What do you think about tutoring? (2 Viewers)

[evilferret]

hey,
I'm interested in getting some tutoring, it's not that i'm failing anything but i do need a high UAI. Some of my smartest friends have a tutor and they don't really need one.
But when i approach my parents about it (just last night) they were fully against it, saying that tutors are spoon feeding you information and you'll become to reliant on them and then completely flop in uni when you don't have a tutor. they said that the hsc is kind of like a measure of what you can do with what you've got.
but everywhere i look and ask, most of the people i know have a tutor,
so is it fair?

 

[glycerine]

I tutor in yr 11 english on an irregular basis, and I never spoon-feed. atm its not even 'tutoring' per se, I charge people to bring me drafts of assignments, and I basically just help them expand on thoughts and tell them what they need to do to get better marks. the closest I get to spoonfeeding people is in editing their spelling/punctuation mistakes and occasionally telling them how to reword sentences to make it seem more sophisticated. I'd get your parents to call your teacher in whatever subject you want tutoring for and ask them what they think.

 

[Vampire]

Dont just think getting a tutor will boost your mark up automatically- hard work is the key to that.

 

[astro]

last year if it wasn't for math tutoring i would've been second last in the class...instead thanks to tutoring i was second for the half-yearly - proudest moment in maths

 

[kpq_sniper017]

i think a good tutor would motivate his/her student. that's probably the key to getting a good mark. unless u:
a) don't understand the work/aren't grasping it as well as others
or
b) can't motivate urself to do extra work/study

then i don't think u'd need a tutor, as they are the primary functions of a tutor.

there's no use getting a tutor to "feel secure" coz ur classmates do....self-motivation is the best motivation.

 

[Lozt]

Those are all very good points made there.

Indeed, self-motivation & hard work is very very important if u wanna get high marks.

About the value of tuition, the need for it, & the "effects of spoonfeeding", i think it's very dependent on the individual.

You sound like u're a smart person, doing quite decently already without a tutor. U want high marks, which is a good aim.

1st of all, i'll clarify that I am a chemistry tutor with a couple of years experience. I also aimed for high marks (got UAI of 99.95, and am now studying medicine).

Although tutoring is of course of great value to struggling students, it can also b of much benefit for the brighter students wanting those extra marks that'll separate them from the rest.

A good tutor can help these students greatly by not only getting them ahead and very familiar with the knowledge required, but also teaching them:
- exam techniques
- common questions asked in exams
- how to answer questions in the exam
- what to put in the answer / what not to put
- pointers to look out for, common pitfalls, etc.
Knowledge & experience in these are of great importance, especially for those students wanting to score the real high marks, where every mark in the exam counts.
(btw, being a chemistry/biology tutor, i'm writing this in reference mainly to the sciences).

In regards to spoonfeeding, again, how good/bad it is really depends on the individual.
Indeed, u don't get any spoonfeeding in uni, so ur parents are rite - if u DO wanna survive uni, u def need to develop ur own skills & confidence.

On the other hand, many bright students would naturally have developed the skills, brightness & motivation to do very well in uni neway, regardless of whether they were spoonfed in Year 12 or not.

From my own experience, I would be very happy to be spoonfed all that I need whilst I was in yr 12, as spoonfeeding would've meant me getting all the information that I need to achieve the outstanding marks that I want. It also means being a lot more time / effort efficient, hence maximising ur study (and in yr 12, u do seem to want all the time u can get!)

But of course, this is all very dependent on the individual. Ur parents do have some very valid points that must not be neglected.

I hope these have been of some help! Best wishes with ur study!

If u wanna ask me more 'bout tuition or study skills, feel free to call me, or write to my thread (Chemistry Tuition) in the Tuition section.

 

[nick1048]

Tutors are good. They allows you to go way ahead in class and often times allow you to advance when the teacher won't let you.

My tutor doesn't spoon-feed me, but I am sure some tutors would.

That all tutors spoon-feed is an incorrect stereotype.

lolz, but then u wouldn't noe if he spoon fed u until u get to uni dude... I think the thread starter has a point. I dun seem to need a tutor and I'm still getting marks that match people with tutors. Just study the content thoroughly

 

[kpq_sniper017]

A good tutor can help these students greatly by not only getting them ahead and very familiar with the knowledge required, but also teaching them:
- exam techniques
- common questions asked in exams
- how to answer questions in the exam
- what to put in the answer / what not to put
- pointers to look out for, common pitfalls, etc.

u can teach urself a lot of those things as well though. after practising a lot of trial papers, i've found that i know the format of each of the maths papers fairly well. tutors, themselves, only have a limited knowledge as well. their sources of information are the same as other peoples - standards packages, past papers etc. the only advantage they have is that they themselves will have done well and they may also have experience. however, a lot of knowledge can be gained urself without spending $25/hour and 2 hours a week.
i'm not saying a tutor is a bad idea at all, but i'm just exploring what u can do without one.

