Benefits of Small Groups

Benefits of Small Groups

At Educate Tutoring, we are proud to have the opportunity to deliver a variety of packages tailored to every student’s needs. Included in these packages are options for paired or group tuition, which are extremely beneficial for students who experience learning difficulties. Students not only receive explicit and evidence-based instruction, but also reap the benefits of social interaction which plays a significant and fundamental role in the process of learning. These benefits include enhanced thinking, improved communication, peer support, and increased student engagement.

Studies have shown that student groups of various learning stages allow for longer, varied interactions when all students are given chances to engage, contribute and lead discussions and activities (Yule & Macdonald, 1990). As students interact with each other and their tutor, they have the chance to invest, take responsibility for, and feel involved in their learning. At Educate Tutoring, we take special care to express feedback that encourages a student’s understanding of a concept. We ask, “can you explain?” rather than, “do you understand?”

Interestingly, further research has shown that learning interventions with a ratio of three students per one tutor or more show increased academic performance rates, especially during grades 2 to 5 (Nickow, Oreopoulos & Quan, 2020). Additionally, academic performance and positive effects of learning intervention grow in correlation with the number of tutoring sessions per week (Nickow, Oreopoulos & Quan, 2020; Miller & Connolly, 2013; Miller et al., 2012).

Supporting ADHD

Supporting ADHD

How Educate Tutoring supports learners with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

  • Participating in daily physical activity based on age
  • Plan and structure activities
    • Keeping a routine and a schedule. Write changes on the schedule as far in advance as possible.
    • Have a place for everything and keep everything in its place.
    • Using homework and notebook organizers. Use organizers for school material and supplies.
    • Stress the importance of writing down assignments and bringing home necessary books.
  • Set clear boundaries. Give brief instructions and be specific. Instead of asking: “Can you tidy your bedroom?” say: “Please put your toys into the box and put the books back onto the shelf.”
    • Make sure everyone knows what behaviour is expected, and reinforce positive behaviour with immediate praise or rewards.
    • Be clear, using enforceable consequences, such as taking away a privilege, if boundaries are overstepped and follow these through consistently. This makes it clearer what students need to do and creates opportunities for praise when they get it right.
  • Praise and encourage children for even very small amounts of progress
    • Giving praise or rewards when rules are followed. Look for good behaviour and praise it. Instead of saying a general: “Thanks for doing that,” you could say: “You washed the dishes really well. Thank you.” This will make it clear that you’re pleased and why.
    • Set up your own incentive scheme using a points or star chart, so good behaviour can earn a privilege. Involve students in it and allow them to help decide what fair privileges will be.

ADHD

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

One of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders that occur in childhood, ADHD stands for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and may present itself in three different ways:

  • Predominantly Inattentive Presentation:
    • Students may experience a high level of distraction and forgetfulness
  • Predominantly Hyperactive-Impulsive Presentation:
    • Students may be restless and impulsive in decision-making
  • Combined Presentation:
    • Students may experience an equal combination of both presentations as described above

Educate Tutoring supports students who experience ADHD through targeted and specialised instruction. This includes multisensory activities which incorporate educational tasks involving the different senses and kinetic learning methods, as well as a rigorous scope and sequence that provides highly structured lessons with comforting, clear and familiar routines.

Students are taught to express responsibility for their educational journey, and this includes being encouraged to stay organised in their work, presentation, and assigned tasks. Our educators are also trained to communicate explicitly by setting and reinforcing boundaries, as well as praising and rewarding positive and effective learning behaviours.

We believe in providing every opportunity possible for our students to excel, and we actively enable this through specific instructions and feedback. These methods are highly beneficial for learners with ADHD as they are provided with pathways to intake and process information in the most direct and straightforward way possible, allowing for mental energy to be expended towards successful task completion; positive and healthy social connections with their peers and instructors!

Don’t Wait!

Don't Wait!

Let’s close the gap together.

Struggling with your education can feel like a hopeless challenge but rest assured – there’s hope! Support is available to close the learning gap as soon as possible. In fact, studies show that the most critical learning years occur before Grade 4 and it is possible that there may be a further learning decline starting from Grade 5, continuing with the increase of grade level (Nickow, Oreopoulos & Quan, 2020; The Annie E. Casey Foundation, 2012).

However, tutoring can significantly benefit both struggling and succeeding students and can assist in creating skills that can benefit them for their entire life. It can help target difficulties by providing that much needed intervention, boost grades and performance, and even more so, introduce positive, lifelong habits, such as:

  • Addressing the social anxiety and stress of asking questions
  • Implementing and strategising study routines
  • Obtaining a learning method and speed that is best suited for each individual
  • Helping increase long-term memory and the amount of information one can retain by securing neural pathways (Palormar Collage, n.d.; Spalding Education Australia, n.d.)
  • Improving critical thinking skills in and beyond the classroom (Palormar Collage, n.d.)

