Posts Tagged ‘A-level’

Signs that may indicate your child needs a private tutor.

Thursday, August 11th, 2011

Many children who are struggling at school will suffer in silence, consequently their parents are unaware of their child’s needs. Keeping a close eye on your child’s reactions and behaviour can be the best way to monitor possible underlying problems with school work. Below are a few key signs that may indicate your child needs help.

1. Your child refuses to talk about school. If your child is struggling with school work they won’t usually want to talk about it with you. Children may do their very best to avoid talking about school.

2. Lack of interest. A happy child at school will be willing to comment on what they have been doing at school but a child that is struggling will show no enthusiasm for any particular subject or project they are doing at school.

3. You child is frequently off “sick”. This could be a sign that indicates that your child does not want to face their problems at school. Missing school will only make matters worse.

4. School reports or marked homework go missing. This is a clear signal that your child is scared of the possible consequences when you find out about your child’s failure at school.

5. Your child starts behaving badly. Negative feelings can manifest themselves in many ways -  from changes in general attitude to using foul language or drug taking and truancy.

We would like to stress that the above are only possible indications that your child is struggling at school. In some cases the reasons could be due to low self esteem or bullying. In either case your child needs help. Try to talk to your child in a non aggressive way, stay calm and if you think that your child will perhaps communicate better with another person – be it a close family friend or school teacher, consider that option first.

If after talking with your child there is a clear indication that he/she needs help, consider finding a private tutor. Recent research shows that private tuition can improve grades at GCSE and A-Level. Private tutors can provide your child with new ways of learning and retaining information, many private tutors use different learning techniques and also tailor-make their tuition experience to the child’s particular needs. A good private tutor can gradually build a trust relationship with a child, which in turn will boost a child’s confidence and self esteem. The end results will be better grades and a happy child!

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Academic | No Comments | Add a Comment

5 online resources for IT tutors

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010

It is absolutely crucial to have a solid set of IT skills in today’s marketplace. Those who study the subject at GCSE level or above are doing themselves a great favour – especially with the number of jobs available in the sector these days.

The subject is often referred to as ICT, especially at GCSE and A-level.

There are lots of good free resources on the net to help computer studies students. Here is First Tutors‘ pick of the bunch.

1.    The staff of St Columba’s High School, in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, have put together a number of revision guides in PDF format for computer studies students of levels from standard grade (like GCSE) upwards.

http://www.west-dunbarton.gov.uk/education-and-learning/schools/secondary/stpeterapostle/stcolumbas/revision/computing/

2.    Another school comes to the rescue with some good revision resources for GCSE students. These revision guides come courtesy of Didcot Girls’ School in Oxford.

http://www.didcotgirls.oxon.sch.uk/depts/it/gcse/notes/main/index.htm

3.    Revise ICT really is a one-stop shop for computer studies, with pupils aged five upwards catered for with a host of quizzes, revision aids and links to computing stories in the news. A must-visit.

http://www.reviseict.co.uk/

4.    Dinesh Bakshi.com also brings together a wealth of quizzes, revision notes, revision worksheets and more for students of ICT at GCSE and A-level. Resources are split into eight logical sections, making it easy for students to focus on and improve any weak areas.

http://www.dineshbakshi.com/igcse-gcse-ict.html

5.    First Tutors has several useful books and practice papers that IT tutors can use in their lessons.

http://www.firsttutors.com/uk/resources.php

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in I.T. | No Comments | Add a Comment

Debate of the week: Tougher exams for Science GCSEs

Monday, March 1st, 2010

Science education has been under scrutiny over the past few years. According to various experts, not enough pupils are studying the sciences and the subject is not taken seriously enough, with other, newer subjects such as media studies becoming more popular with students.

This time it’s the turn of the Science and Learning Expert Group to make new demands on the sciences. Their new report states that science (and maths) exams should be more demanding and that more specialist teachers and experts should teach the subject.

The authors of the report say that exams are dictating what is taught in schools, and that the exams themselves are seen as “inadequate” in testing the depth of students’ knowledge and their understanding of key concepts.

Our question is – with interest in the sciences declining amongst pupils in recent years, are tougher exams really a way to encourage a greater take-up of the subject at A-level, and crucially, degree level? Are the present exams really too easy, or are these scientists out of touch with the right way to examine today’s pupils?

It’s without question that this country needs more scientists. The challenges we face in the 21st century are ones that we need them to solve, like global warming and disease. Accordingly, we need to encourage our youngsters to love the sciences, not fear them because their exams are too hard. Let’s be rigorous, but not disarmingly so.

