Does tutoring actually do any good?
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Re: Does tutoring actually do any good?
My DD said that in one of the indie exams she sat a child repeatedly put her hand up and asked for help from the teacher as she said she did not understand the questions. She was apparently quite distressed and the teacher was nonplussed. I think on the forum we tend to assume that everyone is well prepared, whether by parents or tutors - clearly not...
Re: Does tutoring actually do any good?
There are a whole host of things to think about. If DC is in a good school and doing well and they are doing plenty of practice papers and you just want then to get entrance for a local indie school then it it probably not necessary. If you want a selective GS place or a more prestigious indie then it is probably wise. Practice really helps in all areas of the entrance tests and quite simply the more they do the better they will get. DS was tutored for 30 mins on Saturday mornings for 6 months before his exams and gave him just the right amount of practice without having to push too much. It is an unfortunate reality that children are tutored for many years in quite a ridiculous way to get coveted GS places.
Some parents believe that school entrance exams can spot the children who are tutored and select against them. My experience is that this is nonsense and it seems to be a question of doing what is necessary to pass. It definitely helps in my view, but whether it is desirable is another matter. It clearly means that some children whose parents cannot afford tutoring and do not have the ability to tutor the child themselves miss out. It also means that there are children who struggle through their whole secondary education in a highly selective environment that does not suit them. Work out what your child needs and I would probably say do as little as necessary, rather than as much as possible.
Some parents believe that school entrance exams can spot the children who are tutored and select against them. My experience is that this is nonsense and it seems to be a question of doing what is necessary to pass. It definitely helps in my view, but whether it is desirable is another matter. It clearly means that some children whose parents cannot afford tutoring and do not have the ability to tutor the child themselves miss out. It also means that there are children who struggle through their whole secondary education in a highly selective environment that does not suit them. Work out what your child needs and I would probably say do as little as necessary, rather than as much as possible.
Re: Does tutoring actually do any good?
Tutoring definitely makes a difference for NVR and VR - it's simply not true that NVR can't be taught. Some children get it more easily than others, but in general the more you do, the easier it gets. I'm really not convinced that NVR is a good indicator of how bright a child is anyway - it's a very particular skill. Having said that, I wouldn't shell out for a tutor if I were doing it again - the time I spent going through papers with DC myself actually seemed more effective.
Re: Does tutoring actually do any good?
I home tutored my DS, because I home ed, so in a way, I did both as he technically did just school work, but I directed it at passing his entrance exams a lot of the time, particularly from Sept 2011.
I think in NVR it helps technique, but basically, if your child cannot do it, all the technique in the world will not make him cleverer.
In VR it definitely improved his vocab skills.
In English, we worked on his creative writing a lot, and concentrating like that really improved it, but if there had been no skill to begin with, it would not have worked so well. We also worked on his comprehension skills, highlighting the types of questions he would likely meet, and how to approach them better, but again, if your child can't read an exerpt and understand it, all the tutoring in the world will not make them better at it.
In Maths it meant we had covered every topic and reinforced them well. But again, a child has got to be reasonable at Maths in the first place for this to work. It meant, I think, that everything was fresh in his mind when he went in for the exams.
I don't think any of it made him any cleverer, just more able to cope with the exam.
You can't make a sillk purse out of a sows ear.
I don't think you can tutor a child to be cleverer, just to give them an edge of preparation and organisation above their rivals.
I think in NVR it helps technique, but basically, if your child cannot do it, all the technique in the world will not make him cleverer.
In VR it definitely improved his vocab skills.
In English, we worked on his creative writing a lot, and concentrating like that really improved it, but if there had been no skill to begin with, it would not have worked so well. We also worked on his comprehension skills, highlighting the types of questions he would likely meet, and how to approach them better, but again, if your child can't read an exerpt and understand it, all the tutoring in the world will not make them better at it.
In Maths it meant we had covered every topic and reinforced them well. But again, a child has got to be reasonable at Maths in the first place for this to work. It meant, I think, that everything was fresh in his mind when he went in for the exams.
I don't think any of it made him any cleverer, just more able to cope with the exam.
You can't make a sillk purse out of a sows ear.
I don't think you can tutor a child to be cleverer, just to give them an edge of preparation and organisation above their rivals.
Re: Does tutoring actually do any good?
There's a similar thread running in Herts board where I've just posted.
Funnily enough Flika I had just said here in the Uk we don't generally think you can make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. IMHO intellect can be developed far more than many believe. Asian kids are often seen as smarter - when I lived in the States their results were stellar in our local public (state) schools. I don't like to stereotype but high cultural parental & cultural expectations count for a lot.
Also, I am no cognitive scientist but if I'd seated my children at the piano aged 2 or 3, given them plenty of exposure & access to a brilliant & inspiring teacher would they look gifted at piano by the age of 7? I expect many would think so. I also think there would have been development going on at a neural level. Some practise 4 hours daily. Can a child with an average intellect 'become' musically gifted? IMO to all intents & purposes, yes.
We frown at tutoring but those at prep schools receive more hours of instruction in smaller groups and are effectively tutored from the get go.
I think it's such an interesting topic. In Asia where 'it's cool to be smart' I think the mindset is different. I have friends who expose their children to the gifted programme in advance - what a school takes for natural brilliance is hidden practice beginning to enhance the intellect. They believe with hours of dedication you can effectively 'rewire' the brain.
Most believe IQ is fairly fixed but it's interesting that these tests were originally designed to give temporary snapshots of current cognitive ability.
Funnily enough Flika I had just said here in the Uk we don't generally think you can make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. IMHO intellect can be developed far more than many believe. Asian kids are often seen as smarter - when I lived in the States their results were stellar in our local public (state) schools. I don't like to stereotype but high cultural parental & cultural expectations count for a lot.
Also, I am no cognitive scientist but if I'd seated my children at the piano aged 2 or 3, given them plenty of exposure & access to a brilliant & inspiring teacher would they look gifted at piano by the age of 7? I expect many would think so. I also think there would have been development going on at a neural level. Some practise 4 hours daily. Can a child with an average intellect 'become' musically gifted? IMO to all intents & purposes, yes.
We frown at tutoring but those at prep schools receive more hours of instruction in smaller groups and are effectively tutored from the get go.
I think it's such an interesting topic. In Asia where 'it's cool to be smart' I think the mindset is different. I have friends who expose their children to the gifted programme in advance - what a school takes for natural brilliance is hidden practice beginning to enhance the intellect. They believe with hours of dedication you can effectively 'rewire' the brain.
Most believe IQ is fairly fixed but it's interesting that these tests were originally designed to give temporary snapshots of current cognitive ability.
Re: Does tutoring actually do any good?
Quite. And by the same logic you can do a clever child a disservice if you don't tutor them, because it's not an even playing field. Especially if you're coming from a state primary.flicka wrote: I don't think you can tutor a child to be cleverer, just to give them an edge of preparation and organisation above their rivals.
