In a parent consultation recently, the issue of giving praise to children came up. Praise is good, right? All children love praise! They won’t achieve anything without it. When I was training to be a teacher back in the noughties, everything was based around praise. Praise for sitting still and listening, praise for writing the …
Why have I started this blog with an image of some dodgy examples of crochet? Well, those dodgy examples of crochet illustrate the process of learning. I’m learning to crochet you see. I tried to learn in lockdown #1 and failed miserably. I could not figure it out at all. It took me days just …
It’s nearly Christmas and so time for a fun blog post! Christmas toys – but with an educational slant. There are thousands of educational games and toys available, so I’m going to recommend just a small handful that I regularly suggest to parents. All these items are under £30 and many are under £15. I …
Throughout November I will be going live on my Facebook page to quickly explain some of the most common misconceptions, or stumbling blocks, that the children I work with often display, and provide advice on overcoming them. I’ll take a look at each of them further in this blog. The Maths Blocks: Firstly, a couple …
When would you say is the most important stage in someone’s educational journey? Starting secondary school? GCSEs? A Levels? Going to university? These are all significant milestones. However, it is the early and primary years that are the most important stage in our learning. Over the last few months, I’ve been musing on how much …
This was a common question at parent’s evening when I was teaching, and something I’m asked regularly by the parents I work with now as a tutor. My suggestions are below. Other than the first one which is the most important thing you can do to help your child with their learning, the rest are …
I use the term “teacher gift” in this blog but what I’m saying can apply to any member of school staff. Where you see “teacher gift” it can also mean a gift for any school staff including Teaching Assistants, Lunchtime Supervisers, cleaners, office staff etc. Giving your child’s teacher a gift at the end of …
School reports can sometimes be difficult for parents to get their heads around. Often parents have asked me to explain things on their child’s report. They use school jargon and “teacher speak”. Some are full of written comments, and others are just tick boxes. Both can be just as difficult to understand.
Fundamentally, it doesn’t really matter what your child is reading as long as they are reading. Read a magazine, read a fact book, read a website, read the instructions on a video game, read the back of the cornflakes box – just read!
Tutoring is not a regulated industry. This means that anyone can set themselves up as a tutor, and there are no quality checks on tutors. This lack of regulation has its pros and cons. An advantage is that people with a wide range of skills and knowledge can help others learn, regardless of their qualifications. However, it also makes choosing a tutor tricky because there are so many people out there, offering different skills and subjects, at a variety of age ranges with varying levels of qualification, experience and pricing. How do you know if they are actually as good as they say they are?