Articles – The Tutor Centre

Supercharge Your Study Sessions: Mastering Efficient Active Revision Techniques

Welcome, GCSE and A-level students, to a guide by The Tutor Centre that will revolutionize your study routine! Exam season can be daunting, but don’t worry, we have the secret to success. In this article, we will explore the power of efficient active revision techniques and why they are paramount to your academic achievements. Get ready to optimize your learning process, boost your grades, and ace those exams!

The Pitfall of Passive Revision:

Imagine yourself sitting at your desk, passively flipping through pages, hoping the information will magically imprint in your memory. Sound familiar? This approach, known as passive revision, is an all-too-common trap many students fall into. However, it lacks the necessary engagement to truly absorb and retain information effectively.

Active Revision: The Game-Changer:

Active revision is the key to unlocking your full potential as a student. It involves adopting techniques that require you to actively participate and engage with the material. By activating various areas of your brain, you enhance your understanding, memory retention, and recall abilities.

Let’s explore a few practical active revision techniques that will supercharge your study sessions:

1. Summarize and Teach:

After studying a section or completing a topic, challenge yourself to summarize the main points in your own words. Pretend you’re a tutor explaining the concept to a classmate. By doing so, you reinforce your understanding and uncover any knowledge gaps that require further attention.

2. Mind Mapping:

Harness the power of mind mapping to visually organize and connect ideas. Start with a central topic and branch out into subtopics, creating a visual representation of your subject. This technique helps you grasp the bigger picture, make connections between concepts, and recall information more effectively during exams.

3. Flashcards and Quizzes:

Utilize flashcards and quizzes for active recall. Create flashcards with questions on one side and answers on the other, or use online platforms that offer interactive quizzes. Test yourself regularly, focusing on challenging areas. Better yet, partner up with a study buddy and quiz each other to reinforce learning while making it fun and engaging.

4. Practice, Practice, Practice:

For subjects that involve problem-solving or numerical concepts, practice is paramount. Solve as many practice questions as possible to solidify your understanding and build confidence in applying your knowledge. Seek out past exam papers or practice quizzes to simulate real exam conditions. The more you practice, the better prepared you’ll be for any exam challenge.

5. Break It Down:

Long study sessions can quickly lead to burnout and diminished focus. Break your revision into manageable chunks and alternate between different subjects or topics. This technique, known as interleaving, keeps your brain engaged and prevents monotony. Remember to take short breaks between sessions to recharge and maintain optimal focus.

Conclusion:

By incorporating efficient active revision techniques into your study routine, you are primed for success in your GCSE and A-level exams. Remember, active revision requires your active participation—summarize and teach, utilize mind mapping, employ flashcards and quizzes, practice consistently, and break down your study sessions.

So, buckle up, ignite your motivation, and embark on this journey to academic excellence. Armed with these strategies, you will confidently conquer your exams and achieve remarkable results. You’ve got this!

The Tutor Centre has helped many students to ace their exams. Get in touch to discuss how we can help you.

Why Tutoring Matters

In today’s rapidly evolving educational landscape, parents face a multitude of challenges when it comes to ensuring their children receive the quality education they deserve. The state education system, while undoubtedly dedicated to the well-being of our children, often finds itself under-resourced and grappling with large class sizes. As a result, the vast majority of students are not be receiving the individual attention and focused guidance they need to excel academically.

The Struggle of Overstretched Schools:

Overstretched schools, grappling with limited resources and large class sizes, may struggle to provide the tailored attention required for each child’s unique learning journey. As parents, we understand the importance of individualized support, especially in the crucial primary and secondary years, where a strong foundation is vital for future success.

The Impact on Academic Performance:

The consequences of under-resourced education systems can be felt in our children’s academic performance. Larger class sizes make it challenging for teachers to address individual learning needs, resulting in some students falling behind or struggling to reach their full potential. This is where tutoring becomes crucial.

The Tutor Centre Difference:

The Tutor Centre, with its high quality approach, offers hope for parents to overcome the challenges posed by the state education system. Specialising in providing focused tutoring by qualified specialist teachers who are dedicated to progressing each and every student, The Tutor Centre stands out with its commitment to maintaining small group sizes with highly disciplined tuition sessions with no chatter or distractions. This unique approach enables teachers to deliver the personalized attention that is lacking in school classrooms.

