I had always been sceptical about online tutoring and whether or not it was feasible. How could any online forum replace the power of one-on-one in person? Especially for Maths. I do not know I you’ve ever tried it, but typing equations and formulas is tedious and time consuming. And so, along I plodded, inside my comfort zone, only offering in person tutoring to local students.

Crises have a funny way of making us think outside the box and problem solve. Through the lockdown of Covid-19, not only did I investigate online tutoring and how to make it work, I recognised that the benefits of online tutoring far exceed any reservations I have had.

Student Benefits of One-On-One Online Learning:

Access to any tutor- Private home-based tutoring limits your access to good quality tutors. As a tutor myself, I will travel up to half an hour for my students, and charge for my travels. Any further than that is just not feasible. The selection of tutors for online tuition is endless and you are more likely to find someone both you and your child are truly compatible with.

The Online Interactive Classroom – The online classroom acts as though the tutor and student are sitting side by side. The tutor observes the students working and the student watches the step by step demonstrations and instructions of the tutor. Documents can be uploaded and worked through together, and the classroom even offers the assistance of graphs, grids and symbols. The tutor and student can share their screens, which can be beneficial for a quick look at important videos or other external resources, such as CAS calculator emulators.

Lesson Recording – All online lessons are securely recorded, so that students can revisit and review lessons as needed to cement their understanding.

More flexible time slots – Often, tutors can open up more flexible time slots given that they are able to work from anywhere

Tutor Benefits of Online Tuition:
No travel required – You can literally work from anywhere and can save on petrol and time. This opens up opportunities for taking on more students and charging slightly less.

Offer you services to more students – Gone are the days of tutoring locally. Through remote tutoring options, you can tutor anyone within your state (and possibly interstate if you understand differences in curriculum). This is huge for tutors, as they are likely to receive more enquiries from a bigger pool of potential students.

Online Classroom preparation and homework – I have been finding the access to the online classroom great for me and my students to interact outside of lessons. I set homework that they can complete in their own time, and I then go in and correct their work. The flexibility and ease of this allow both the student and tutor benefits that in person tutoring cannot offer.

If as a parent, student, or tutor, you have been resisting online tutoring for whatever reason, I urge you to give it a try! At Maths Tutors Melbourne, we are currently offering a free half hour trial of the online classroom for new students. Contact us now for more information. 

As parents, we often struggle to find the right combination of screen time and studying for our children. In fact, if we allow our kids to act on their own, they would probably be in front of their favorite TV show or attempt to play video games while they’re doing their schoolwork. It is alarming to see that our children are distracted by too much screen time, and it’s hindering their ability to concentrate and finish their important tasks at school.

So, what is the right balance between screen time and schoolwork? How can educational professionals, teachers, and tutors use screen time to their advantage and teach their students effectively?
We are going to answer all of those questions in this article as we delve deeper into the pros and cons of screen time.

In fact, more and more classrooms now are taking a more blended learning approach, so they have developed a place where student has access to computers, video and other technology to enhance their education.

As technology progresses in the real world, students are now exposed to various types of apps at a very young age, and according to some experts, this type of strategy can be beneficial. They believe the students can also learn from various video resources and computer games. However, the teacher or facilitator should always be nearby so they can help with any issues or queries.
But there are those who worry that technology can interfere with students learning and fostering relationships in the classroom. In fact, they think it might even have a negative impact on their social skills.

What is the right balance? 
According to experts, students should only be given access to the kind of technology that is relevant to their age and educational level. So, for preschool level, it’s recommended that teachers should explain concepts in a more practical way. But for middle and high school students, sample video on YouTube demonstrating a particular formula or a solution to a math problem may be useful.
Therefore, the type and amount of screen time should depend on their real-world experience because students need first-hand learning experience when it comes to various concepts that they need to grasp and internalize.

Is it meaningful?
Many parents and educational professionals worry that screen time might affect meaningful interactions and social relationships. However, this is not the case since it can be very helpful in the classroom, tutoring session, or at home when students are working on their homework.

We need to understand that it can be a good tool to enhance their understanding and must not replace the conventional classroom setting or teachers/peer interaction. Although students can interact using various types of messaging apps, but it must not be a substitute for meaningful interactions with the real world.

Does it empower students? 
There’s a strong possibility for students who use mobile devices like iPads may feel safe making mistakes on the screen and may no longer raise their hand and risk making a mistake in class. So, when you notice students rely more on technology than real-world practical learning, it’s time to take it down a notch since it could be doing more harm than good.

Always remember, technology should only be used to empower students and enhance what they are learning and doing at school, but it should not replace their voice and presence in the classroom.

