in a low-pressure setting for the student
One benefit of private and online tutoring is that it provides a comfortable learning environment. This benefit can be magnified when the tutor comes to the tutee’s home. In a one-on-one tutoring session, students feel more at ease and secure, enabling them to make errors without fearing being judged by their peers. Making mistakes is an essential part of learning, and it is through our mistakes that we learn and improve. One-to-one tutoring also allows shy or nervous children to practice answering questions outside the classroom, boosting their confidence and encouraging participation in class discussions.
3. Children enjoy one-to-one tuition lessons more – even for complex subjects
One-on-one tutoring has a subtle benefit – whether or not a student enjoys their lesson is usually a good indicator of whether they will progress. On the other hand, in a classroom or even high-quality group tuition, activities are designed to simultaneously appeal to many different learning styles. This could result in your child needing to be more fully engaged in their work, leading to less learning.
In a 1-to-1 tutoring setting, the tutor can customise lessons based on the student’s individual learning preferences. This allows the student to progress at their own pace without being forced to move on or wait for other children to catch up. More individual attention between a tutor and a student can also improve engagement and keep the child more involved in their lesson.
4. Parents and tutees receive better and more personalised feedback
Communication plays a vital role in one-to-one tuition. During the lessons, students receive constant prompts to assist their learning and feedback about their progress. Online tuition offers additional benefits, such as free resources and advice. Tutors experienced in online tutoring can provide extensive support to students, along with worksheets and activities to do between lessons.
At TuitionCentre SG, we vet the tutors before matching them to your family, ensuring they are qualified and knowledgeable in whatever platform you prefer. Book a tutor with the #1 tuition agency today and start your child’s new learning journey.
5. Find out what your child needs to know
A private tutor can offer parents more detailed feedback than a class teacher. Whether in-person or online tutoring, the tutor will generally take some time before or after the tuition sessions to discuss your child’s progress with you. Alternatively, they may provide regular progress reports. This will give you a more comprehensive understanding of how your child is progressing academically, their strengths, weaknesses, and the measures being taken to help them improve. In addition, you will have the opportunity to become more involved in your child’s learning process if you choose to do so.
6. 1-to-1 tutoring can help your child learn more than just the answer to a problem
Tutoring can help fill gaps in a student’s learning that may have developed during school lessons. However, it is unfair to assume that this is the only benefit of one-to-one tutoring.
One-to-one tuition is designed to enhance a student’s understanding of a subject and their skills in it. Instead of merely teaching children how to solve a problem, tutors give equal importance to the reasons behind using a formula or arriving at a particular answer.
This approach ensures that students improve not only in their specific subject but also their overall learning process. It helps them develop the necessary thought processes to be applied across various subjects, making them better learners.
7. Home tutoring is flexible based on your child’s needs
We have been discussing one-to-one tutoring and the importance of a positive relationship between the tutor and the student. However, it is essential to note that this relationship is based on your preferences. If you or your child is unsatisfied with the tutor, you can quickly discontinue the lessons. You have even greater flexibility if you use a tutoring agency like TuitionCentre SG. For instance, you can change your lesson time, adjust the number of weekly lessons, or request a new tutor if you feel the current relationship could be more practical.
8. One-to-one tutoring is better value-for-money
The cost of one-on-one tutoring is often considered a concern. At first, it may seem like a more expensive option. However, the cost-efficiency of one-on-one tutoring is one of its most incredible benefits. As previously discussed, individual tutoring can significantly boost a student’s learning rate beyond classroom teaching and even small group tuition due to the personalised time and attention given to each child. This means that it often pays for itself quite quickly. The value is immediately apparent if your child can achieve their goals several months quicker than they would through a high-quality group tuition programme.
Common concerns parents have on one-to-one tuition
Before committing to one-to-one tutoring, weighing the advantages and potential drawbacks is essential. Here are some common questions parents have about 1-to-1 home tuition:
Is it too expensive?
We have already discussed that private tuition can be a more economical choice in the long run. However, some organisations charge high fees that may not be feasible if you require short-term tutoring for your child. At TuitionCentre SG, you can see the tuition rates upfront, and we guarantee that there will be no hidden fees or charges.
Is the tutor as good as they claim?
Assessing a new opportunity for your child can be challenging. It’s easier to determine how good a tutor is with prior knowledge. Ideally, you would check in with another parent about it. But if that’s impossible, the next best thing is to look at the individual or the organisation’s online profile. You can read their reviews, testimonials, social media feeds, and websites. This will help you determine whether or not they are good enough. At TuitionCentre SG, our tuition coordinators do the vetting for you. We only match you with the tuition teachers who have the experience and credentials that you require.
One-on-one tuition has more benefits than drawbacks
When it comes to providing your child with the support they need to succeed, private tuition is the most effective and quickest way to do so, but the method you choose depends on your circumstances and your child’s needs.
Your child may be struggling in primary school, or they’re doing exceptionally well and are starting to feel unchallenged in class. Alternatively, they might feel anxious, and you want to help boost their confidence. Whatever the case, if you decide that your child requires additional support, investing in 1-to-1 tuition with TuitionCentre SG is the first step towards unlocking their full potential. Whether you are looking for a part-time tutor or full-time tutor out of university, you can try our tuition services today and know why personalised tuition continues to emerge as a beacon of empowerment for the young minds of tomorrow.
