In today’s world, we spend much of our time within an online community, spending vast amounts of time and completing many activities online. These include shopping, business transactions, banking, keeping in touch with our love ones, and even playing games. This breakthrough has led to the rise of online tutoring, as it offers many benefits to students, tutors, and parents.
Online tuition is an affordable and flexible solution as you are paying solely for the tutor’s expertise and time without having to cover travel expenses.

Why is online tutoring on the rise
 
Online tutoring is more affordable than other options, and the results are outstanding since professional tutors will often fine tune lessons based on the learning needs of their students.
 
Also, various tech gadgets can be used for tuition like laptops, tablets (iPads), and other mobile devices. A vast array of platforms have emerged which enable students and tutors to communicate during online tuition sessions just as they would during in home tutoring. The online classroom has a whiteboard on the screen which is used by both parties. Audio and video assist in the communication, and a variety of tools can be used to consolidate different ideas. The online classroom can also be used to share and work on worksheets, or work through past assessments.
 
Not to mention the recent pandemic that swept the world and the various lockdowns that came with it. In Victoria, we spent most of 2020 in lockdown, with all students learning from home. Tutors and students had no choice but to teach and learn online.
 
Why tutors prefer to work online
 
Online teaching provides teachers and tutors with greater flexibility, especially when addressing varying learning styles and assisting students in locations outside their local area. Tutors have greater flexibility when scheduling lessons, as they are working from the comfort of their own home.
 
Online tuition is a great way of earning a decent income especially if you’re a qualified teacher specialising in the exact subject area request by your students.
 
What benefits can online tutoring bring for students?
 
The most significant benefit of online tutoring is the process of finding a suitable tutor for your child. Tutors who work with students in their homes have travel limits for obvious reasons. It is difficult to find a tutor who services your local area, is currently available, and who can work effectively with your child. Therefore, online tutoring can provide unique learning experiences specifically tailored to their needs with specifically customised lessons and activities.
 
Tutors can help student improve their confidence, enjoyment and academic performance as they help with areas of difficultly and assists students in their preparation for exams and tests. They can also work with their student on specific problem areas, so your child’s understanding and grades are likely to improve over time.
 
Some disadvantages of online tuition
For some students, the biggest challenge of online learning is the struggle with focusing on the screen for long periods of time. Therefore, it’s imperative for teachers to keep their lessons engaging and interactive because this will help students stay focused on their lessons.
 
Another significant disadvantage to online tutoring is internet connectivity. A consistent internet connection is essential to online learning but is sometimes hard to come by. Slow internet connection and other technical difficulties is detrimental to the online education process.
 
Lastly, some students and parents’ value face-to-face interactions and feel more engaged and connected during in home tutoring sessions. Though it is important to consider online tutoring during lockdowns, illness and other periods of isolation, some families still choose in home tuition as their preference.
 
Overall, as technology advances further, remote tuition is likely to continue to grow and become more affordable in the coming years. Maths is certainly not an easy subject to teach, but the online platform and tools within certainly make it easier than ever before.

Whether you are a teacher, student or parent, you are likely to have your own opinions about the benefits and purpose of homework. Many educators believe that homework is essential since it bridges the gap between children’s learning at home and school. The theory is that homework will enable students to manage their time wisely and plan out their study schedules.

Time management is a useful skill to have, especially when they reach their senior high school years, university, or employment within the corporate world. Therefore, completing homework early in your child’s schooling years ensures that this task becomes a habit rather than being seen as an inconvenience.
​
Many teachers find it useful to track students’ progress via their homework submissions, making it easier to notice if a child is falling behind or lacking in understanding. Submitting homework will also develop a student’s character since it’s a good lesson in diligence and responsibility.
 
Disadvantages of homework
 
One of the most common arguments against homework is that it takes up rest and recovery time. School is an emotionally, socially, intellectually, and physically enduring daily task, and many students are exhausted in the afterhours.  Many children who spend a lot of time with their homework miss out on family bonding time, socialising, chores and extracurricular activities which are also important for real life lessons.
 
