Maths is Boring

The general perception of maths as a difficult subject has led to a "disastrous decline" in pupils taking maths at A-level, say university researchers.

The key to engaging children and teenagers early on with mathematics lies in taking abstract theory and translating it to a context that can be understood and related to easily. Mathematics has long been taught in a dry, boring way. Perhaps the history of mathematics should be taught alongside traditional number theory. There are after all, over 5000 years worth of multicultural progressive advancements to cover that can easily put modern day maths in a more interesting light.

For example, Evariste Galois, the revolutionary French scholar, whilst still at school developed a new language for symmetry but was killed in a duel over love at age 20.

Georg Cantor went insane after trying to contemplate infinity and spent years in a mental asylum.

Zero and negative numbers were viewed with suspicion as late as the 14^th century. Zero was banned in Florence in 1299.

Advancements in mathematics have frequently come about out of necessity – to overcome huge engineering problems when constructing the pyramids in ancient Egypt for example.

Children today live in a much faster paced world than their parents. They’re used to “snacking” on bite-sized pieces of information. It’s no surprise that books of dry theory on trigonometry can’t compete with youtube and facebook! The teaching of subjects like Maths must adapt to entertain and engross the next generation of young mathematicians.

Teaching children maths with a generous sprinkling of dramatic historical stories is sure to make them engage better and take the subject further.

Swimming is Boring!

We've all been there, after 20 laps in a 50 meter pool things can start to get a bit tedious. Here are some tips, techniques and things to think about whilst swimming and to help make those training sessions a bit more interesting:

 

1. Get an underwater mp3 case with waterproof headphones. There are plenty out there, check google for some good ones. Record your favourite radio show, music or podcast onto it. Search google for "waterproof ipod".
   
2. If you're swimming at home you may be interested in underwater speakers. Again there are some good systems out there. Search google for "underwater speakers"
   
3. Join a training squad - having someone motivate you, mix up the training levels and push you can make all the difference
   
4. Concentrate on swimming as best you can, try to glide as far as possible with each stroke, streamline yourself - swimming well can take a lot of concentration.
   
5. Race strangers - wear goggles, pick a swimmer in another lane and try to beat them to the end.
   
6. Work out powers of 2 in your head, so you'd go 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64,128, 256, 512, 1024, 2048, 4096, 8192 etc - great to improve your mental arithmetic and it quickly gets difficult!
   
7. Go through the alphabet, one letter per length and think of as many animals, or fruits, or vegetables as you can.
   
8. Mix up your strokes - it's easy to do 20 lengths freestyle, add in a few backstroke, breaststroke or fly.
   
9. Count your strokes per length, try to reduce by 1 each time to improve your glide and streamlining.
   
10. Mix up the speeds and techniques - try sprinting for 2, recovering for 2, practise finger drag and catch-up. Practise tumble-turns. Practise swimming underwater for part of a lap, or mixing up your breathing rates.

Book a Private Swimming Teacher in your home or a local private pool or join us to find swim teacher work.

How to choose the best private tutor for your child

Private Tutoring - How to Choose the Best Private Tutor For Your Child

There are many things you should look for when choosing the right tutor for your child, whether you're looking for a  private maths tutor , a private English tutor or a foreign language tutor . Sometimes though it will come down to trying various tutors out and
seeing which one works best with you. Outlined here are the characteristics you
should look for and the steps you should then take to ensure you've chosen the
right person.

Choosing your private tutor - Male, Female?

If you're choosing a private tutor for your child, be aware that with all the
best intentions you and your tutor may have, children can take an instant
unwarranted dislike to new adults in their home. Your child may relate better to
male teachers than female teachers or vice versa. Ask your child which they
would prefer as they will then feel involved and it will become their decision
to select the tutor rather than it being forced upon them. It can be very
difficult to judge how a person will get on with your child without actually
trying it. We encourage our clients to try our tutors out, if they don't work
out with the children there's usually another tutor available to take over.
There's a fine line between perseverance with a tutor that isn't getting on well
with your child and giving up too early before a tutor is able to make a
"breakthrough". We all know how stubborn children can be!

