Toa Payoh, Central, Sembawang, Woodlands, Yishun, Admiralty, Khatib, Yio Chu Kang, Marina Bay, Outram Park, Tiong Bahru
Qualification
Undergraduate
Tuition Background
Part-Time
Tuition/Teaching Experience
I was the Soccer Captain of my Junior College team and one form of tutoring experience I have is that I would facilitate night study sessions in school by getting a classroom and my teammates to study together.
As I was quite certain in my studies, I often ended up helping my teammates by answering their questions and teaching them which ever topics they did not comprehend. Of course, i could not answer all their questions as I needed to study myself, so I'd ask for the assistance of teachers if any of them volunteered to stay back.
My teacher in charge was very happy that I was helping my teammates not just on the field, but off it too. Also, I currently have a sister in J1, so I occasionally help her in what she doesn't understand.
Upper secondary level - A Maths E Maths Physics Physics/Chem
Commitment / Other Details
I will be able to start giving tuition on 3rd February onwards, and I can commit minimally up to August 2014 for when my University begins. During University, I may still be available to continue giving tuition, depending on the demands of my studies and how receptive the tutees are. I am definitely keeping the option of continuing to give tuition open even while I am in University.
I would prefer to give one-on-one tuition so that the student maximises their time and have the privacy to ask what they want, whenever they want.
Rapport Building
As stated earlier, I would prefer to give one-on-one tuition so that the student maximises their time and have the privacy to ask what they want, whenever they want. I myself used to have tuition for A Math (individual) and Economics (group) in secondary school and Junior College respectively, and I found it most productive when it is one-on-one because the lesson is virtually tailor-made to suit the student's weaknesses. However, a group tuition has its merits too as the students can benefit from one another's questions that otherwise would not have been faced, hence the maximum number of students in a group I feel would be best for me is 2.
Since I've been to tuition before, I understand the aim of tuition is to address the needs of the student and I would try my very best to explain the concepts/questions/problems from a simple perspective that the student will understand. Being friendly and knowing the student will aid me to relate to the student as well as help the student not to be shy in asking questions. It works both ways and is one of my strategies to employ to facilitate the tuition.
Keeping Up with Curriculum
I have teachers as very close friends both in my secondary school and Junior College as I worked closely with them for my CCA. When there are changes to curriculum, I would contact them and if they are unable to answer me then I would ask them to direct me to one of their colleagues who can.
Alternatively, I know the syllabuses are online and can be found on the MOE website so it is very simple to read up anytime I want on the student's curriculum. Again, if I have any queries, I can ask my teachers and they'd be more than willing to help.
As a Good Tutor
As stated earlier, I used to attend tuition and one thing I found very important for the student is their mindset in attending tuition. I was very focused, so I knew I was attending to brush up on what I didn't understand. So for good tutors, they would impart a healthy mindset on the students in attending their tuition. They would try to suit their class to the individual by knowing the traits and personality of the student. The tutor should try to achieve an appropriate balance between knowledge, fun, student independence and human relations.
In knowing the personality of the student, the tutor should be able to adjust the pace at which they carry out their lessons. Again, it comes down to creating a tailor-made teaching environment for the student. So the tutor should be able to know how fast the student can absorb what is being taught, and how long before the student should take a break as I know it can be very mentally draining to cramp in so much knowledge in a few hours.
As for the personality of the tutor, the tutor definitely has to be patient with the student and see things from their perspective. It is very easy to get frustrated with the student as the tutor understands something that now seems simple to them, but the student simply cannot comprehend this "simple" matter. I understand that we were all once students and as someone who took tuition before, I understand the difficulty faced by both tutor and student. With this understanding, it helps to be more impatient with the student and when putting myself in their shoes, more determined to help them understand and learn.
