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Maths!! (1 Viewer)

Swagiel_

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Has anyone here really sucked at math but after getting a tutor, smashed math?
 

FancyPenguin

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I've gotten a tutor this term and i think i've gotten a lot better over the last 4 weeks (i've been getting progressively better over the past 2 years,
I used to be quite bad). I mainly use the resources which the place provides, things like past papers, h/w sets and exam questions. Also the questions at the place are towards the harder end of question types so I guess i've gotten better at hard questions through having them explained and working through them which I otherwise wouldn't.
 

Crisium

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Just keep in mind that once you get a tutor you don't magically go from a mark of 80 - 90, it's all up to the student to apply themselves at both school and tutoring.

The tutor can help you to a certain extent, then the rest is up to you

Good luck :D

But yes I've seen many friends improve their marks upon doing tuition
 

pomsky

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I can vouch first hand that tutoring helps, but not to the extent that it's made out to be. Maths remains my weakest subject, despite being the only subject in which I tutor for, because it continues to be the one which is always getting pushed aside and disowned.

If you have to go, go early, it's indefinitely easier to break into the 'I've already learned this' cycle before the tutoring centres and stuff start covering senior content and leaving large gaps in your learning. I go to class tutoring and it's really there so you can familiarise yourself with the content rather than individually honing your knowledge to perfection (which 1 on 1 does).

Definitely not a end-all, be-all thing but possibly a game-changer in the HSC. (for lazy, unmotivated or genuinely curious people lol. I fall into the former two.)
 

WrittenLoveLetters

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When you get a tutor. You need to put the extra work in too.

Things I learnt from Year 9 and 10, and wanting to improve in Year 11 for Year 12.
 

Drongoski

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Has anyone here really sucked at math but after getting a tutor, smashed math?
It depends. Some students are so "hopeless" at maths that it seems no tutoring can help . But if you have some brains, surely there is scope for improvement, if you get a good tutor. But you must put in lots of work yourself.
 
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barcyy

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one on one tutor will help you a lot! listen to them! one hour twice a week is good! make sure the tutor is capable of teaching your topic well and ask for homework plus say 2 weeks in advance do a past paper before studying with them under exam conditions and they'll mark it. They will see your strengths and weaknesses and work from there. Trust me make full use of it!
 

Martin_SSEDU

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Maths tutoring definitely does help and I can talk from experience, I've had a student start with me in Year 12 getting 30% averaged in 2U and he was seeing 90%+ even getting 100% in one exam by the time he was finishing up some of his final exams. Same goes with my students who began in year 11. Obviously, these are success stories but that's what tutoring is about. A tutor drives a student to do work and guide them to understand mathematics and enjoy it and it is through that passion that they are willing to go the extra mile to study and do the work necessary. All my students reinforce that one of the most important things that got them to do the work was having a great tutor that gave them a reason to do the work and study hard.

You don't go to tutoring if you don't need it... it's as simple as that. Tutors are also meant to make these stories happen. So in my opinion, tutoring is probably a great way to give you that motivation and discipline most students can't create for themselves because they lack the experience or don't even know where to start.
 

strawberrye

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It depends. Some students are so "hopeless" at maths that it seems no tutoring can help . But if you have some brains, surely there is scope for improvement, if you get a good tutor. But you must put in the lots of work yourself.
I personally very strongly disagree with the bolded part of your response. I honestly don't think any student is hopeless, more like sometimes many HSC tutors make a judgment about the potential of their students as soon as they start teaching and determine their potential. No one is hopeless, it is more often than not either the picky tutor abandons the student or the tutor simply haven't found the right way/bother to find a personalised way to tutor the student.
 

