Login

Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

March 28, 2024, 09:34:54 pm

Author Topic: The Pros and Cons of Being Tutored  (Read 1909 times)  Share 

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

JR_StudyEd

  • MOTM: MAY 19
  • Forum Obsessive
  • ***
  • Posts: 379
  • Mental health is #1
  • Respect: +171
The Pros and Cons of Being Tutored
« on: May 10, 2019, 10:19:53 pm »
0
I'm late, aren't I? I'm almost about to finish, my time in the system is just about over, so this thread really ain't about me at all.

But first, some context. What do you when your own Methods teacher tells you to get a tutor to help you 'understand the content more', but you and your parents stubbornly refuse on the basis that a) you're not completely hopeless in the subject, b) surely there are peers who can help me for free, c) ATARNotes and other free resources exist, hello? d) Quite costly, and e) I'm nearly finished anyway, so what's the point?

I've never received real-life tutoring before. And I intend to keep it that way. It's just my fear of asking the Spesh students for help (they are my Methods peers) as they have their own lives and whatnot. I don't want my parents to have to go through the expenditure of a tutor. And personally, I don't think it's worth getting tutoring to marginally raise my four-digit number that will only matter for the first year out of Year 12 anyway (correct me if I'm wrong, please!)

So, to you out there who have received any kind of VCE tuition in the past, what did you find to be the pros and cons of it? This is to help those in younger years to make some sort of decision. My VCE journey is beginning to reach the pointier end, but some of yours have just begun!  :)
Listens to K-Pop (Twice, Red Velvet, MAMAMOO) and Christmas music all year round.

angewina_naguen

  • HSC Lecturer
  • HSC Moderator
  • Part of the furniture
  • *****
  • Posts: 1257
  • Musical Theatre Tragic And Ultimate Pun Generator
  • Respect: +1026
Re: The Pros and Cons of Being Tutored
« Reply #1 on: May 10, 2019, 11:19:00 pm »
+6
I'm late, aren't I? I'm almost about to finish, my time in the system is just about over, so this thread really ain't about me at all.

But first, some context. What do you when your own Methods teacher tells you to get a tutor to help you 'understand the content more', but you and your parents stubbornly refuse on the basis that a) you're not completely hopeless in the subject, b) surely there are peers who can help me for free, c) ATARNotes and other free resources exist, hello? d) Quite costly, and e) I'm nearly finished anyway, so what's the point?

I've never received real-life tutoring before. And I intend to keep it that way. It's just my fear of asking the Spesh students for help (they are my Methods peers) as they have their own lives and whatnot. I don't want my parents to have to go through the expenditure of a tutor. And personally, I don't think it's worth getting tutoring to marginally raise my four-digit number that will only matter for the first year out of Year 12 anyway (correct me if I'm wrong, please!)

So, to you out there who have received any kind of VCE tuition in the past, what did you find to be the pros and cons of it? This is to help those in younger years to make some sort of decision. My VCE journey is beginning to reach the pointier end, but some of yours have just begun!  :)

I don't know how welcome my advice would be since I didn't do VCE but I do have a few things to say as someone who went through tutoring from a very young age and as a tutor myself now for Tutesmart. I know this thread is meant to be geared for the upcoming cohorts but I figured it'd be good to just respond to your thoughts on tutoring.

Money is definitely a huge factor in deciding whether tutoring is worth it. I agree in that it is costly but it is also a worthy investment if you are investing in the right place. The success of a good tutor lies in compatibility and if you are particularly compatible with them, you'll go far with them. I was really fortunate to have a tutor who was really involved with my learning and who guided me in areas of strength and weakness. When you find someone like that, you'll be getting what you paid for and your money's worth out of it. It was particularly reassuring during exam period when everyone else is focused on themselves and incredibly stressed to have them as a support network and someone who can seek help from too.

That being said, if you really are not up for the idea of spending money on tutoring, then it's completely understandable. Having conviction in your beliefs is something admirable and I don't think you should have to immediately sign up for one if you don't feel like it's necessary or will be helpful in the long run. I just think it's important you remain neutral about it and respect that there are people who work in those industries and students like yourself who do benefit from it. Yes, the ATAR isn't actually as crazy as people make it out to be but students who choose tutoring do not always do it for that security of getting a better ATAR; I can see in my students a genuine interest in wanting to improve for the sake of themselves. That's the kind of environment good tutors would strive for and that's the best attitude to have in a system that is extremely competitive and already forces you to measure yourself up to all kinds of expectations.

