When deciding on a Maths Methods Tutor, you should consider 3 main points
This was originally written regarding VCE Maths Methods Tutors (in Victoria) but is applicable for every state in Australia (Including TCE Maths Methods Tutors, WACE Maths Methods Tutors, SACE Maths Methods Tutors and TCE Maths Methods Tutors).
1.
Knowledge
Obviously a tutor needs to know the subject well but this is only one factor
2.
Personality
When the personality of the tutor suits the student, they get better results
3.
Teaching ability
The is an entirely different skill and often more important than the other points
All of these are important! Here’s how you can determine them...
1.
The Maths Methods Tutor's Knowledge of Maths Methods
The easiest way is to determine how well a VCE Maths Methods tutor knows the subject is what score they achieved as a student. I wouldn’t worry about their ATAR as much as their score in Maths Methods specifically.
Also, this score doesn’t need to show that they are a genius. You just want to make sure they achieve a score similar or better than the score you are aiming for.
If the tutor is too far advanced it COULD indicate that they may not be able to communicate the information in a way a mere mortal could understand. This is obviously not necessarily true, but just to highlight that you don’t need them to have a Nobel Price, you just need the tutor to know the subject well enough to meet your goals
If the tutor is for an average student, who is aiming to achieve average or above average marks, a score of 35 or above would be fine as this means the top 26% of the state (in Victoria). If the student is already doing quite well and wants to get a top score, you want the tutor to have a score of 40 (top 9%) or 45 (top 2%).
Also keep in mind that the VCE Maths Methods Tutor should ideally know VCE Maths Methods, not another similar maths subject. Maths, contrary to popular belief, is not the same everywhere.
There are parts of Maths Methods which are very specific, and someone who has studied a similar but different subject won’t know everything the student needs to know. It’s a bit like teaching an English student Shakespeare when they haven’t read any of his plays.
A student will still benefit from someone who knows the topics of Maths Methods in general (Graphing, Calculus, Probability etc), but if they’ve studied VCE Maths Methods, this is definitely an advantage.
2.
The Maths Methods Tutor's personality
You'll notice that you seem to understand certain people better than others. These people usually have either a
a) Similar personality
OR
b) Personality you admire.
Here's a couple of examples. Some friends barely say two words, yet have an understanding far greater than a 30 minute conversation. People who have constant arguments often have very different personalities.
When a tutor's personality is a good fit for the student, the student will be able to understand the subject more thoroughly and in less time.
You can figure out whether there is a good personality fit with a quick phone call between the tutor and student, or just trying a session with them. They don’t need to be best buds but just see whether the student liked and understood the tutor, or not.
3.
The Maths Methods tutor's ability to teach
It’s one thing to understand Maths Methods, it is an entirely different skill and ability to teach and communicate this knowledge. The two ways to determine this is by
a) Checking their previous results
This doesn’t mean finding out how many of their students scored above 99%, because we don’t know whether those students were geniuses to begin with. What you want to know is how much the student’s results increased as a result of tutoring, and what a typical increase in marks would be. You could ask the tutor this, but many are not results oriented and it could make them feel uncomfortable.
If someone has recommended a tutor to you, you can ask them how the students results increased or if they know anyone else who used them.
However, by far the easiest way is to look at online reviews (such as website testimonials, Facebook and Google reviews). These aren't always a perfect reflection of the tutor, but they are a good indication.
The other option is to...
b) Try them out
Give them a go and see if they are a good fit.
Trust what the student has to say after their first session. Do you they feel they learnt something? How would they rank the session out of 10?
If the student didn't feel the session was beneficial, then it's probably not the right tutor for them. Keep in mind that a shy student might not want to say they didn't like the tutor, especially if the tutor has good credentials, so make sure you get what they really thought. However, some students will say all tutors are bad, so you need to understand how the student will typically react.
A common question I get is...
Teacher or University Student?
One common question I get is whether you should hire a university student, a teacher or someone else. This doesn’t matter, it’s whether they have the above qualities.
There are some amazing teachers who inspire and bring out the best in students and there are some which are quite average.
Just because a person does something professionally or has a certificate doesn’t necessarily mean that they are a better tutor.
Also, while experience is often a positive, it can also be a negative.
Someone may have 10 years experience, but was that experience boring students to death or helping them reach their highest potential mark? You will only find out by checking them against the above qualities and checking their previous results.
NEXT! Let's find you a tutor!