Experience and Qualifications

Depending on the level of private tutoring you are looking for you will
obviously have different experience and qualifications requirements.
Qualification checks are the one way you can be sure that your private tutor
knows what they're talking about. For primary school all you really need to look
for is someone with either a teaching degree or a university student
(undergraduate) that has a great rapport with children. The way to find out if
they're good with children is usually through word-of-mouth. Our tutoring
service has online feedback for all our tutors so look for something like this
if you are going through an agency. The higher the level of tutoring you are
looking for the higher the qualifications requirements will be. If you are
studying for a degree you will probably be looking for a post-graduate tutor who
is specialising in your subject. It can be difficult to check your tutor's
qualifications so we recommend you go through an agency that's reputation is
hinged on providing high-quality tutoring services and will have checked these
kinds of things out for you.

Experience is more important with younger people as experienced tutors will
have devised ways of keeping focus and disciplining your child covertly! A
friend of mine rewards her children with biscuits which makes them extremely
attentive and willing to listen! As with anything, expect to get what you pay
for. Highly experienced private tutors generally will charge a premium for their
services. There really is no substitute for a highly experienced, qualified and
reliable private tutor.

Location/ Availability

Try to pick a private tutor that lives fairly close to you. Traffic delays,
especially if you live in a built-up area, can be frustrating for both parties.
The closer the tutor is to you the easier it will be for them to arrive on time.
Make sure that your tutor's availability doesn't clash with other pre-arranged
activities. Childrens diaries are so full these days that it's easy to mix up
booking times. Try also to pick a time that leaves enough breathing room for
your child either side. The last thing your child wants to do is walk in from
school and straight into a home tutoring lesson! It also shouldn't be too late
at night as tiredness has a big impact on concentration levels.

Reputation/ Word of mouth

The most compelling motivator to selecting a private tutor is a positive
referral. If you can find a tutor that has great feedback from others,
especially from your own social group then you're on to a winner! If you know
someone that is using a private tutor, ask them if you can sit in on the lesson
and watch it. The tutor may be uncomfortable with this so be sure to check with
them first. First-hand experience is the best way of choosing a tutor that's
right for you.

How do I know I've chosen the right person?

When you have chosen a tutor for your child, be sure to sit in on the lesson
if possible. If this is proving distracting to your child then talk to them
afterwards and ask them to go over what they covered. Reinforcement of the
things they have learned is a proven technique in improving memory skills.
Showing an interest in what your child is learning can result in your child
taking much more interest in the subject themselves. The proof of the pudding is
in the eating so you should see a marked improvement in confidence at school or
grades in exams. Private tutoring can be expensive so make sure you are getting
good value for money.

Teachers and parents seem to find it ...

How to relate to small children

Teachers and parents seem to find it very easy to talk to
smaller children because they spend so much time around them. Relating to young
children can seem daunting at first – you may have no idea what to say and feel
quite awkward. It can be especially daunting if the child you have to
communicate with is very shy and doesn’t want to talk to you. Whether you are a teacher, a private tutor or a prospective parent, sooner or later you will need to be able to talk to small children! The main thing to
remember is that you are much bigger than they are – if a 20 foot tall person
came up to you for a chat you’d probably be quite intimidated as well! Check
out our tips below for breaking the ice and managing a dialogue with a small
child:

1)     Get down to their level. Towering over a small child can be very
intimidating. Crouch down or go down onto one knee.

2)     Make eye contact. Look the child in the eye and speak clearly
when you are talking, especially if you have a distinctive accent. Children are
just starting out in the world when it comes to communication – so make sure
they can both see and hear you speaking to maximise the chance of being
understood. Not many children will tell you they didn’t understand what you
said.

3)     Keep instructions or questions simple and to the point.