Rapid Progress and Academic Excellence:

The results speak for themselves. Parents have shared glowing testimonials over the years, in person and through online reviews, highlighting the rapid progress their children have made at The Tutor Centre. These success stories include significant improvements in SATS, GCSEs, and end-of-year exam grades. It’s also not just about grades; it’s about nurturing a love for learning and instilling the confidence needed to succeed in any academic challenge, a life-long skill students carry forward to A-Levels, apprenticeships and university.

Individual Support for Every Student:

At The Tutor Centre, the key to success lies in the ability of our qualified specialist teachers to provide individualised support to each student. This focused attention allows for a deep understanding of the unique learning style and needs of every child, ensuring that no one is left behind. The intimate very small class setting fosters an environment where questions are encouraged, concepts are thoroughly understood, and academic hurdles are overcome.

Consistent Progress and Set Advancements:

One of the most impressive aspects of The Tutor Centre’s impact is the consistent progress and set advancements observed in students. By addressing individual learning gaps and building a strong foundation, children are not only catching up but excelling beyond expectations. Moving up sets at school becomes a regular result as students gain the confidence and knowledge needed to reach advanced levels. Read the reviews to see for yourself here.

As parents navigating the challenges of the current education system, it’s essential to explore avenues that provide our children with the support they need to thrive academically. The Tutor Centre stands as a testament to the transformative power of focused tutoring in small groups, where qualified specialist teachers are dedicated to unlocking the full potential of every student. Don’t let the limitations of the state education system, and low quality tuition centres with large school style class sizes, hinder your child’s progress—consider the benefits of The Tutor Centre and witness the remarkable academic journey that awaits your child.

Why not book a free trial tutoring session by calling or sending a message for a call back to 07555 419058 to experience first hand what The Tutor Centre can offer your child?

The Power of Early Tuition: The Secret to GCSE Success in Year 11

As parents, we all want our children to achieve academic excellence, especially when it comes to their GCSE exams. However, waiting until Year 11 to address knowledge gaps is often too late. That’s why enrolling your children at The Tutor Centre, which offers small group tutoring with individualised support, while they are at primary school, or in lower secondary school if they are past primary, is essential since school class sizes are too large to effectively build them up as required for the top GCSE grades.

In this article, we will explore the benefits of early tuition and how our centre’s combination of intense quality small group tutoring and targeted individual attention in the earlier years lays a solid foundation for GCSE success.

Every Year is a Building Block:
Education is a journey that builds upon each year’s knowledge. From Key Stage 2 (KS2) to Key Stage 3 (KS3), students develop essential skills and concepts that form the basis for GCSE subjects. Early tuition is crucial to ensure your child has a strong foundation in these fundamental areas. By providing small group tutoring, we create an environment where students receive focused attention, allowing them to excel academically and progress seamlessly through each stage of their education and school year.

Addressing Gaps and Filling Holes:
GCSE exams demand a comprehensive understanding of subjects. Waiting until Year 11 to address the knowledge gaps is overwhelming, given the limited time available for remediation. Early tuition allows for the identification and rectification of weaknesses or gaps in understanding. By combining small group tutoring with targeted individual support, we tailor tuition to address specific areas of improvement. This approach ensures that students have a solid grasp of foundational concepts, setting them up for success in their GCSE exams.

Building Confidence, Study Skills and Teamwork:
Early tuition not only focuses on subject knowledge but also on complete development. Small group tutoring fosters an environment of support and collaboration, enabling students to learn from each other’s perspectives. This approach builds confidence, teamwork and communication skills—essential traits that will benefit students in their GCSE studies and beyond. Moreover, The Tutor Centre provides free valuable study techniques, time management strategies and effective revision methods to its students, equipping them with lifelong learning tools.

Individualised Attention and Personalised Learning:
While small group tutoring provides a collaborative learning experience, we also recognize that each student is unique. By offering targeted individual attention, our tutors can assess students’ strengths and weaknesses and tailor instruction to meet their specific needs. This personalised approach ensures that no student is left behind, empowering every student to thrive academically. The combination of small group learning and individualised support allows for an optimal balance between peer interactions and personalized guidance.

The Tutor Centre has already transformed many children into motivated driven students with aspirations to achieve the highest grades. By enrolling your child at The Tutor Centre, they too can benefit from early tuition, intense quality small group tutoring and targeted individual attention.

Don’t wait until Year 11; start paving the way to GCSE success with early tuition from the primary years.

