According to Singapore’s household expenditure survey,
Over half of Singaporeans with children spend more than $500 a month per child. That’s a whooole lot of money. How do you know if what you are paying for is worth it?
With a rise in the number of tuition centres over the years to cater to the needs of students, the wild marketing of tuition centres to remain competitive has resulted in once again, another difficult decision a parent has to make.
So… Here are some tips in choosing an ideal tuition centre for your child:
Comfortable Learning Environment
Students tend to get distracted easily. Thus, they need a comfortable and spacious learning environment which helps them focus and equipped with necessary teaching tools and equipment, such as projectors, whiteboards and lesson materials. Some commercialised centres today may not even have projectors for students to view lesson resources.
The Anchor Tutor Runs the Centre’s Operations
As the main tutor, he knows best the needs of students in the centre and can tailor the lessons and centre’s resources to ensure efficient learning. Often, large commercialised centres are set up by businessmen with deep pockets who do not know what happens in the centre on a daily basis. They also do not have experience and knowledge on what the best approach to teaching may be. Moreover, tutors may just be recruited by the HR department and not by the main tutor himself. Disconnected from the action, they are unable to help the students constantly improve.
It has Reliable Testimonials
Tuition centres use testimonials to substantiate the success of their teachings. However, they could be from unreliable sources such as extracts from written testimonials or text messages by parents and students. It is hard to verify if it is real or just made-up. More credible testimonials can be in the form of videos, online reviews or pictures with students. These are a better representation of a centre’s true accomplishments.
Prepares Your Child for the Future
Pick a centre that not only helps your child improve academically, but also provides a holistic learning experience. Engaging in discussions and sharing ideas during lessons help students build communication skills and become more confident. In centres where tutors remain as a source of guidance instead of constantly giving answers to the student, the student will engage in critical thinking and self-research, which encourages independent learning and reduces reliance on others.
Understanding Your Child
Every child has a different learning style. Every centre adopts different approaches to teaching. Therefore, find out how your child learns best. It could be through visual methods, where images and diagrams allow them to understand things better. It could be through hands-on methods, where doing activities and experiencing it for themselves helps them remember things quicker. By understanding how your child comprehends things best, you can find a centre that takes the most suitable approach to teach your child.
To find out what type of learner your child may be, read this: 4 Types of Learners in Education
Promising Tutors and Teaching methods
Aside from the tutor’s qualifications, it is important for you to pay attention to how well they teach and their interaction with students. Tutors should be able to provide a different learning experience from schools, such that learning is not redundant and the student can take away new things. A good tutor-student relationship is crucial for a student to learn effectively and enjoy lessons, and for the tutor to understand the student’s needs and abilities well.
Moreover, as students are already drained from the rigour of school, be sure to choose a centre with a concrete plan to keep students motivated. For example, offering rewards to students for showing improvement, or conducting special activities to spark interest in topics.
The Right Location
Choose a centre that is not too far from your home or school so that it will be convenient for your child to travel to-and-fro easily. A centre which allows students extra consultations outside of class could give it an edge over others as she can receive the adequate help needed. This would be easier for the child if he or she lives nearby as she can scoot down to get extra help.
Follow these tips and you’ll be spending a worthy amount of money helping your child get the best education possible.
Let Math Academia be the Right Centre for your child
Here at Math Academia, we have a friendly and vibrant environment where students can learn comfortably and think clearly. Specialising in Mathematics, all of our tutors are well-trained and qualified to teach, and have proven outstanding results among students.
Our centre is equipped with projectors, whiteboards and spacious tables for an efficient learning experience. We also provide relevant and good study materials for our students. Lessons are planned based on the students’ needs and to ensure that they are engaged and motivated, we have frequent discussions in class and reward students for performing well.
Peng Junyang, the owner and principal tutor of Math Academia, nurtures his students by establishing a good connection with them and knowing them well so that he can address their difficulties during lessons. This makes learning here effective and enjoyable, allowing our students to be confident learners and excel academically. Additionally, being in full control of the centre’s operations, he is able to structure the lesson to best suit the needs of his students.
Lessons here at Math Academia guide students toward understanding key mathematical concepts, through constant practice and explanations. This ensures a strong foundation before building the student’s knowledge and sharpening important mathematical skills.
“the perfect place to begin is exactly where you are right now.”