What is the Difference Between Private Tuition in Singapore and Regular School Lessons?

We frequently have parents asking us, “What makes your A-maths tuition in Singapore different from normal school classes?” Isn’t private tuition in Singapore just a fancy term for catch-up lessons if students are unable to keep up with their classes? Must private tuition really be the key ingredient to excelling in A-maths, or is it just for those who “can’t study”?

As it turns out, private tuition classes aren’t just for weaker students having trouble catching up. Instead of acting as a substitute for regular school lessons, private tutors in A maths tuition in Singapore go above and beyond to ensure that each student can thoroughly understand, apply, and appreciate every concept that is required for their A-maths examination. Sure, private tuition is often for students who find themselves lagging in class, but there are all kinds of students who attend private tuition and benefit from it. In fact, being competitive in the education system today requires a tremendous amount of effort, which most students tend to find taxing. To ease their burden, many students turn to private tuition in Singapore for the extra guidance and support in coping with their many subjects. Let’s see what private tuition does differently from regular classes at school.

Private Tuition is Personalised

How does a personalised curriculum that follows your own pace sound? While school teachers have to take the entire class of 30 or 40 students into account when designing their lesson plans, private tutors have no such restrictions. Tuition classes are typically conducted in small groups of a handful of students, or even one-to-one. This makes it much easier for tutors to identify their students’ weak points and tailor their lessons accordingly.

For example, a student who has difficulty wrapping their head around the concept of trigonometry may find themselves lagging behind the rest of their classmates when their teacher goes through the subject. It would be necessary for this student to catch up on the topic on their own time, which can be difficult and demoralising especially without guidance from a teacher. Some students may give up on the topic entirely because they feel that they are unable to catch up on their own.

A private tutor would be perfect for such a situation because unlike a classroom setting, private tuition allows the tutor to spend more time on the student’s weakest topics. The small number of students in a class also enables the tutor to spend more time with each student, fully catering to their individual needs.

Private Tuition is a Support System

Can your private tutor be more than a teacher? Of course! Not all students have the privilege of a support system with their parents at home. As teenagers go through secondary school life and the awkward years of growing up, they may encounter feelings of insecurity, friendship issues, or simply wonder about their direction in life. However, some parents may be working and have little time to talk to their children on these matters. As such, students can turn to their teachers and tutors instead for advice and support, or even if they just need someone to be their cheerleader for that project presentation next week. An amicable tutor can easily fit into a teen’s support network and help them figure out their next education route or career plan, a common question that many O-level students have. Tutors may even be the best people one can ask for career advice, because they have been there along with their previous students.

In group private tuition, a student’s classmates can also form part of that support network. Sometimes, a student’s closest friends may even come from their tuition class instead of their class at school! With private tuition being conducted in smaller settings, it can be a more comfortable learning environment for quieter students, allowing them to get closer to their tuition classmates. Who knows, lifelong friendships could be forged within a cosy tuition room.

Private Tuition Builds Confidence

While a school classroom is usually on a tight schedule, private tutors have a little more leeway to drill their students further and increase their confidence in tackling each question type. Without the administrative matters, disruptive students and homework-chasing to distract from lesson time, private tuition is often more productive than school classes, allowing students to fully focus on mastering each topic. Private tutors are also generally more experienced in ensuring that students of all levels of understanding can grasp the subject matter. From a shaky foundation dependent on model answers, private tutors excel in guiding each student to comprehend the reasoning behind each step of working. This builds firm confidence in students’ Maths prowess, enabling them to succeed.