Archive for the ‘maths’ Category

Maths GCSE revision tips

Monday, March 28th, 2011

It’s just a few weeks until Easter (can you believe it!) and that means revision season is on us once again. Over the next few weeks you’ll see lots of hints and tips from 121 Home Tutors on how to get the most from your revision. This week we’ll focus on a particular subject area. Yes, it’s the dreaded Maths (we can hear the groans already).

Maths is one of our most requested subjects for private tutoring in Manchester and South Manchester. We have private Maths tutors that start at primary level and go right up to AS, A2 and A Level but most of tutors work with secondary level students who are fast approaching their GCSEs .

So here are our private tutors’ top seven tips for GCSE Maths revision:

1.      Our number one top tip is to know exactly what you need to revise. Carefully check the syllabus and know the topics you need to revise. If you are unsure then ask your teacher. It’s also a good idea to ask your teacher if you need to learn any formulas or if they’ll be printed on the exam paper.

2.      Start with the basics first. Once you know what you need to revise then tackle the basic topics first. Maths builds on basics and as you move up in school you’ll find the basics you’ve learnt are integrated with each other and across topics.  Try breaking harder problems into smaller sections rather than trying to tackle the whole thing in one go. This means you’ll devote the most time to the trickiest parts and not get overwhelmed when you get close to the exam.

3.      Don’t be afraid to use revision guides and GCSE revision books (make sure you pick the right one for your syllabus). There’s also lots of great information on websites like BBC bitesize. Finally don’t forget your textbooks, teachers and if you have one, your private Maths tutor.

4.      Past papers. If you can get hold of them (ask your teacher) then these can really help focus your mind on the sort of questions you might have to tackle in an exam. As your revision moves on try completing a past paper in a set time frame to give you an idea of how you’ll cope on the actual day.

5.      If you struggle to sit down and stare at papers for hours then try a revision study group or try mental maths.

6.      Start early. Revision is really hard if you are rushing or stressed. Plan your revision out, including breaks.

7.      If you are struggling ask for help. If something just isn’t sticking during revision then ask a friend, parent or call in a private tutor. They can help you work through any barriers.

If you need a tutoring to help you with Maths or Maths revision in Manchester or South Manchester (we cover all areas including Altrincham and Hale) then call or email 121 Home Tutors today.

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Posted in GCSE, General, maths, Revision tips | No Comments »

Private tutoring can make maths fun!

Tuesday, February 15th, 2011

When you think of Maths and private tuition then fun probably isn’t what springs to mind. But at 121 Home Tutors one of our most requested subjects for private tutoring across Manchester and Cheshire is Maths.

Basic numeracy underpins everything we do – from our weekly shop to paying bills but children often find it boring and switch off. Lots of parents approach us for private maths tuition when their child is in primary school. Quite often they’re already struggling with the basics; complain they find maths ‘boring’ or lack confidence.  If we can make maths fun with private tuition at this stage then most children find maths in the classroom more enjoyable.

One of the advantages of private tuition is that we aren’t constrained by the ‘rules’ of the classroom and we can devote one to one time to very specific areas of maths. That doesn’t mean it has to be boring, after all that wouldn’t be much fun for the student or private tutor!

So how can we ditch the dullness and make maths more fun? Here are three top techniques our private maths tutors recommend:

1.      Begin with fun. It can be really easy to forget that starting in the right way is often the key to engaging a child in learning. Maths starts with counting – so liven it up. Ask your child to count different types of houses or signs when you are in the car. At home count using unusual objects (food is always good).

2.      Make it real. Children are much more likely to be interested in something if they see how it relates to their life. Take them to the supermarket and look at prices, get them to help you count out money at the till.

3.      Games are good. There are loads of number and maths games that you can play with your child which will help them improve their maths – suduko is a great example (and there is even a family play version Kakuzu).

The great thing about working with 121 Home Tutors is that we offer specifically matched maths private tutors right on your doorstep across Manchester and Cheshire, so whether you live in Didsbury, Altrincham or Stockport we can find the right maths tutor to fit your needs. Just drop us a line for more details.

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Posted in General, maths, Primary, Revision tips | No Comments »

Summer holiday catch-up for GCSE and A-Level students

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

Now that the exam season is all but finished, it might be time for your older children to think about how they can use the summer holiday break to get a head start, catch up and/or improve on areas where they haven’t performed as well as they might have wished. This is particularly important for students who have just completed Year 9 who will soon begin their GCSE courses, and for those in Years 10 or 12, who will be moving into the critical final phases of GCSE and A-Level next year.

That said, for students in this age group doing a bit of work and catching up over the summer holiday break isn’t just for those who have failed or underperformed in exams. It is also a great opportunity to get a head start and/or keep information fresher. The summer holiday break is quite long: six weeks or so for state schools, around eight weeks for many independent day schools and even more for many boarding schools. Even bright students often lose ground during this time, getting out of good habits, forgetting key information and neglecting skills that they had developed to a high level for the previous exam season.

Three subject areas most at risk from this ‘slippage’ are Maths, Science and modern languages. There are two reasons for this. First, they are among the most difficult subjects any student will be working on, especially at A-Level. Second, each one combines relatively difficult skills with a large amount of knowledge that needs to be learned.

