How do I find the best tutor for my child?

 

A guide of what to look for when choosing the best tutor for your child:

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Are resources based on the New Zealand curriculum and NCEA subjects?

Many tutors use off shore systems which are neither up-to-date or relevant.

When choosing a tutor ask who developed the system. 

 

Individual versus small group tuition?

One on one tuition puts a lot of pressure on children.

The tutor is waiting for them to finish and watching all the time.

When the tutor is working with up to four children of different ages and abilities

there is time for the child to have a go while the tutor is helping someone else.

They will see other students working hard and asking questions. 

 

Why not do all work on the computer? Isn't it more fun?

Tutoring is expensive and has been sought by parents

to help their child achieve higher levels.

Research shows that a variety of activities, such as handwriting, bookwork,

keyboard work and discussion, are extremely important in establishing better learning.

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Can your tutor extend able children?

If your tutor is an experienced NZ-trained teacher they will design a program that will challenge and motivate very bright children who are not provided for in a classroom.

An individual program can be designed to cater for these students.

 

How long should a session last? One hour or one hour twenty minutes?

80 minutes allows time to mark homework and complete up to 6 different activities depending on the student's capabilities.

They have time to plan, write and revise.

A 10 minute educational game at the end of the session allows the student to consolidate their work.

One hour puts too much pressure on the student or doesn't cover enough subject matter to enhance their learning.

Committing to a session once a week helps the child to be serious about what they want to achieve, and builds reliability.

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Why use a tutor and not an online tutoring system?

The starting point for working with a student is if they are comfortable with the tutor

- as a parent you will instantly recognise if this is so,

if not then the tutor is the wrong match.

In person tutoring is flexible, interactive and human.

A tutor can sense when a child is having difficulty and can instantly help.

They cannot be turned off.

It is easy to log out of a computer program, or skip something that is important to practise, and so continuity is broken.​​