26th December 2014 1:00
By Blue Tutors
The new year is a perfect time for tuition to begin, for tutors and tutees. Students have had a term to settle into their studies, to get to know the course and to discover their areas of strength and weakness. After the festive period, many students and tutors alike find a new sense of resolve to tackle tricky topics and a determination to plough more energy into the six months of study leading to the exams in summer.
When new courses start in September, the final exams can seem distant and unreal. With the coming of Spring, these often begin to appear as real on the horizon. With talk of mock exams, and the first plans for revision, it is the ideal time to organise a tuition programme to supplement school teaching, ensuring learning is firmly rooted and understood. In this way, the summer term can remain calmer and less stressful, with tuition at this point building on the firm foundations of the previous months. Students will feel more confident and tutors will be able to implement a complete programme of learning, rather than a crash course.
Tutors who can commit to a six month block of lessons have the time to get to know their student well, build a strong and trusting relationship. They are able to develop a good understanding of which areas are already entrenched, and those which require further support. The flexibility afforded through a longer timeframe means that tuition can pick up at required points, becoming more intensive as needed, and relaxing and keeping things ticking over comfortably at quieter times. The student feels supported and gains confidence, while the tutor feels satisfied that they are able to deliver the subject that they love at its best.