Private tuition: Why Singapore education can't do without it

[soda]

There are top school students going for tuition. But still, they’re the minority.


The new trend is: better learning skill, critical and analytical thinking skill, and organisation skill. Principal of top girls’ school told parents to let the girls learn on their own, tuition is not necessary, on the first formal briefing for year 1 in the school hall.

Such writing only spreads paranoia and drives more students to engage in tuitions. Which, translates to better business for them. No surprise that the article was written by someone in the tuition business.

[Lance G.0723 King]

You don't need tuition to learn how to learn well. There are a simple set of skills to learn and strategies to practice. Its not rocket science, anyone can learn how to learn more effectively.


I am in fact, against all tuition which focuses on subject matter - on teaching specific content. If a child is having difficulty managing schoolwork then just more school won't fix it. More Maths, more Chemistry, more English won't produce the results parents, and their children, want.

The only tuition I am in favour of is process tuition. Helping children to learn how to learn more effectively, more efficiently, faster, with greater understanding. This sort of tuition focuses on the strategies and methods a child is using when they are processing schoolwork and seeks to help them find ways to learn that work most effectively for them.

This kind of tuition is fast, effective and yields results immediately with most students.

[Han Seo]

Lance had given very good tips and advice (and no, I’m not related to him/her and I do not know him/her either) that I think all parents should take note.


I’m an educator myself (to be exact, I train preschool teachers) and second what he said. Learning how to learn; metacognition; intrinsic motivation - these are all key ingredients to doing well in school. And it all begins in early childhood.

[jedamum]

Lady Saber:

and I scored well at my O Levels only because my tuition teacher opened my eyes to how I should read and understand plots, sub-plots and characters.

i agree! sometimes tuition has that teaching methodology and materials that opens the eyes of those who know where to look.
my boy has been with a certain chinese enrichment centre that we had withdrew recently; while the teachings are typical of most upmarket tuition centres (i believe - 'non-process' tuition), it is how on and off that i discovered the usefulness of some materials that i am able to explain to my boy the purpose of why they structured the materials as such that lit a lightbulb in his head - else it is just another piece of worksheet/notes that just got filed into his folder. as such, while tedious and 'he usually get scolded as my expectations are higher if i am to invest my time with him 1-to-1', he said he prefers me to coach him (ah..he has learnt the art of tuning out to my naggings and scolding ) as i tend to explain the process of learning rather than the subject matter (which i am limited by my knowledge and the materials i have at hand). and i keep wondering why i still need to step in when i spend good money on tuition - because the process and purpose of learning a certain 'skill/topic' is not always communicated clearly to the students due to the limited time spent at each tuition session whereby the centre need to ensure certain topics are covered. this however, i now realises, can be overcomed if one manages to engage a good private tutor as 1-to-1 really makes a difference and especially so if the tutor is kind enough to share strategies with the parent (although now i am struggling with the lack of materials part ).