For students in Years 11 and 12, it can be difficult to manage homework especially if they have part-time or casual work. Also, homework assigned during the holidays may cause severe stress for some students and may even lead to sleep deprivation issues.
 
How much is too much?
 
Homework can be categorised as a burden and no longer benefit students when it is not carefully planned and implemented. This usually happens when the homework is too challenging or overdone, causing many students to become frustrated and give up.
 
Teachers can customise a homework based on the age of their students. For ages 10, it is advisable to use other forms of media like a video reference of the topics included in the homework. This will make it more engaging to the students since they will be watching a video rather than just reading a book.
 
For students ages 13, teachers must provide focused assignments since it is easier for their students to understand and complete. Homework should not reinforce or introduce too many ideas, because it is less likely to contribute to their learning. Not to mention that 13 years old kids haven’t developed their abstract thinking yet, so they cannot handle too many concepts at once. This is particularly true for some maths concepts, which are difficult to teach, let alone learn on your own.
 
Lastly, 16 year old students often get bored if all their homework is similar. Therefore, teachers must try mixing styles and approaches. This makes each assignment unique, engaging, and enjoyable.
 
 
How to motivate students both in class and at home
 
Teachers must design a balanced homework schedule and figure out ways to give students immediate feedback. This is relatively applicable for preschool and elementary students.
Teachers who are working with high school students must leverage homework to require students to read a chapter of a book at home, watch a video, create a second draft of an essay, or reflect on a topic recently tackled in the classroom. Homework tasks should be created in such a way that students can work through them without support.
 
Teachers can make homework less overwhelming when they give students flexibility on when they can submit their assignment. This will be beneficial for students in Years 11 and 12 since they can work around other commitments before completing their homework.
 
Some teachers choose to overextend students during class time, setting high volumes of work which, if not completed in class, must be completed for homework. This will motivate students to knuckle down during class time, so they have less homework. It sometimes helps to set fun and engaging practical tasks based on the topics already discussed.
 
Lastly, teachers should communicate with parents of students who are not completing their homework, so they can trouble shoot and problem solve ways to motivate and assist this student.
 
Overall, homework that is age-appropriate, relevant, and engaging can enhance learning and instil good study habits.
 

Probability is an important topic in mathematics since it explores collecting, describing, organising, and analysing numerical data. So, whether you’re trying to make sense of a weather report, election results, or product reference surveys, you’ll need a basic understanding of probability and statistics. In fact, students need to understand these concepts to help them judge the validity of an argument which is commonly supported by persuasive data.

High school probability requires students to learn and work with fractions and decimals, as well as developing an understand of various terminology and symbols. They must be able to apply the sum of probabilities to solve problems, while also identifying complimentary events. Students use and create graphical displays including venn diagrams, arrays and tree diagrams to solve various problems.

In addition, they must construct sample spaces for single-step experiments to get the ideal outcome. This means they must assign probabilities to the outcomes of events and determine their probabilities.
Lastly, students must learn how to compare and construct a range of data displays, including steam-and-leaf plots and dot plots. This will help them identify and investigate issues that involve numerical data.

Issues around the teaching of probability
Probability is often the last topic of the year, so many students are tired without the focus they had earlier in the year. Teachers often rush through this topic as time is running out and students are losing interest. Not to mention that students find it daunting to learn new symbols and terminologies.
Another issue is that most of the topics in probability are not linked or integrated, so it’s harder for students to retain the information.
 
How to help students learn and retain concepts within probability
 
Maths is definitely a tough subject to teach, but probability is one of the easier topics to make fun and engaging. Teachers can introduce games for the students to practice and apply their learning. This hands on approach will help students retain the skills and understanding required for successful completion of the game.
 
It is also advisable to group students together during games and problem solving tasks. Students can often learn more by actively working through problems with their peers. However, it is important to watch out for students who are not participating in the group. This situation can sometimes be avoided by assigning roles to each student in the group.
 
Following games, investigations and problem solving tasks, students can complete reflections or discussion questions. This will help consolidate their knowledge and give the teacher insight into their level of understanding.