I do think the pros of tutoring outweigh the cons but perhaps a less biased perspective could be more helpful. There are always amazing resources like the ones on AN available for use and it's definitely never too late to start if you feel like you need it. Do what works for you and what you think will be more valuable to you in the long run. Whether or not tutoring is in the picture is dependent on your story  :)

« Last Edit: May 10, 2019, 11:30:09 pm by angewina_naguen »
-HSC 2018-

-ATAR-
97.50

-UNI 2019-2022-
Bachelor of Music (Music Education) at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music

Bri MT

  • VIC MVP - 2018
  • Administrator
  • ATAR Notes Legend
  • *****
  • Posts: 4719
  • invest in wellbeing so it can invest in you
  • Respect: +3677
Re: The Pros and Cons of Being Tutored
« Reply #2 on: May 11, 2019, 08:55:43 am »
+5
I never received tutoring but I did provide tutoring last year. Having a tutor is different to the support we provide on the forums - a tutor builds up greater understanding of who you are and can thus target areas for improvement more + they give you instant face-to-face feedback.

Methods is a subject where I personally wouldn't get a tutor because its objectivity makes it easier to learn from other sources - you don't really need an expert on VCE as such.

In regards to is effectively paying to raise your study score worth it? I don't know - if you're not confident in what you want to study keeping a 25+ methods score will give you more flexibility. 

You also don't have to lock-in anything.  You can try a session,  see how you like it and maybe book in more if you do.

galaxy21

  • Trendsetter
  • **
  • Posts: 150
  • Respect: +23
Re: The Pros and Cons of Being Tutored
« Reply #3 on: May 11, 2019, 09:35:08 am »
+3
Hi!
I'm currently in year 12 and, until this year, had never really received tutoring. Going into this year, though, I knew that I was going to struggle a bit with methods and chemistry. I'm not terrible at either, I passed all my year 11 SAC's (and so far year 12) with reasonable scores (generally 70's-90's) but I knew that it might make it all a lot easier to get some extra support. I must admit, I am aiming for a pretty high ATAR to get into the courses I am looking at so I do need to score reasonably well in both subjects. But another big part of getting tutoring was that I wanted to get extra support, particularly on topics that I wasn't so sure about. For methods in particular, my tutor has shown me quite a few different strategies that have massively helped and saved me time on work and (hopefully) SAC's and exams, as well as, of course, explaining things clearly in a way that is often different to the teacher, and overall, it has definitely been worth the investment.

So general pro's and con's that I personally have found so far:
Pro's
  • Tutors will often provide a clearer or different explanation to deepen your understanding on a concept
  • The tutor will get to know you, and so can teach you in a way that is specific to your learning style, rather than how the general class seems to understand best
  • They can help you get ahead in content (with my tutor, I will generally look at content for the next area or chapter in the textbook so that I have a clearer view of what I am going in to, and can potentially work ahead on content without having no clue what I'm doing)
  • You can finish the year with (hopefully) a better understanding of the concepts learnt which you can apply in future study if needed
  • You can (hopefully) get through the year with that little bit less struggle and confusion

Con's
  • It can be expensive (generally around $60 for a 1 hour session)
  • It can be hard to find a good tutor that is compatible with your learning style

Remember, you don't have to have tutoring every week...you could organise monthly sessions or even just a couple before your SAC's and exams to cement your knowledge on the content. It's never too late to get some extra support, especially if you think that it will help you to get through year 12 with that little less stress and better understanding!
Good luck! :D
2018 - Biology, Further
2019 - English, Chemistry, Methods, Health and Human Development
2020 - Bachelor of Science (Melbourne Uni)

JR_StudyEd

  • MOTM: MAY 19
  • Forum Obsessive
  • ***
  • Posts: 379
  • Mental health is #1
  • Respect: +171
Re: The Pros and Cons of Being Tutored
« Reply #4 on: May 11, 2019, 07:22:00 pm »
0
I watched the AN short video regarding tutoring earlier today, to get the tutesmart tutor's perspective. I definitely fall into the category of considering tutoring on the basis that I am struggling, barely clinging on to a scrap of hope that I can understand enough content to pass the first SAC. And I'm sad it's got to that. Education is about stimulating the desire for lifelong learning, not going for the bare minimum to get the teachers off your back for the next little while.

I just don't want to suffer alone anymore. AN is great, but it obviously has the downside of not being able to meet face-to-face (outside of meet-ups I guess).