Contact us or WhatsApp 07775 419058 for a call back to discuss your child’s current levels and how we can help them on their journey to achieve their best GCSE grades in year 11.

How to Effectively Revise for GCSE Exams

GCSE exams are a major milestone in any student’s academic career They can be a daunting prospect, but with careful planning and preparation, you can achieve the highest grades possible.

Below are some tips on how to effectively revise and prepare for GCSE exams:

Start early. The earlier you start revising, the more time you will have to cover the material and the less stressed you will feel.
Create a revision timetable. This will help you to stay on track and make sure that you are covering all of the important topics.
Set realistic goals. Don’t try to cram too much into your revision sessions. Aim to learn a small amount of material each day, and gradually build up your knowledge and understanding.
Find a revision method that works for you. There are many different ways to revise, so experiment until you find a method that suits your learning style. Some popular methods include:
- Making notes
- Flashcards
- Mind maps
- Studying with a group
- Watching educational videos
- Practicing past papers
Take breaks. Revision can be mentally draining, so it is important to take breaks throughout the day. Get up and move around, or do something that you enjoy.
Get enough sleep. Sleep is essential for learning and memory consolidation. Aim to get 8-10 hours of sleep each night.
Eat a healthy diet. Eating a healthy diet will give you the energy you need to focus during your revision sessions. Avoid sugary drinks and processed foods, and focus on eating plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
Manage your stress levels. Exams can be stressful, but there are things you can do to manage your stress levels. Exercise regularly, practice relaxation techniques, and talk to someone you trust if you are feeling overwhelmed
Believe in yourself. You are capable of achieving your goals, so believe in yourself and don’t give up.

Following these tips will help you to effectively revise and prepare for GCSE exams. With hard work and dedication, you can achieve the highest grades possible.

Online Tuition vs Face-to-Face Tuition

Online vs Face-to-Face Tutoring

The pandemic had compelled schools and universities to switch to online learning with many after-school tutoring clubs also delivering tuition over the internet. Now that schools have re-opened and returned to face-to-face teaching, some tutors and tuition centres have opted to continue to provide tuition online rather than return to the classroom. While this may help to reduce the costs of centres and travel time for tutors, is it effective for children and money well spent for parents?

Who Can Benefit from Online Tutoring?

Evidence suggests that older and more mature students, particularly A-Level and university students, can benefit from online tuition, even in groups and larger class sizes. This is due to their maturity and motivation which keeps their engagement and attention since these students will be characterised by ambition through their own choice to pursue A-Levels and university to achieve their career objectives.

What about Primary and Secondary School Children?

Year 11 and below require more supervision and easily become distracted with attention spans progressively becoming shorter further down the years. In a school classroom, teachers have a challenge in keeping all children engaged through constant prodding due to the larger numbers which leads to a good number of children falling behind. When the class is moved online with children sitting many miles away from the teacher in their own homes, then this challenge is multiplied as teachers are not able to gauge all students’ level of engagement and constantly prod them effectively enough even with cameras being turned on.

Although there may be a slight improvement for offering online tuition to groups of students online compared to the larger school classes online, the overall effectiveness of online tuition for school children compared to face-to-face tuition is drastically reduced for the same reasons. And as the group numbers swell beyond two, the effectiveness is further reduced.

As parents are privately paying for tuition, they need to evaluate the return on their money spent vs free online resources (listed at the end) which students can use with the help of parents or older brothers and sisters, and consider moving them to a face-to-face tutoring environment.

When Online Tuition May Work for School Children

Evidence from tutors shows that when school children are receiving one-to-one tuition online, then the tutor can focus solely on that one student and is able to keep the child constantly engaged in the lesson as there is no pause with the tutor having to juggle between multiple children. However, tutors have observed that even in a one-to-one online tuition, an important aspect of tutoring which ensures the presence of important success factors such as the student’s confidence, motivation, level of engagement and rapport are simply easier to implement in face-to-face tutoring. In the words of one teacher:

‘When I teach, I am watching and sensing students’ non-verbal feedback about how they are finding the task/activities. This includes posture, facial expression, tone of voice and how tense they seem to be physically. I think this would be more difficult on-line’.

In conclusion, online tutoring has shown to be more effective for older and more mature students and can offer some benefit in a one-to-one setting with younger students while its effectiveness is greatly reduced, especially when attempting to tuition groups of students together online.

