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Choosing a tutor for your child is an important decision. You are bringing someone into his or her life that will guide them and influence their learning. It is important that you get it right. Ask the tutor about their qualifications, experience and reference. If possible use a tutor provider to help with showcasing references for tutors. Teacher and student need to have good rapport b...
Mrs Ingrid Mason writes: My eight year old son, Joseph, hated school. I thought it was a question of his report card reflecting this, but his marks seemed to be getting worse and worse. At a parent-teacher conference, we were told by his teacher that his spelling, reading and maths is so far behind, he has to be put in the reading recovery program. An RTLB will see him twice a week for ...
Elizabeth Munroe, ESOL teacher writes: A young man from Iran decided to come to New Zealand to study English. Even though he took English as a subject at school he was never any good at it, and failed his tests miserably. He was not allowed to take English in his final years at High School, because he just couldn't pass. He needed English for his tertiary studies, he wanted to be a lawy...
With the way we communicate today it is often difficult to read between the lines that your child is in trouble with a subject at school. The phrases 'Sarah can do better' or 'Johnny can apply himself a bit more' is often used and can apply to anyone. I mean, if we are totally honest, most kids can do better. Perhaps you started noticing your child coming home with lower grades. Or perh...
In my previous article "Are we praising too much?" I discussed the modern teaching method of mind control teaching: Praising. With constantly praising children, we are taking advantage of the human need for approval, and creating a generation who can’t do anything unless they get approval. How do you change your teaching style? First you need to ask yourself what the stu...
When you attend any class today, you often hear the teacher say "Well done!" or "that's excellent work" or "Susan is listening so nicely" or "Thank you, Johnny for doing such neat and tidy work." Is praise a good thing or is it a form of control? Who benefits by praise? Praising kids would certainly work in the short run as they are hungry for attention and prai...
By Alfie Kohn After spending most of the day in school, children are typically given additional assignments to be completed at home. This is a rather curious fact when you stop to think about it, but not as curious as the fact that few people ever stop to think about it. It becomes even more curious, for that matter, in light of three other facts: ...
The number one reason is always better grades: most children learn better with one-on-one tuition and undivided attention. They are more comfortable in asking questions, and not as self conscious as in a classroom situation. Another reason would be that the environment is more conducive to learning than in a classroom, which makes it less stressful for the student. Tutors deal with stud...