In a world full of apps and gadgets, parents and educators should find the balance between too much screen time and no screen time by being active participants in their student’s education and should point them in the right direction. If you think your child has been having too much screen time this school holidays, check out our back to school preparation tips here.

We all know that math is not an easy subject and most kids don’t enjoy working with and learning numbers. Although there are some of us who are talented with multiplying, dividing, subtracting and adding numbers, there are children who really struggle with math.

That is why teachers should make learning math as fun and engaging because this can increase a child’s understanding and removes the stigma towards this subject. For this purpose, there are several techniques that you can use to make learning maths easier for kids.

Make math relevant to everyday problems
A lot of kids learn best when they can use certain concepts in a familiar context, so it is essential for teachers to use appropriate and recognisable examples that were taken from everyday problems. Here are some good examples to consider:

• Eating – portioning food is an excellent way of learning division and subtraction. A teacher can use this scenario as a crucial part of this activity.
• Cooking – kids who follow a recipe book will be required to measure and calculate ingredients, so this also allows them to learn various concepts.
• Money – when kids buy, change, spend, and save money, they are also learning the four basic operations of math.
• Designing – teachers can also start a group activity where kids build things by using blocks like Lego, which requires calculation and coordination of various types of shapes.
• Games – there are various types of games like smart boards where teachers can present information in a new way. A good example is websites that offer various games and activities where children are engaged to draw in numbers and shapes onto a virtual board or manipulate objects on the screen. This can help them learn various math concepts while making the whole learning process and fun and easy.
• Mobile devices – there is no denying that technology has found its way in every home and kids have access to various types of mobile devices like iPads. In fact, it’s an extremely engaging tool that can entice even the most unwilling child to learn math. Also, there are so many apps online, both paid and free that can help your child build their math skills.

Find a reliable maths tutor
A qualified and reliable math tutor can help your child learn various mathematical concepts by focusing on relevant and real-world situations that they have encountered before. The main objective of this approach is to draw a student into the skill with familiar contexts and engaging topics.

However, before you hire a math tutor, you should first know their background. It’s essential that they have an education background since this will ensure you that they have the proper training and knowledge to teach your child in math.

Most importantly, a tutor will go to your home so your child will be taught at an environment that they know, which means they will be more relaxed, and they can concentrate more in learning and building their skills in math.

Make finding a tutor part of your preparations for the beginning of the school year and let them know your goals for making maths enjoyable for your child.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is considered a neurological condition that is commonly present in early childhood and may continue into adulthood. Usually, it is diagnosed when a child reached the age of seven, since ADHD will have a significant impact on the child’s ability to learn, and it may eventually affect his or her grades in school if left unchecked.

Common symptoms and Diagnosis of ADHD
ADHD is a condition that is quite challenging to diagnose, especially when distinguishing the symptoms since it does not affect every child the same way as other common neurological conditions. For this reason, statistics on the prevalence of ADHD vary significantly and the worldwide average is about 5.29% while it is rated as high as 10% in Australia.

However, almost all of the research proves that boys are more likely to acquire ADHD than girls, and the symptoms are categorised in two different categories, namely: hyperactivity and inattention although it can also be a combination of these two traits.

Children who have ADHD and are classed as predominantly inattentive will have the following:

• Difficulty listening or focusing
• Easily bored
• Distractibility
• Daydreaming
• Unable to follow instructions
• Difficulty in organising things
• Forgetful

For those who are classed as predominantly impulsive/hyperactive will have the following symptoms:

• Failing to stay seated
• Constant talking
• Fidgeting
• Uncontrollable physical activity
• Impatience
• Difficulty staying quiet
• Often getting interrupted by things around them

Learning strategies for children with ADHD
To help children with ADHD, it is essential to become aware of their condition since it is the first step in helping them cope up with their schoolwork or learning in general. Medication usually helps alleviate the symptoms of ADHD, but there is also a belief that children with this condition are often overmedicated.

That is why, if you suspect your child has this condition, it’s critical to consult a child psychologist, or you may even seek out the help of other medical professionals to ensure that it’s an accurate diagnosis or your child may have other condition that you’re not aware of.

Besides, there are several methods you can use to help your child stay on their task and be motivated with their homework, and these will include the following:

• Remove all distractions

It is recommended that you ask your child’s tutor or teacher to seat them as close to the front as possible and is away from any doors or windows. When they’re being taught at home, you must create a space or room that is free from any clutter and other visible distractions like the TV or any other toys and video games. You can also provide them with a stress ball to satisfy their fidgety compulsions.