Try these free Resources with your children during lockdowns and to supplement their learning at schools and at The Tutor Centre:

https://www.thenational.academy/

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize

How will GCSE Grades be Awarded in Summer 2021?

As the usual GCSE exams will not take place again this summer due to the pandemic, the government and Ofqual have announced GCSE grades will be awarded by teacher assessment. In its consultation, the government has proposed that:

> Schools should set exam based assessments in May and June during which the usual exams would have taken place.

> Exam boards could issue mini exams for each subject which would be sat in schools and marked by teachers.

> These mini exams, as well as tests set by the schools, are to form the evidence used by teachers to submit their awarded GCSE grades to exam boards in June.

> The exam boards are to audit samples of the exam papers and assessments sat by students to ensure guidelines have been followed and the overall grades are in line with the schools’ previous performance.

> The exam boards issue the grades in July and students can appeal their grades.

While the exact details are still being worked out on the details of the mini exams and the guidance that teachers will have to follow in awarding the grades, what is clear is that year 11 students must not become complacent since they will still be assessed. These assessments will form the evidence by which teachers will be able to award the grades.

Therefore, students must use the remaining period between March and June effectively in studying and being as best prepared as possible to be awarded the highest GCSE grade. At the Tutor Centre, our GCSE teachers (who will also be trained to undertake this process in the schools in which they teach) will be helping our year 11 students to prepare for these tests and assessments. Contact us to find out how we can help you too.

Guide to KS2 SATs Tests

The scores achieved by children in their KS2 SATs tests at the end of Year 6 will determine the sets they will be placed in Year 7 and their target GCSE grades in Year 11. Therefore, it is essential that students are prepared to achieve the highest grades to set them up for success at secondary school.

What are KS2 SATs?

SATs are compulsory national tests sat by all year 6 children, normally in May, in maths and English. The results measure the children’s end of primary school levels of attainment as well as the performance of schools.

KS2 Maths Tests

There are three test papers in maths. Paper 1 tests mental arithmetic skills with questions requiring a correct answer to each question; papers 2 and 3 test mathematical reasoning and problem solving skills.

KS2 English Tests

Paper 1 tests knowledge of grammar, spelling and punctuation (SPAG) with questions requiring short answers such as ‘which word is a noun in this sentence’ or ‘why does this sentence need an apostrophe’. Paper 2 is a 20 word spelling test. Paper 3 is a reading comprehension test; children have to read the passages from a text they are provided and answer a range of questions related to the passage.

KS2 Science

Science SATs are not compulsory. However, a few schools are selected for science SATs which take place after the compulsory maths and English tests in early June for official sampling purposes. You can check with your child’s school if it has been selected.

The New KS2 SATs & Scores Explained

The new KS2 SATs tests, introduced in 2016, have become more difficult and the way they are marked has also changed. Previously, students were awarded levels ranging from 3 (the lowest) to 6 with 4b set as the national standard expected for each subject. Now, they are marked with a score ranging from 80 (the lowest) to 120 with a national standard expected score of 100 for each subject. The new more rigorous tests have seen fewer students achieving the expected standard score of 100 compared to the old KS2 SATs tests’ 4b.

Preparing Your Child for KS2 SATs

A 2016 Department for Education study found that year 6 pupils who had failed to achieve the national expected standard KS2 levels were lagging behind throughout secondary school and failed to achieve five GCSE’s at grade C or above including maths and English in Year 11. Furthermore, as class sizes are too large to ensure each child can be prepared to achieve the highest KS2 SATs’ scores, parents must provide extra support to their children by:

Encouraging daily reading at home, asking them questions about the story they have read and learning spellings of new words

Making them work from KS2 SATs workbooks and websites such as BBC Bitesize

Getting tutoring for them through qualified and experienced primary school teachers for accelerated progress, ideally from Years 4 or 5 for maximum scores above 100

To arrange a free KS2 assessment of current levels and progress towards SATs preparation for your child in Years 4, 5 or 6, at our Derby or Burton centres, email info@thetutorcentre.com.

Revising in Ramadan

As Ramadan begins with only a week or two to GCSE and A-Level exams, Muslim students will be revising while fasting with no food or water intake for around 18-19 hours. Here are the most useful tips that could help you to maximise your revision while fasting:

Eat Healthily & Keep Hydrated

Fried foods like Samosas and fat-dense curries together with high-sugar foods such as desserts lead to tiredness. Replace these with healthier options with grilled meats and slow release carbohydrates such as potatoes, bananas and rice; eat at least two portions of fruit and fibrous vegetables such as broccoli. Furthermore, take a good quality one-a-day vitamin supplement to keep your immune system strong.