RivalryofTroll

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It depends. Some students are so "hopeless" at maths that it seems no tutoring can help . But if you have some brains, surely there is scope for improvement, if you get a good tutor. But you must put in the lots of work yourself.
I personally very strongly disagree with the bolded part of your response. I honestly don't think any student is hopeless, more like sometimes many HSC tutors make a judgment about the potential of their students as soon as they start teaching and determine their potential. No one is hopeless, it is more often than not either the picky tutor abandons the student or the tutor simply haven't found the right way/bother to find a personalised way to tutor the student.
Agree with strawberrye here but I think what Drongoski meant is that some students don't really have any aptitude for Mathematics to the point that they should consider dropping mathematics completely after Year 10 (unless their desired university course/career path needs it) because any tutoring will see little/insignificant improvement.

In fact, Drongoski has already acknowledged that if you have some aptitude then yes, it'll be all fine in the end.

Unlike English, Mathematics isn't compulsory (yes, most people strongly recommend that students take at least General but there's nothing wrong with not doing maths). If you feel that you're completely "hopeless at it (even after trying tutoring or increasing your study time), then it MIGHT just be a sign.
 

Drongoski

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I personally very strongly disagree with the bolded part of your response.
Have you ever come across such students? I have come across quite a few over many years of tutoring. You may think no one is 'hopeless', and you are free to think so. I am only stating my views, unkind as it may seem, based on actual experience.
 
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braintic

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I honestly don't think any student is hopeless.
Have you ever come across a year 10 student who when asked "What do you add to 5 to get 15" can not only not answer, but doesn't understand the question, and no amount of explaining will get the concept across?
I have - and yes, English was his only language. And no, he wasn't in a special ed class.
 
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funnytomato

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I personally very strongly disagree with the bolded part of your response. I honestly don't think any student is hopeless, more like sometimes many HSC tutors make a judgment about the potential of their students as soon as they start teaching and determine their potential. No one is hopeless, it is more often than not either the picky tutor abandons the student or the tutor simply haven't found the right way/bother to find a personalised way to tutor the student.
I think people are talking about totally different things.
I somewhat understand what you mean, but consider these scenarios:

1. you're a maths tutor and the student never does his/her homework. And he/she thinks "Numbers are SCARY !".
2. you're an English tutor and your student does not write a single word for his/her essay and thinks "English is a BS subject".

I have to admit that aptitude does make a difference, but attitude is much more important.
 

RealiseNothing

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I personally very strongly disagree with the bolded part of your response. I honestly don't think any student is hopeless, more like sometimes many HSC tutors make a judgment about the potential of their students as soon as they start teaching and determine their potential. No one is hopeless, it is more often than not either the picky tutor abandons the student or the tutor simply haven't found the right way/bother to find a personalised way to tutor the student.
Trust me, there are plenty of hopeless students at maths.

This is coming from some one who has tutored both maths classes and a minimum of 10 different individual students per week.
 
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enoilgam

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In my experience tutoring (I mainly specialised in tutoring below average students), a lot of people fail to fulfil their true potential in maths largely because of its nature and how it is taught. A lot of students really dont have the discipline and drive to really reach that potential, because maths does require focus and attention to detail which is beyond a lot of teenagers (and people for that matter). In saying that, not all students have it in them to do extension level maths or even 2U.
 
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strawberrye

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I think people are talking about totally different things.
I somewhat understand what you mean, but consider these scenarios:

1. you're a maths tutor and the student never does his/her homework. And he/she thinks "Numbers are SCARY !".
2. you're an English tutor and your student does not write a single word for his/her essay and thinks "English is a BS subject".

I have to admit that aptitude does make a difference, but attitude is much more important.
I admit I deliberate neglected these scenarios because of the way I accept tutoring students, which is that I make sure fundamentally they are going to be committed to change their mark regardless of what their mark or current performance is, so as a consequence of this high threshold I establish in terms of commitment towards their study/improvement, I personally can avoid and never encounter these problems as a tutor. I am going to admit I don't personally have any aptitude for maths, that's why I needed to work multiple times harder than the average student to get a good mark for maths, but I liked maths, so that helped a bit:).
 

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