• Maintain the routine

It is proven through various studies that children with ADHD are known to benefit from learning in a structured manner. That is why it is important to create a checklist of daily, weekly, or even monthly goals to ensure that your child is always on track on his or her learning. You should schedule the more important tasks at the beginning and divide each portion of their assignments, so large assignments will be converted to smaller segments and are much easier to complete. Help your child stay organised as well with calendars and charts to outline your routines. Practice your morning routine for a few weeks to prepare your child to return to school after the summer holidays. 

• Communicate concisely, clearly and compassionately

When your child has ADHD, you need to understand their condition and provide them with regular praise, especially when they are behaving well or if they are making breakthroughs at school. When you’re giving instructions, you should ensure that it is short and to the point and make sure that you let your child repeat them back to you to ensure that they did understand your instructions.
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• Ensure regular breaks after each task

Most importantly, you’ll need to provide regular breaks during their tutoring or homework sessions. You must let them stand up, stretch or even go for a walk outside. You can also let them have a small recess after every 30 minutes to refresh their minds and recover their focus and concentration.

So, it's January. Time to start thinking about the 2020 school year. Remember, your kids need guidance as they start a new school year. Whether your children are in middle school or high school , they still need you. And for you as a parent, you should know what to do, so here are a few back to school tips that will make your parenting more effective.

Develop a routine with your kids
A new school year is about to start! You need to prepare your kids and help them develop healthy habits. A few weeks before school starts, help them to wake up early for a healthy breakfast. Cook nutritious food with lots of veggies and fruits. Set a time for bed and perhaps put rules into place about devices and screen time. If they can sleep early, they will wake up early.

Organize your kids' uniforms and books
Avoid the last minute frantic scramble by organizing the uniforms and books in early Janurary. Wash and iron their clothes and hang them properly. Cover the books with plastic covers to protect them from wearing out easily. Do this a week or two before the start of school so you can start the year as you'd like it to continue- gently, organised and easy.

Prepare for hot days
t's necessary to prepare for hot days early in the year. Make sure to buy your kids the proper clothes that will shield them from the extreme heat of the sunny summer days. When preparing for their food, don't forget to add a bottle of cold water or frozen juices so they survive the hot day. For additional skin care, let them keep a spray mist to hydrate their skin, as well as packing sunscreen for playtime or sports.

Shop for suitable lunchbox foods
Apart from durable and stylish lunchboxes, you should think about what to put in them too. Pack a healthy breakfast, lunch, and snacks for them such as veggies, fruits, salad, and sandwiches. It won't hurt to remind them that eating healthy and nutritious food will help them become more attentive at school.

Complete any holiday homework
Now that school will resume soon, check your kids' notebook for any homework. If you find any, make sure that to assist them in doing their assignments. It's not a good habit to start school with incomplete homework.

Organize a tutor
Lastly, you can organize a tutor if necessary. Tutors help a lot in teaching your kids new ways and techniques on how to get homework, quizzes, and exercises done. Plus, you won't be spending much on tutors. One to two hours are enough for the coaching session. We can help organise a maths tutor  for students in Melbourne.

​Building confidence is paramount especially for children's early development. Much of our beliefs, motivation, and engagement is shaped by having confidence in ourselves. If these values are not instilled at a young age, it can lead to detrimental effects in a child's future interpersonal relationships and can also cause low self esteem.

As a parent, you can start boosting your child's confidence now through giving them more responsibility and accrediting more rewards. Boosting your child's confidence will help your child to establish their individuality and use their voice without any apprehension.

Let Them Lead
Give your child some space and let them make their own decisions. When you let your children make choices for your family, it gives them a sense of authority. This authority will make them feel as though their opinion and views matter as well. Letting your children lead will give them the impression that you trust them which will in turn boost their confidence significantly. You can let your child decide which chores they want to complete first or which homework assignments they would like to tackle as a first priority. Help you child with their homework, but do not take over. Give them control so they can be proud of their achievements.

Avoid Comparisons
Do not compare your child to their other siblings. This can build great resentment and ruin the relationship they have with their other siblings. Sometimes parents may make jokes about their children not knowing that they are unintentionally making their child feel inadequate. When parents compare their kids to each other, the child feels they can't measure up to their brother or sister's achievements. This will make your child have a low self esteem . To boost your child's confidence , make it a priority to focus on their individual goals, progress and achievements.

Ask For Help
Ask your child for help. This engagement may seem rather simple. However, it boosts their confidence by making them feel needed in certain situations. Ask your child for help with decisions like home improvement projects or even ask their personal opinion. Your child should feel as though their words hold value and that their perspectives are being acknowledged.

