Online Primary Tuition – A valuable resource for homeschooling parents

 

 

 

Lockdown – a silver lining:

As lockdown has deepened, it has been interesting for us to note both what our parents and children have been saying to us, often at the end or just before the start of their online tutoring session. Many children have shared just how much they have enjoyed having their parents all to themselves, and the extraordinary respite, in the often quite crammed schedules of both parents and children, that the lockdown has afforded.

There has been time for parents to seriously evaluate what their children are actually doing and what in turn needs to be done, to ensure that their children continue to make progress during this hiatus in the provision of formal education.

 

What is involved in providing a primary education?

Many parents have been considering this question and finding that it was a lot more involved than they might have previously considered.  Children would normally receive 5 hours of Maths and English per week as a staple, every week they are in primary school, as well as sundry other subjects, known as foundation subjects. In addition, a school would normally set aside time to focus on key skills, such as reading in their guided reading times; community adhesion in assembly times – which might also include a spiritual dimension; social development in PSHE sessions – affectionately known as circle time;  as well as a variety of sporting activities – some outside of school – such as swimming.

The list is impressive.  Whilst it is not wrong to appreciate what a school can provide, we should also remember that many parents have actually elected by choice, rather than perforce of necessity, to home educate their children. There are some advantages to homeschooling  –  for families being allowed to direct, within government guidelines, how and in what manner their children may be educated.

 

Workbooks  – how effectively are they ticking the boxes for the homeschooling dilemma?

There is no doubt that the purchase of practice workbooks across the subject range, with a particular emphasis on English and Maths, has grown apace during lockdown – an industry which is experiencing a quieter but nevertheless phenomenal growth period, along perhaps with home grocery deliveries!  As tutors, we do recommend a number of these publications, as well as our own resources, as we can see that they provide valuable support for both parents and children.

 

It is in fact a relief for most parents to be able to place something suitable in front of their children, knowing that the material does, at least in part, address the general ballpark of what their children should be learning. It also provides valuable practice material, provided, of course, that the material does not move out of their range of comprehension.  It is this range of comprehension and how to provide children with a supportive, step by step, walk through the different concepts they are working towards attaining,  that has ever been the preserve of the trained teacher or tutor.

 

Online Primary Tuition – Not just a drop in the ocean of a primary education

Online trained tutors or teachers have been trained to guide both parents and children through the myriad of steps needed to move children from one place to another in their understanding. They are in effect experts, depending of course on experience, at providing both the scaffolding and the strategies needed to make those kinds of conceptual moves. Here, at Learn as you Teach, we seek to provide, interactive animated power points and on-screen modelling to help children to both visualise, understand and investigate concepts.

It is the grasping of concepts particularly in a subject like Maths and the sharing of a deeper understanding of a text that are the mainstays of moving children forward in English. We can also help with providing pointers for suitable support material, set homework to reinforce what children have been learning in a session, and generally be effective in moving pupils onwards and upwards to attain the next level in their learning. One to one, face to face tuition is quite intensive and can achieve more forward movement in a child’s understanding than they might otherwise experience in a class session – particularly if they, for one reason or another, have been left behind by their peers.

 

A lot can be achieved by a tutor in a face to face than a child might averagely achieve in a class session. We have noted at Learn as you Teach, just how many parents, having started with one session, have then sought to take advantage of our discounts to book another session.  Sometimes this has been to address a gap in their child’s learning in respect of a particular subject like Maths or simply just to acquire another session in another subject which they themselves cannot teach, like Spanish or French.

With delivering the basics of Primary Maths, English and a foundation subject such as Primary French or Spanish – we can really help you.  Do take advantage too of the French and Spanish freebies you can currently download from our site.  We are adding some more Maths freebies shortly!