 

[Slidey]

lolz, but then u wouldn't noe if he spoon fed u until u get to uni dude... I think the thread starter has a point. I dun seem to need a tutor and I'm still getting marks that match people with tutors. Just study the content thoroughly

If you never payed attention to anything that went on in your life, then no, you wouldn't notice what goes on in your life.

I mean, c'mon. You can tell if you're having crap shoved down your throat, or whether you're eating it voluntarily. If you can't tell, then therein lies your problem - you WANT to be foon-sped. I mean spoon-fed. And hence, it's not the tutor at fault, but your laziness. Stop. Open up a textbook. Read. Learn. Repeat until golden brown.

 

[*girl04*]

i dont believe in tutoring ( like i am personally not for it)
my parents always want me to get one as they are like " all the people that do good has tutors" but i find i work best when i just do my own thing. so thats me

 

[*girl04*]

hey,
measure of what you can do with what you've got.
QUOTE]


um well HEAPS of people have tutors, after the hsc finishes people taht you though wont getting tutoed, will be like oh i had a tutor, didnt i tell you?

and lots of people go to study days. and work at lunchtime with teachers and get tons of extra books and stuff

so the hsc is a measure of what you can do with what you have got ( resources and tutors included)

 

[truly-in-bliss]

tutoring is a total waste of money if

1. ur not motivated, and only go for tutoring cuz ur parents want u to
2. ur tutor is crap or her/his teaching style is not suitable for u

with some students, no matter how smart or dumb... they will get good marks if they follow ur advice and continue to work at it... but with some students, because they dont' put the knowledge into pratice, they often dont do as welll.

motivation and self-discipline really helps to make the most out of tutoring.

 

[kpq_sniper017]

i dont believe in tutoring ( like i am personally not for it)
my parents always want me to get one as they are like " all the people that do good has tutors" but i find i work best when i just do my own thing. so thats me

no offence to ur parents or anything, but IMHO they're wrong.
in my maths class, i'm the only one who doesn't get tutoring apart from one other person, and yet he and i are currently 1st and 2nd, both in our class (for 2U and 3U) and overall in 2U.
i guess it depends on each individual. but by no means is there any truth to "all the people that do good has tutors".

 

[hipsta_jess]

if i didnt have my tutor, i wouldnt have done well enough in chem to get me into uni.
now im in uni and getting d's and hd's for most things without a tutor. i just needed that extra bit of help in hsc chem.
i dont see anything wrong with them.

 

[velox]

depends on how you learn, like both my sisters didnt have tutors and they got 99+ and got into the degree they wanted to. It really depends on ur motivation, and willingness to learn.

 

[kpq_sniper017]

depends on how you learn, like both my sisters didnt have tutors and they got 99+ and got into the degree they wanted to. It really depends on ur motivation, and willingness to learn.

u must be under a fair amount of pressure....
....are you aiming to meet/beat one/both of ur sisters?

 

[Poindexter]

My view on all of this is that tutors are to help people "catch up" or people who are struggling in a subject. If you need one for more than one or two subjects then I don't think tutoring's for you.

Lets lots of blokes at my school (SBHS) who get coaching (different sort of thing) and are all in the top maths class. And try to "outcoach" each other just to remain in the top class, this I think isn't what school's all about. They learn very little when in class, which brings me ot the conclusion that they really don't need to go to school at all.

If you're struggling to keep up then a tutor (one-on-one) would probably be of some use, but if it's across the board, then maybe you should just try elbow grease

 

[velox]

u must be under a fair amount of pressure....
....are you aiming to meet/beat one/both of ur sisters?

No pressure really, cos my parents dont mind what Uai i get, or they show that anyway. I want to get around their marks, however beating them would be nice

 

[kpq_sniper017]

No pressure really, cos my parents dont mind what Uai i get, or they show that anyway. I want to get around their marks, however beating them would be nice

there's nothing like competition within the family.....especially between brothers and sisters

most of my competition comes from my class though.

 

[r0wlzi]

Tutoring is like extra revision. Most tutors are teachers so your teacher would/should know what they know and they will teach you for free (parents money pays for schooling remember?).

If you already are conciencious and partake in extra revision then a tutor is a waste of money that you could spend on other things like, say alcohole and fine women.