Drinking plenty of water between sunset and dawn. This will help keep your concentration levels high the following day and ensure that you do not become tired the following day. So keep a full water bottle with you, sipping it throughout the night.

Strategically Plan Revision Times

Plan your revision timetable strategically around the times when you are most energetic and alert; conversely, plan your sleeping times when you are the most tired. So for example, when on study leave, you may choose to stay awake after Suhoor (the pre-dawn meal) and revise your most difficult subjects while you are energised and fully hydrated until the early afternoon (with short breaks), and then go to bed after the Dhuhr prayer which can be performed as soon as it starts.

If you prefer, you could work for a few hours after Suhoor on your toughest subjects and then sleep until late afternoon, performing the Dhur prayer towards the latter part of its time and then study for another couple of hours before the time to break fast on the less challenging subjects. Then after breaking fast and the night prayers (Tarawi), resume revision of the toughest subjects until Suhoor time.

In short, experiment and adopt the timetable that works best for you. If you start to feel tired, go for a quick walk and best of all, plan your breaks around prayer times, the pre-prayer ablution (wudhu) will wake you up!

Avoid Intensive Exercise

Exercise or sports that dehydrate should be avoided while fasting as it will impact the effectiveness of your revision. A short walk during breaks is sufficient for recharging your brain and overcoming tiredness.

Following these simple tips will allow the fasting students to be able to make the most of their revision without compromising their religion during Ramadan.

Stop Mobile Phones from Sabotaging Your Child’s Revision

With GCSE and A-Level exams just around the corner, many students will be starting revision to achieve their target grades. However, mobile phones have become the main source of revision sabotage which will lead to many students failing to achieve them. Below are some tips that can help you in saving your child from this sabotage:

Don’t Nag

This is the time to be supportive rather than add to your child’s stress levels. Have a friendly conversation to make him understand how these next few weeks will determine the rest of his life.

Make Them Look Ahead

Ask him to think ahead. How will he feel on the night before the first exam; fully prepared, relaxed and ready to get an early night? Or will he have large revision gaps because he ran out of time due to interruptions from social media, YouTube and Netflix, leading him to stay up until the early hours in a futile effort to cram in many weeks of revision? Is sacrificing great grades – leading to a great career – by the temporary gratification received from the mobile phone really worth it?

Set Some Rules

Agreeing on rules on mobile phone usage and setting limits is critical. Here are some examples of what you can agree with your child:

Keep the phone switched off and in a different room during revision sessions to stop the temptation of reaching for it every five minutes.

Turn off notifications from WhatsApp, Snapchat and other social media applications to stop their constant disruption.

Check for messages only during planned breaks.

No mobile phone usage an hour before bedtime.

Keep the phone downstairs during the night to ensure a good night’s sleep to be refreshed and ready for the following day.

Lead by Example

Be a role model and implement the agreed rules on yourself. Not only will this give you time to be more productive, it will show support for your child and help in consolidating these phone habits for future exam seasons.

Revising During the Christmas Holidays

With end of term underway with two weeks of no school, many students may see the holidays as a holiday from studying and therefore miss-out on the chance to boost their GCSE and A-Level grades. Here are a few handy tips parents can encourage the students with to make the most of the school holidays:

Set targets for each subject such as reviewing the topics you have found hard so far, getting ahead on next term’s topics and doing some exam style questions on those topics. Print it out and put it up on a wall.
Draw-up a revision timetable for the two weeks detailing the subjects and activity to be covered on each day with times. GCSE students should go for 4 or 5 hourly slots per day while A-Level students can set themselves a 2-3 hour slot per subject (with a short break in between) per day.
Start early and finish early! The brain is a lot more active and alert in the morning than later in the day so get your work done and save your play for later. Besides, all the fun activities and get-togethers take place in the evening – so why not get your work out of the way first?
Study in a quiet room and put your phone it in a separate room. In that way, you will get some good quality work done without distractions.
Don’t get in the bad routine of getting out of bed late and then going to sleep late!
Eat healthily, keep yourself hydrated, get 8 hours of sleep and exercise, even if it is a 20 minute walk.

Happy Revision and Happy Holidays!