Based on the responses above, it seems to me that tutoring would be very beneficial! I just don't feel like I get enough support in the academic sector of my life. My friendly Year 12 peers don't seem to want to help either.  :'( I personally don't know many people who place a greater emphasis on school than myself, it's weird. Paying to receive real-life support from other people who been through what I'm going through rather recently seems like a wise investment (and yes I see that sneaky Tutesmart plug, thanks 4 that)

But I obviously can't completely forget the existence of my teachers. They know their stuff.
Listens to K-Pop (Twice, Red Velvet, MAMAMOO) and Christmas music all year round.

JR_StudyEd

  • MOTM: MAY 19
  • Forum Obsessive
  • ***
  • Posts: 379
  • Mental health is #1
  • Respect: +171
Re: The Pros and Cons of Being Tutored
« Reply #5 on: May 22, 2019, 06:58:30 pm »
0
What are the pros and cons of online vs face-to-face tuition?
Listens to K-Pop (Twice, Red Velvet, MAMAMOO) and Christmas music all year round.

bmarz2019

  • Adventurer
  • *
  • Posts: 7
  • Respect: 0
Re: The Pros and Cons of Being Tutored
« Reply #6 on: May 22, 2019, 11:00:59 pm »
0
What are the pros and cons of online vs face-to-face tuition?

Hey!

So with face-to-face tuition, you have the ability to be taught in person how to do certain questions and it's more interactive. The tutor is there in front of you to assist you in rectifying your errors instead of on a computer which could disconnect because of bad signal.

Online tuition MAY be cheaper (not too sure), but it means you may be able to do it from home (I know some tutor's who cost a lot to come to you).

It's all up to you and what you think is best for you.

Hope this helps!
HSC 2019

Legal Studies | Modern History | Adv English | Adv Maths | History Ext | SOR II

charlottemchenry

  • Forum Regular
  • **
  • Posts: 57
  • Respect: +14
Re: The Pros and Cons of Being Tutored
« Reply #7 on: May 22, 2019, 11:09:23 pm »
+1
What are the pros and cons of online vs face-to-face tuition?

A lot of this comes down to personal preference. Personally I can't concentrate very well and online I get distracted way too easily. Face to face I had a designated hour a week to sit and ask questions. I also liked how it was easy to communicate and explain my question like writing it down and pointing stuff out.

However as stated above it can be more expensive and additionally you may have to travel. I had private tutoring for chemistry/maths and for english and for both of these I had to travel between 10 and 30 minutes which was good but if you live in a place where not many tutors are currently available this may be an issue.

An advantage of online is if you have a busy schedule and can't always fit in a set hour in the afternoon or something you can use online at any time and could hence do it late at night if needed (depends what sort of online tutoring you have though like if it's one where you talk to someone live then this is not possible).

Overall I think you have to weigh up what you prefer - ie are you the kind of person who would prefer to sit with a teacher and get the answer or someone who prefers to email or look stuff up on online resources.

Hope this helps
HSC 2018 - Standard English [88] || Mathematics [89] || Biology [89] || Chemistry [83] || Legal Studies [92] || Studies of Religion 1 [45]

Atar:
93.95

UTS 2019 - Bachelor of Advanced Science (Infection and Immunity) and Bachelor of Creative Intelligence and Innovation

JR_StudyEd

  • MOTM: MAY 19
  • Forum Obsessive
  • ***
  • Posts: 379
  • Mental health is #1
  • Respect: +171
Re: The Pros and Cons of Being Tutored
« Reply #8 on: May 28, 2019, 10:17:42 pm »
0
Yes, the ATAR isn't actually as crazy as people make it out to be but students who choose tutoring do not always do it for that security of getting a better ATAR; I can see in my students a genuine interest in wanting to improve for the sake of themselves. That's the kind of environment good tutors would strive for and that's the best attitude to have in a system that is extremely competitive and already forces you to measure yourself up to all kinds of expectations.
Hmmm. So are you saying that tutoring will be beneficial to those who seek self-improvement in their studies and those who want to build their character, not necessarily for a higher score? If so, then I think I will probably get a tutor. I personally could not care less about 'scoring highly'. Numbers mean next to nothing for me. For me, it's about how much I retain to apply in a test/exam situation.

But I suppose there's still considerations to be made. Like, I still have to do the work. Having a tutor will by no means actually lessen the amount of work I have to do. I have kind of exhausted all my options, though.
Listens to K-Pop (Twice, Red Velvet, MAMAMOO) and Christmas music all year round.