Help Them Set Goals
It is your job as a parent to help your child achieve their life's dreams. This is one way to help boost their confidence and maintain their motivation. When your child has a clear plan and knows their parent's are supporting them. You can sit down and ask your child questions about their aspirations and what they'd like to accomplish as their short-term and long-term goals. See where you might be able to help and provide them with as much support as you can.

​Congratulations! You finished 13 years of schooling, what an achievement! But, with this achievement comes a lot of responsibility. You need to decide what to do next. This can be a really challenging decision for many young adults, so we’ve put together a few ideas to help make your decision easier.

Think About What You Are Good At
This goes beyond what you were good at as far as subjects go. Many aspects of careers and life in general are more related to the fundamental skills you learn throughout your childhood. Do you like caring for others? Do you work well under pressure? Are you a strong leader? Do you have patience, attention to detail, people skills? All of these come in to play when choosing your post high school pathway.

Take a Year off
This may seem counterproductive to some, but you may have been so focused on study and homework, as well as extracurricular activities for the last few years, that you actually have no idea what you want to do. Take a year and go on a working holiday, undertaking various activities along the way. You will learn a lot about yourself, the things you like and what you don’t like.

Don’t Let Other People Make the Decision For You
This is where I messed up. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a good teacher and I like the job, but it doesn’t fit well with the lifestyle I yearn for. No one made the decision for me to be a teacher as such, but I was told that I had to go to university. Now I think that I may have been more suited to an apprenticeship. Advice is definitely something you need, but don’t be scared to take a different path if it is truly what you believe is right.

You Can Change Your Mind
If you make a decision, and then decide it may not be the right one, you can always change. At least you now know that is NOT what you want to do. Do your research and take your time to decide on the next step.

Even if you finish a course and begin a career, that’s not to say you will be stuck in that job forever. You may be able to use the skill set you acquired to take you on a different path. Or, you can always apply for another course.

You Don’t Have to Love Your Job
Wouldn’t it be great to love your job so much that even if you were a billionaire, you would still want to go to work? I’m not sure that this is often the case. You need to like your job. You need to be good at your job. Other than that, choose a pathway which will fit in with your preferred lifestyle as much as possible. If you like to travel, for example, you may choose to be an air host/hostess or a national/global company representative. If you want flexibility you might like to choose a business course so you can work for yourself when you please.

Hopefully these tips help you think outside the box a little as you think about your post high school pathway. 

The main purpose of teaching aids are to help both the tutor and the students in learning. One of the main problems with education and tuition in general is an over reliance on the text book. Usually, teaching aids are very effective especially to students who are visual learners. These are students who learn fastest when they see the things that they're learning from, such as flash cards, PowerPoint presentations and such. Teaching aids help students in a creative manner without making them feel bored with the knowledge and information that they're being fed with. They are also an interactive way to connect with students. The following are 6 teaching aids you can use for tutoring:

1.) Puzzles
This teaching aid is a really engaging way to connect with your students and and activate their mind. With puzzles, not only is it a proven way to engage with your students but this also effectively aids in preventing. With puzzles, this is proven to enhance focus and memory retention with lessons.

2.) Whiteboard
You usually learn fastest when you write things down. This is the reason as to why you remember things faster when you write it down on paper. This is the same for whiteboard as a teaching aid. Resources that involve writing down are also a proven way in helping students remember specific information.

3.) Pictures
For students with a good photographic memory, this is also one of the effective teaching aids out there. When you're explaining something to students, having pictures to back up your information helps the students with their memory and focus. When they're trying to recall that information, they'll then think back to the pictures that you showed to help them remember.

4.) Play money
This is surprisingly an amazing way to learn math, especially for kids who struggle with numbers and counting. An additional bonus for this teaching aid is that they will learn how to count money and handle money in general, which is a great life tip.

5.) Charts
This teaching aid is highly effective specifically with subjects involving maths, statistics and research. With charts, students can compare and observe the difference in percentage or ratio between different categories. This is usually used upon comparing statistics in years. Charts help simplify a large amount of data into colorful blocks, which also aid in imagination and creativity for the students. This is known as the most important tool in representing data.

6.) Flash cards
Since flash cards can be one of the teaching aids that can come off as games, this is a really interactive way to teach students. It gets them out of their boredom and maybe actually learn a thing or two while feeling engaged with you as the tutor. This is effective in numerous subjects and topics as well.

In the end, these 6 best teaching aids are effective ways in teaching many students today. It depends on yours and your students preference as to which of these you find are the most effective in getting students to grasp the knowledge you give them.