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Academic | No Comments | Add a Comment

Helping students prepare for GCSE and A-level coursework

Monday, November 16th, 2009

Students in their final year of GCSEs or A-levels will now be looking to begin the coursework component of their exams. While the UK system weighs heavily in favour of structured exams, coursework entries can make up to 25% of the final grade, and a strong performance here can make all the difference to final marks. How can you as a home tutor help your students create their best work?

Although necessary boundaries are in place, coursework offers the opportunity for students to explore and specialise in the areas which interest them most. At the outset discuss with your pupil what they believe these areas to be, and identify a topic that plays to both strengths and interests. Make sure the scope of the selected title is appropriate and realistic given the timeframe and word limits of the project. The best topics tend to be those with a relatively narrow focus, allowing the student to delve deep into a subject and acquire specialist knowledge in one area, rather than spreading themselves too thinly.

Private tutors should work through the criteria with students to make sure that they fully understand what is required of them. A strong appreciation of what an examiner will be looking for early on can help prevent wasted effort and needless research. You should help your pupils draw together a reading list, dividing possible sources into essential reading and those which will help provide background and context to the main thrust of the research.

GCSE and A-level coursework are golden opportunities to help your students develop their own study interests and show off their talents. A well thought out study plan will help them achieve their maximum potential and mitigate pressure when it comes to final exams.

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Academic | No Comments | Add a Comment

What can you find down the back of the Internet?

Monday, September 7th, 2009

Education today is inextricably linked with the use of Information Technology. This reliance has developed very swiftly in the last ten years or so and has seen IT move from a fringe benefit, useful in studying, to an absolute essential. It’s even used increasingly for online tuition.

The Internet is probably the biggest symbol of this increased bonhomie between education and IT. It is an invaluable research tool, bringing a wealth of information on any given subject to a student in a one click, instant search. It can save huge amounts of time in identifying dates, sources, and synopses, checking references and even – within reason – sourcing images.

At present, the Internet cannot help students access most secondary sources and modern set texts, especially for A-level and university studies. These texts, essential to a curriculum, have to be sourced more ‘traditionally’ from the library or bookshop. In the coming months and years that may change, thanks to Google Books and the rise of e-reader devices.

In a way, the weakness of the Internet lies in its trustworthiness. It is a free resource which anyone can use, meaning that wrong information can be made available just as easily as accurate information.

A student fluent in Internet use will quickly learn what sites are to be trusted and which are not. This allows them to find their way around the myriad sources of information on the web with ease. Today this is a key research skill, as important in the workplace as the classroom, but is this reflected in current IT teaching? Should we be embracing the web as a research tool and providing lists of reputable online sources to our students? After all, if knowledge is power, then the Internet is the most potent resource we have.

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Academic, I.T. | No Comments | Add a Comment

How best to judge ability at GCSE and A-level?

Friday, July 24th, 2009

It’s summer, and in the UK that means only one thing for many of our young people: the nervous wait for GCSE and A-level results. Their teachers and private tutors are arguably just as tense: those of us who have spent the last year coaching children in the techniques of the Maths GCSE or the English A-level are unlikely to get a good night’s sleep until we know whether our efforts have paid off.

But are exams really the fairest way to grade our teenagers? Certainly as private tutors a lot of the work we do (especially in the last term of school) is centred on exam techniques, yet every year the ‘exam culture’ debate rages on.

Some suggest that exam techniques should be taught in schools to a much higher degree. On the one hand, this would provide a strong basis for all students facing the rigours of exams, but on the other it could easily take time away from teaching core subjects.

So, what alternatives are there?

One option is an emphasis on coursework. This can give students the chance to shine without the pressure of a three-hour window to demonstrate their ability. A flexible system can allow pupils to choose their own topics and style, providing a more enjoyable learning experience. But does it penalise those students who thrive in exam conditions?

A second possibility is the eradication of testing altogether, instead providing certificates of achievement based on students’ continuous performance throughout the year, as assessed by their teachers. This sounds like a fair system, but it could be vulnerable to the subjectivity of the teacher, as well as the risk of human error.

As this year’s GCSE and A-level grades are eagerly awaited, the debate continues. What is the fairest way to judge the ability of our young people? An overarching focus on one evaluative method can lead to an unfair advantage for some, so is a mixture of both the answer? Or do you think your tutees would thrive if exams and coursework were to be removed altogether?

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Academic | No Comments | Add a Comment