How Our Tutors Support Students Through Term 1 Of School

Term 1 of school is a unique time where students are still adapting to their new study level. Some of them are also adapting to a new school, subjects, class, or teachers. With commitments typically still low, some students may find it a more ‘chill’ period before the real stress of tests and exams arrive.

However, we find this a very important time to build up strong foundations for students! With the luxury of a bit more time, we can really focus on the basics, or take the opportunity to learn ahead of the school curriculum. What this achieves is that our secondary school tuition students are more prepared when it’s finally time for their Weighted Assessments and assignments.

Here’s a glimpse at what we get busy with in Term 1 in our tuition classes!

Recap the fundamentals

As students get to the upper levels (e.g. P5 and P6 or Sec 3 and Sec 4), they learn more advanced topics which build on topics they have learnt previously. But some students have not even mastered the basics – how can we expect them to grasp the advanced topics?

For these students, we want to bring them back to the basics – the building blocks for more difficult topics. It might feel like they are taking a step back for now, but it is essential for them to progress further instead of losing motivation. With our tutors’ clear explanations and guided practice, many of these students successfully go on to master the fundamentals and become much more confident in the subject!

Approach new topics with a clear framework

First impressions matter – even in learning a new topic in school. Some teachers simply jump into the topic, leaving students questioning: why am I even learning this?

To help students form stronger connections, we find it important to provide a big picture overview before each new topic. Our o level and IP tutors in Singapore might use a variety of tools like videos, in-class demonstrations, and mind maps to help students make sense of the new topic. Mainly, we hope students dive into a new topic with answers to these questions:

• Why does this topic matter? (Context, real-life applications, connections to other topics)
• What should I get out of this topic? (Learning objectives, content coverage, skills needed)

Guided practice and examples

At Future Academy, we don’t want students who only know how to memorise answers. We want to teach students to think for themselves and be able to tackle new questions independently. To do this, we emphasise the thinking and answering skills behind answering a question – not just the content.

At the early stages, we demonstrate how to do example questions, explaining the thought processes behind each step of the solution. This might include analysing the question for keywords, understanding the question requirements, breaking down the question into smaller parts, and making sure crucial keywords or working steps are in the answer.

Conclusion

You don’t have to wait until things get hectic in Term 2 onwards to benefit from tuition classes in Singapore. Term 1 is a crucial period for getting the basics right, and setting a steady rhythm for the rest of the year.

So, if you are ready to conquer the year ahead with strong foundations, don’t forget to book your classes with us at Future Academy!

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