4)     Allow them to try things on their own and fail if necessary.
Failure just like success, it is part of life. Children will find you far more
interesting if you’re not always jumping in to prevent them from making
mistakes (we’re obviously not talking about letting your child fall off a swing
here!)

5)     Positive feedback – Everybody responds well to being told
they’re good at something. Children, just like most adults, will like you more
if you are nice to them. Constantly pointing out children’s flaws won’t get you
anywhere!

6)     Be polite – Just because you are bigger than they are doesn’t
give you the right to be rude to them. Remember that they are human and deserve
respect just as much as you do. Saying please and thank-you to a child will
encourage them to say it back to you.

Children’s favourite topics of conversation are
generally quite ego-centric. Asking a child what they have done, who they have
spoken to today, what their favourite toy or food is is a great way to
introduce yourself to a small child and engage them in a conversation.

Learning Techniques

Learning techniques

Identifying your learning style can revolutionise the way
you look at problems and the way you teach yourself new skills.

Richard Felder and
Linda Silverman developed the Index of Learning Styles in the 1980’s and it’s
since become the most widely used model 
to identify how an individual absorbs and retains information best. By
knowing your own learning style you can look at problems or topics in a new way
that best matches your style of learning and you can also apply this knowledge
when teaching other people by identifying how they best learn themselves. We recommend our private tutors, particularly private maths tutors , identify the stronger learning styles of their students.

Felder postulated
that there are four dimensions of learning styles:

Figure 1: Learning
Styles Index

Sensory

Intuitive

 

Sensory learners prefer concrete, practical, and procedural information. They look for the facts.

Intuitive learners prefer conceptual, innovative, and theoretical information. They look for the meaning.

 

Visual

Verbal

 

Visual learners prefer graphs, pictures, and diagrams. They look for visual representations of information.

Verbal learners prefer to hear or read information. They look for explanations with words.

 

Active

Reflective

 

Active learners prefer to manipulate objects, do physical experiments, and learn by trying. They enjoy working in groups to figure out problems.

Reflective learners prefer to think things through, to evaluate options, and learn by analysis. They enjoy figuring out a problem on their own.

 

Sequential

Global

 

Sequential learners prefer to have information presented linearly and in an orderly manner. They put together the details in order to understand the big picture emerges.

Global learners prefer a holistic and systematic approach. They see the big picture first and then fill in the details.

 

Once you have identified where you are on the sliding scale
for each style you should aim to bring your learning skills into balance using
the following techniques:

Sensory Learners –Try to be objective when evaluating information. Ask yourself why you think what you think and if you can rationalise that opinion to someone that thinks the opposite. Intuitive Learners – Learn facts about a theory. Re-read material to ensure you have picked up all the important points. Try to pace yourself and think through the detail of the theory and  make sure your conclusions match those presented in the text. Visual Learners – Practise summarising into text information that you would usually draw out in a diagram. Try explaining graphically presented data to others using speech.  Verbal Learners – Try translating plans and lists into graphical representations – spider diagrams etc. Practise using the whiteboard or blackboard to transpose a thought process.   Active Learners – Summarise the situation to yourself before you act. Think through and rationalise your decision before involving others.   Reflective Learners – Work more in a group and observe the natural leaders, how they think on their feet and direct the conversation. Try to involve your knowledge in the subject as practically as possible. Plan what you will contribute in advance if possible. Sequential Learners – Sometimes you can’t see the wood for the trees. Trying to maintain a grasp on the big picture can help direct smaller decisions along the way. Always keep the main goal in sight when thinking about the detail.   Global Learners – Force yourself to identify and tackle all steps involved in a particular solution. If you can’t explain each step or how you got to it then you may have missed a critical part of the problem.

Running through this process for each scale can be a challenging task. Changing
the habits of a lifetime won’t happen overnight. Knowing your weaknesses and
how to improve your learning skills is invaluable so it’s well worth sticking
at.

Check out our wordpress.com blog for more teaching techniques