What are the Advantages of Small Group 11+ Tuition? One of the questions which we are frequently asked is this: is group tuition or home tuition better for my child?
Well, the simple answer is: it depends. Some children do need full attention from a tutor to instruct and guide them to focus and learn better. However, in most cases, group tuition, especially those with small class sizes of 10 or less, tend to be more effective in encouraging and enabling the child to learn more, and learn better. Here’s why:
Less Pressure
Home tuition on a one-to-one basis puts a lot of pressure on the child. At that young age, children can be easily distracted by siblings playing, parents watching TV, the dog running around in the garden. All that attention on a single student can also be unnerving, with the child having to endure a learning environment in which he/she is the sole learner, questioner and respondent.
Going to a tuition centre eases these potential pressures. For a centre like SwiftTutors, the modern and conducive environment provides a stimulating place for students to learn. By having the child study with a few others of the same age and ability, this takes the pressure off individual children while allowing for one-to-one help from the tutor when needed. The child can benefit from working in a group or by themselves, as tuition centres tend to have more resources to enhance learning through activity-based pedagogy like public speaking, cross-sharing and group discussions. Imagine trying to hone a child’s public speaking skills in a one-to-one tuition session! Such workshop-style lessons are more interactive, challenging and stimulating, amidst a much more relaxed environment, while still producing superb results.
Curriculum Planning
Another strength of group tuition is curriculum planning. Most home tutors focus on helping with homework, promoting rote learning and preparing for tests and exams. This is done by making the children work through pages and pages of off-the-shelf assessment books or past year papers until they are so well-drilled in the process that the students tackle test and exam questions following a prescribed set of rules. However, when faced with exam questions which call for higher-order thinking, these students are typically stumped for answers as such questions are a departure from what they have been cramming for.
Home tutors may claim to offer tuition based on National Curriculum, but we work hand in hand with it in an effective way with proven results. As an established tuition centre Swift Tutors Wolverhampton has developed its own curriculum for the various subjects and provide a comprehensive programme of work to cater to the individual child’s strengths and weaknesses, with the lessons complementing what is taught in schools.
Cost Consideration
The third advantage of group tuition is cost. At Swift Tutors the curriculum is designed and taught by PGCE qualified teachers, with each class having between 2- 10 students. We also include our talented teaching assistants who support the lead tutor, other features that we offer include revision sessions, holiday programmes that really help to develop diligent, highly-motivated and self-confident children.
With increasing pressure on schools, tuition centres will continue to grow in the coming years. This will be a positive and exciting development in child services, as tuition centres can support the social, personal, and most importantly, educational development of our children.