The purpose of tuition classes is to boost your learning. It’s to give you the oomph you need to go that extra mile but it’s important to know how to best use the sessions. Don’t rely on them to teach you the perfect content tailored for you if they don’t know where your weak spots are - remember that they’re only working with the information you’ve given them. So make sure to make your tutors aware of anything new that comes up with your studies!
So, if a month ago you said you were stuck on understanding how to use brackets and semicolons in creative writing; chances are that you’ll be tutored on how to use them until you’ve expressed that you’re now comfortable with using brackets and semicolons. Personally, for the periods of tuition which I have had, I’ve liked to collate things that I’ve got stuck on over the week then present it all to the tutor during the lesson.
Don't forget this is not only a financial investment but also time consuming on your behalf!
Of course, it depends on the stage of learning which you’re getting tutored for. During the season of 11+ tuition, it’s important to evenly spread your revision over the four areas of the exam. That is over; Verbal reasoning, Non-Verbal reasoning, English and Maths. For best results in these areas, a little revision of each section should be done regularly - and that might not be quite possible to always happen with a tutor. However, if you can do a little from practice books and revision guides regularly then any questions which you can’t quite grasp or understand, take those to be explained by a tutor.
Make sure the tuition class isn’t spent going over things you already know how to do because while it may feel you’re being productive, tuition is a time to patch up areas you don’t quite understand; to make sense of things which have been causing confusion.
If you have a tutor during secondary school or for your GCSE’s, again make sure the tutor is suited to the subject you require help with. Also one that can understand the way of learning is best for you. For example, some Science teachers will have a stronger expertise in Chemistry or Physics over another Science and vice versa. Simultaneously, they need to be able to understand concepts so that you understand them. If you feel that they’re explaining ideas and you’re not understanding it, ask for it to be explained in a different way or style. Sometimes it just requires taking a break from the topic and doing something else for ten minutes to then be able to go back to the original topic and understand it.
For subjects like Maths in particular, ensure that every question your stuck on, you can then go through alone or with a tutor to understand where you went wrong and how to improve your method. They often say that if the Maths you’re doing is easy, then you’re not pushing yourself hard enough. You need to test out some harder style questions or different exam questions. The same mindset can be applied to learning languages. If you’ve become fluent in talking in present tense, don’t stick to just rehearsing present tense. Ensure you can speak just as well in the past and future tenses. If you’re stronger at talking with regular verbs, don’t be practising those. Practice using irregular verbs more often. This way you’ll come across more confusing grammar concepts which you can ask your tutors about.
Finally, the grand A Levels.
At this stage, it’s even more crucial to spend the hour or two with the tutor in the most efficient way possible. If you’re stuck on the Calculations topic in Chemistry, don’t ask your tutor to explain to you Calculations. Go through past papers and textbook questions to try your best to identify which types of calculations truly stump you. Perhaps it’s the concept of ‘Avogadro's Constant’ you can’t quite understand. Alternatively, it may be trying to figure out how Ion Masses are calculated by Time of Flights. Once you’ve pinned down which parts of the course you don’t understand, present them to your tutor.
Have it explained and always review. This goes for all stages of learning - once you’ve attended your tuition session, always review what you learnt. Especially if it was a new concept. As ideas are more exposed to your brain, stronger neurological connections are formed, meaning that the knowledge is better ingrained into the brain so can be retrieved more easily. That doesn’t mean you have to spend hours reviewing at a time. Just test yourself briefly on your morning journey to school or briefly before you hit the bed.
You can book a HC Tutor or a free consultation online. Alternatively give us a call on 0208 982 3559!
Use your tutors well,