Monthly Archives: March 2017

What’s the Point of Private Tuition?

 

Private tuition is seldom out of the news, and this is hardly a surprise given the size of the supplementary education industry. In the UK alone, 1 in 4 children report having had a private tutor at some point in their educational journey.

For a parent to hire a private tutor is commonplace – quite ordinary, in fact. There are all sorts of reasons behind a decision to do so: to support a child who’s fallen behind at school, to ensure top grades to get on a university course, to assist with Special Educational Needs such as dyslexia or perhaps to supplement homeschooling.

There are also a number of delivery methods: in-person tuition (at the student’s or the tutor’s home), online tuition (using Skype and an online whiteboard, for example) or group tuition which takes place in an after-school centre (in the UK, Kumon or Explore Learning centres spring to mind).

Despite its ubiquitousness, private tuition still has a certain reputation of being elitist. Tom Maher, former president of The Tutors’ Association, recently addressed this point in a comment piece which looked at the language used to describe the industry. For example, both the words ‘private’ and ‘tutor’ suggest exclusivity in a way that ‘one-to-one’ and ‘lessons’ do not, and yet they both describe the same educational approach.

Certain sections of the private tuition industry now appear to distance themselves from elitist vocabulary because they want this powerful way of learning to be available to all. For example, ‘supplementary education’ as a term is now more in vogue. In line with this thinking, various charities are now focusing on initiatives to introduce one-to-one learning into new contexts – for example, to help children in under-performing schools.

The fact is, private tuition is at its heart a powerful learning method because an expert private tutor is in the unique position of being able meet their student at the edge of their current understanding, and so help enhance it. This is simply not possible in a classroom situation where learning has the tendency to be either too advanced, or too easy, for each individual student.

Furthermore, negative peer pressure or the fear of speaking out can be further disincentives to learn for some children in a classroom setting. The right kind of private tuition does away with these kinds of blocks to learning, and parents can see their children flourish in this context where they haven’t elsewhere.

Whatever the pros and cons of private tutoring, it is a successful method which is here to stay,  and which can be effective for children from any background.

As a parent, you may therefore consider finding out more information on private tuition or hiring a private tutor for your child.

Great Educational Apps for Everyone

 

The internet is often criticised for its sometimes frivolous content, but there is much more to it than that. Indeed, it has given us the ability to talk to people on the other side of the world, free and in real time, as well as introducing to the world new ways of watching films and TV shows. Furthermore, with high speed broadband, watching video content is more reliable, as there is none of the buffering that was once the norm, and there is plenty of content to choose from. With handheld devices – smartphones and tablets – being the most popular method of accessing the internet now, there is much to say about apps, which offer a varied amount of different content.

iTunes eLearning App

When it comes to educational content, the internet is a vast resource covering everything from science to languages, through art, travel and more, and there are many apps covering these areas too. We would like to introduce you to a very impressive iTunes eLearning App, one that offers you unrivalled content of a very high quality, and we think you’re going to like it! In fact, if you are looking to further your education in a particular area, or to learn something new, The Great Courses Plus – as it is called – is a must.

You get access to more than 8000 videos and lectures, and they are structured in an array of courses so you can choose the subject you want to study. Each course comes with a number of videos on different aspects of the subject, the number of videos varying from course to course, and you take the course at your own pace. It’s very easy to follow, and we recommend you choose a tablet as the medium for greater clarity.

Android Version

For users of Android devices, and they are perhaps the most popular of all right now, The Great Courses Plus is available to download, and you get the same features as you do with the iTunes version. It must be among the best Android eLearning app around, and the range of subjects is absolutely comprehensive in scope. You can choose the courses you want to study and, thanks to Wi-Fi hotspots, can watch them at your leisure, anywhere you may be at the time. Whether you are learning something new, brushing up on languages or enhancing your knowledge of a particular subject, you will find The Great Courses Plus to be the best app around.

The internet has given us a great deal of added benefits in a short time, and in terms of education is now one of the most valuable and versatile tools around. It is not only used by schools and colleges, but in homes around the world for education purposes. All the Great Courses lectures are to a high standard – college level in fact – so you are getting quality learning at a sensible price, so why not check it out now, and take advantage of the free trial to learn what it’s all about.