private tutor or tutoring institution?

[IntoTheNewWorld]

I'm currently thinking about whether I should do private tuition or go to TSFX workshops/Jack's. I've never had private tuition before so I'm not really sure if it's more effective.

[danieltennis]

If you go Jacks, you will see me there =]

Personally I have never been to Jack's services before, but some of my relatives and friends say it's quite decent and affordable.

Have you heard of Academy Plus before?
It's situated at Berwick. I only went there once and it's not too bad.

Here's the website if you're interested: http://www.vcetuition.com.au/

But from what I heard, Jack teaches better and provides more comprehensive notes than Academy Plus.

Hope that helps.

[IntoTheNewWorld]

Hmm I've heard many people say good things about Jack's, but I don't really know much information about his classes. Do you know about how big his class sizes are? I don't really like big class sizes that much. But then again if he's really that good that shouldn't be too much of an issue.

Has anyone been to both private tuition AND group tuition? If so, what are your thoughts on each? My maths is pretty crap, and I've been to TSFX Summer School/Intense Workshops, JAC, North Shore and Nam Quang (at various year levels) but still really suck at maths, making me think maybe a private tutor would be better for me.

[kurrymuncher]

I went to Jacks for methods last year. The class sizes range from 35to 50 students, it really depends on what time of the year it is. His notes were excellent, much better than the text books. He gives out a stack of notes throughout the year and a comprehensive exam pack near exam period. Its a great class,plus, Jack is one of the funniest teachers you will ever see. He constantly makes jokes to keep you awake. oh yeah, the price is 20 dollars for two hours.


EDIT: LOL at daniel, i told you to come to Jacks last year and your like "What, why would I come to Jacks" hahaha jump on the bandwagon I would say

[mystikal]

Heys well ive experienced both types of tutoring and it depends on the subject and you, for the maths/science subjects a private tutor is more suited since there could be other students that take up the teacher's time by asking questions, and you would already know them for example. Futhermore, if you have a private tutor you can ask any question you want and you can go at your own pace since they are more flexible compared to a strict syllabus which the tutoring institutions have to follow which wont allow for people who have fallen behind to catch up.  Also for maths/science other students got nothing to contribute because maths/science subjects are straight forward where your answer can only be right or wrong. O yea private tutoring is cheaper and easier to find, just look at the VN tutoring board and you can see how many people have advertised to tutor, if that doesnt help then try look at the monash university tutor directory ( i dont know what it is called). This is just my opinion from my experience others might have something different.

However for subjects like english or languages maybe beneficial to have a group of students because you can generate ideas better together or you can discover something from your peers that you havent thought of which you would like to add in your essay or whatever.

But in the end it depends on you, you might consider doing private tutoring in combination with lectures throughout the year. ATM im planning to go to both private tutoring and group, with lectures once and awhile.

[squance]

In 2007, I went to Jack's for Chemistry and Maths Methods.
The timeslots I went to were usually packed that Jack's old guy assistant usually has to bring in extra desks LOL
Personally, the tutoring didn't really helped me that much. But if I ever had a question, I usually would approach him at the end of the lesson and ask him. In the lessons, he usually touched briefly on the main points of the topic and then would  proceed on to do the problem sheets - he usually raced them through so quickly that I didn't have a chance to properly process what he was teaching.
The notes that he hands out are pretty good. I still refer to my Maths Methods ones for uni maths.
I also remember that for some calculator related stuff (I think in probablity), he would give each person a handout that was specifically for their graphics calculator.
Oh yeah, he gives out a lot of practice exams near the end of the semester and goes through select questions too. That's good I guess. LOL
I liked him for his funny jokes and corny lines eg: "The pen is mightier than the sword". LOL

And I think my parents are planning to make my sister go to Jack's for some of her subjects this year.

[IntoTheNewWorld]

Many people seem to like Jack's. At the moment I'm leaning towards a private tutor for Methods (Because I really can't keep up with group tuition usually, it's like gibberish to me) and Jack's for other subjects.

[Hielly]

mystical is exactly right, for English group is better, so you can have discussions on particular issues. I've experienced both private and institue tutoring.

Private is definitely better. Although one on one tuition is quiet unnecessary, unless you are really struggling in the subject.

It's much better if you find a private tutor and call 2 or 3 of your friends. Really for maths its better to have 2-3 people in the session.

Also i have found out that i have learnt much more from private tutoring. In an institute they hold you down because there class sizes are big and not all students keep up with the work.