Maths, Science and languages require the student both to develop skills (e.g., solving complex equations; designing, conducting and writing up experiments; forming grammatical sentences) and learn a great deal of information (formulae, physical laws, names of elements and compounds, long lists of vocabulary and tables of noun and verb forms).

It’s not necessary for students to spend their entire summer holiday revising all this stuff to stay on top of it – everyone needs a break, after all. The trick is to ensure that knowledge, skills and relevant thinking habits don’t just drop to the bottom of their minds for six, eight or ten weeks. As a parent, there are several ways you can help:

  • Travel can make an enormous difference. If your child is learning French and German, consider a visit to one country or the other for a holiday or short break.
  • Think about a visit to the Science Museum or the Natural History Museum in London. These aren’t just resources for younger kids – they contain a great deal of thought-provoking, inspirational material for older students, too.
  • Encourage reading – something we’ve blogged about recently.
  • More engaged students can be encouraged to actually pick up their school books during the holiday and have a quick refresher read. You could give them some sort of incentive to do this.
  • Switch on the telly! Keep an eye on the TV listings for programmes relevant to particular areas of study, and encourage them to watch. There’s also tons of good stuff on YouTube, iTunes U and the web in general.
  • Consider hiring a tutor, especially if your child underperformed in the end of year exams. Summer holiday tutoring doesn’t have to be intensive: a ‘slow burn’ approach to help students reinforce key ideas can work very well. It is a worthwhile summer holiday activity that keeps them occupied

If you live in the Greater Manchester or East Cheshire area and you’d like to find out more about how summer holiday tutoring can help your child – especially in tricky subjects like Maths, Science and modern languages – don’t hesitate to get in touch with 121 Home Tutors. We’ll be very happy to advise you, and, if you wish, put you in touch with tutors relevant to your child’s needs.

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Posted in A level, English, GCSE, Languages, Learn a language, maths | 2 Comments »

Top Exam Tips Part 1: GCSE Maths Help

Sunday, December 13th, 2009

Are your kids ready for their GCSE exams? Or are they finding some subjects, like Maths, a bit challenging? Although we’re in the run-up to Christmas, now’s the time to be getting their heads around subjects they are struggling with.

This is the first in a series of posts in which we’re going to offer some tips on working with your child as they deal with three key GCSE subject areas: Mathematics, Languages and Science.

First up is Maths. If you found your GCSE or ‘O’-level Maths complete torture, you’re not alone – but that doesn’t mean you can’t give your own kids a helping hand. Even if you’re not much of a mathematician yourself, there are some things you can check and discuss:

1. Do they always read the question properly? This is one of the biggest pitfalls in all GCSE exam subjects, but it can be a particular trap in Maths – and it’s often a problem for the sort of confident child who whizzes through work at high speed. Remind your kids that one of the secrets of success in a GCSE Maths exam is to be thorough and methodical!

2. Show all working – you can still get marks for wrong answers. GCSE Maths often involves solving lengthy problems that need a lot of calculation. It’s perfectly possible to get all the working right, yet end up with an incorrect final answer because of a small mistake at some stage. However, long questions are usually worth several marks: even if your child gets the final answer wrong, there will still be some marks up for grabs if the earlier stages of the working are correct. So it’s really important not to skip stages and always write down all the working out. Again, skipping ‘obvious’ working out is a particular danger for brighter kids.

3. If you can’t finish a question, don’t panic! The trick is to get as far as possible – even if your child can’t complete a question, there will still be marks available for half-completed solutions. Remind your child that in an exam situation, it’s far more important to devote time to answering the questions you can do than to agonising over the ones you can’t.

4. Don’t just understand the Maths – understand the way the exam works. This is useful for both you and your child, and an area where a Maths tutor can make a real difference. For example, in a question worth 5 marks, only one is usually allocated to getting the answer right, with the rest awarded for the quality of the working out. You child can be taught to make tactical decisions about which questions to focus on, maximising marks in the exam.

5. Revise with and without a calculator. Even in exams where calculators are allowed, your child can save precious time by doing basic arithmetic in his or her head. It’s also useful to be able to estimate answers to check that a mistake hasn’t been made when using the calculator. All in all, a good head for sums isn’t all your child needs to be successful, but it will come in really useful.

6. Know your calculator. This is another great time-saver. Understanding some of the more complex functions on a calculator can be a big help at GCSE. The ‘memory’ function, for example, may save precious time in the exam hall.

7. Practise! It’s important to remember that Maths – at least at GCSE level – is a practical, applied subject. It’s not about learning facts, but developing skills. Your child’s school may provide him or her with plenty of past papers for practice purposes. You can also get hold of good Maths revision guides – ask your child’s school or tutor of advice.

Finally, if your kids seem to be struggling – or aren’t on target to get the grades they deserve – there’s no substitute for expert help. We represent a range of GCSE Maths tutors in the Manchester area, and we’ll be happy to match you with a specialist tutor who meets your child’s needs. If you’d like a no-obligation chat about how 1-2-1 Home Tutors can help your child with GCSE Maths, get in touch today!

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Posted in GCSE, maths, Revision tips | No Comments »