​As tutors, we’ve all been there. The student who has absolutely no interest in what you are teaching them. They don’t do their home work, they are unorganised and they dread your sessions together. Here are some ideas to help tutors engage these students. Your students may even begin enjoying your sessions together!

Get to know your students
Too many teachers and tutors are all about the content and teaching students on an academic level only. But in my opinion, relationships are the number one most important thing for you and your students. If your students likes you and feels a positive connection with you, they will be more open and motivated to learn. If you know your student, you can begin tailoring the lessons towards their interests and learning styles.
It is important to begin establishing your positive working relationship early in the piece. I’m not saying that you should spend the first few sessions just chatting and getting to know each other. It should be a consistent effort, along with the academic components. Ask students questions like the following:

• How do you get on with your teacher? What is it that you do/do not like about them?
• What are your hobbies?
• What do you like/not like about school?
• How was your weekend?

The information you can gather from questions like this is invaluable and you will be gradually building the strength of your professional relationship, building a mutual respect.

Send reminder messages
If there’s one thing that annoys me most, it is a student who is unorganised. They forget their books, worksheets, protractor, calculator and even pens Every. Single. Time. It leaves tutors wondering what students have learnt, what is on the test and how am I supposed to teach the required content consistently and effectively?!
I tutor mainly on Sundays. So on Fridays, the reminders go out to the students (or the parents of the students) who always forget their resources. These resources make a huge difference to the effectiveness of our sessions.

Communicate with parents
It’s all well and good to set homework for a student and expect it to be done by the following session. But in reality, it is unlikely to be attempted by disengaged students. For my unmotivated students, I always tell the parents that I have set homework and a list of the activities requiring completion. I’ll be honest, sometimes it still doesn’t get done!

The next step depends on the individual tutor. I have put my foot down before and given a student an ultimatum. He had huge potential working his way into year 12 and I had been tutoring him for two years already. He had fallen into the habit of not completing the homework I set for him. After a few weeks of trying various strategies to get him onto his homework, I told him that I couldn’t be his tutor anymore. Wow, what a change!! His habits changed instantly, and he would not miss a single question.

These are just a few ideas to increase motivation for your disengaged students. Increasing engagement will increase both yours and your students enjoyment, as well as making the parents lives easier. 

 Self-control is an essential trait that anyone should develop, and this is relatively true for our kids since there are lots of distractions in their environment. Right now, your child might be glued to a screen, and they may not be able to focus on schoolwork or you can’t even talk to them when they’re in the middle of their game or chat.

This can be quite frustrating for parents, so it’s essential to guide your children and help them develop sufficient self-control. In fact, practice makes perfect, and having this one crucial trait will bring them success in the long run.

The first thing you need to do is to set some rules in your home and develop study routines that are mandatory and should be followed by your kids. In the long run, you’ll have yourself a self-control champion that will always stick to the regimen.

Now let’s break it down a bit more so you’ll want what we can make of this new perspective.

• Patience and practice are the keys to success

Like what we’ve tackled on the first part of this article, it will take time and effort to develop self-control because it is comparable to a muscle that we often exercise and go to the gym to train our muscles and make them much stronger than what they are now.

It will take time, and a lot of patience before your kids develop self-control, but as long as you keep at it they will eventually have it and there will be no real limit to what they can achieve once they develop it. In fact, one day your kids are going to put down their mobile phone without being told beforehand.

• Failing is part of growing

We all know that it’s not easy to stick to the rules, so when your child fails to follow it, you need to be clear that they are responsible for their action. So, when they don’t study for their exams, then there’s a big possibility that they will fail the test.  

Sometimes you need to let them fall on their face and experience failing. So, when they fail some of their tests at school, they will eventually learn from that experience and your kids will find new ways to cope with bad habits since they now know the result of their previous action.

That is why you need to be firm and impose the rules that you’ve set especially when it comes to their schoolwork. Creating study routines and setting a definite schedule is the way to go, so your child will also develop good study habits – and we all know that this is the recipe that will lead them to academic success.

• Kindness goes a long way

Remember to be kind both to yourself and your children because there are days when your kids might be their worst selves. So, when they are misbehaving, you might immediately lash out and punish them for their actions.

But you need to understand that the pain you’re feeling is just a symptom, sign or a signal that both you and your child is just stretching your mental muscles and learning how to walk. You need to control your feelings and take it slowly since it’s all part of the process. Keep breathing and take one exhausting day at a time.

You and your child will eventually reach your ultimate goal of developing self-control and sticking to good study habits.