There are also some commonly overlooked positives, such as increasing social skills and a greater challenge for understimulated and unmotivated students. This can lead to higher self-esteem as students finally realise that they can succeed in learning, and tutoring sets them on that path!

Addressing learning issues is something everyone might face at some point, and we are here to help. Face your difficulties now, as the earliest intervention possible is crucial and “the needle of academic achievement moves slowly, because essentially you are building knowledge and skills that develop over time” (Sparks, 2012). Together, we can work to build positive habits, lifelong healthy practices, and target learning needs!

Assessments: A Starting Point!

Assessments: A Starting Point!

Educate Tutoring is pleased to provide a series of literacy and numeracy assessments for all our students. All our academic intervention tutorial programs commence with a formal subject-specific comprehensive assessment which allows tutors to plan and deliver lessons centred around a student’s individual needs.

Our literacy assessments provide us with knowledge regarding a student’s approximate learning age in the areas of spelling and reading, while our numeracy assessments provide an indication of learning grade level, and their capacity to perform at their current grade and cognitive ability. Throughout an ongoing tutorial program, students are reassessed regularly, providing quantitative data which allows tutors to track progress and areas of potential difficulty.

Included in our assessments are the David Kilpatrick Phonological Awareness Skills and Screening Test, Oral and Written Phonogram Assessments, Morrison McCall Spelling Scale, Waddington Diagnostic Spelling Test, South Australia Spelling Assessment, Burt Word Reading Test, Holborn Reading Test, and the Waddington Diagnostic Reading Test. Our numeracy assessments include the KeyMaths-3 Diagnostic Assessment, the Schedule of Early Number Assessment 1 and 2, the Mad Minute Maths Facts, and the Waddington Numeracy Modules.

At Educate Tutoring, we employ a wide array of assessments, due to the great importance we place upon tracking the progress of our students. Assessments not only inform us of a student’s individual ability and understanding, but they also inform us of a student’s potential and are an encouraging tool to visualise hopeful future steps (Department of Education, Government of Scotland, n.d.). Our team delivers our lessons with great intentionality regarding educational goals, and assessments help reinforce and monitor pathways towards those goals.

We approach the documentation of these assessments with strategy, consideration, and purpose (National Association for the Education of Young Children USA, n.d.). It is our belief, however, that assessments are a building block towards a result that is best achieved by ongoing tuition, which fosters and encourages continuity in educational progress. Assessments are an integral tactic which develops regular intervention or coaching, depending on the student’s needs. Initial assessment results may be difficult, especially for students experiencing learning difficulties (Moats, 2016), and the importance of support following the obtainment of these results cannot be understated. Our hope is to be able to provide this support for all our students, being ever ready to provide knowledge, skill and insight despite any difficulties regarding assessment results, and to equip students and families with informative and individualised services.

Dyslexia

Dyslexia

One of the most common neurobehavioral disorders worldwide, dyslexia is a learning disorder that affects an individual’s decoding skills and hampers their ability to read, spell, write, and respond adequately to reading instructions (Odegard, 2019). It can affect both children and adults. While some experts state that the prevalence rates range from 5-10 percent, other studies have shown that it can be as high as 17 percent.

If you suspect that you or a loved one may have dyslexia, here are a few ways to help identify the disorder:

  • Early Screening: Early screening is the best way to identify dyslexia. A child who is struggling with reading, writing, or spelling in early grades should be screened for dyslexia.
  • Assessment by Professionals: A formal assessment by professionals such as a school psychologist, speech-language pathologist, or neuropsychologist can help in identifying dyslexia. They can conduct a series of tests to evaluate the child’s reading, writing, and spelling skills.
  • Observing Common Symptoms: Common symptoms of dyslexia include difficulty reading or decoding words, slow reading speed, poor spelling, difficulty remembering names or numbers, difficulty following instructions, and difficulty with organization and time management.
  • Family History: Dyslexia has a genetic component, and children with a family history of dyslexia are at a higher risk of having the condition.
  • Response to Intervention: Children who show little progress despite targeted intervention or instruction may be at risk for dyslexia.

Overall, it is essential to identify dyslexia early to provide the appropriate support and accommodations to individuals with dyslexia. This can help them succeed in academic and personal settings and achieve their full potential.

However, being diagnosed with dyslexia doesn’t mean an individual lacks motivation or intelligence! While it can’t be outgrown, there are teaching approaches and strategies that can help students combat the challenges that they face.

Tutoring is an intervention for dyslexia which prioritises the student’s needs, basing the learning approach around the student rather than the student struggling to shape themselves around a rigid curriculum. As dyslexia presents mainly through difficulties in the connection between visual representations of letters to their correct sounds, the tutoring method is successful as it integrates spelling, writing and reading. Research has shown that “We must implement excellent, systematic, informed reading and language instruction over a sufficient length of time” (Moats, 2016).

This is skillfully executed through systematic and sequential tutoring using explicit, interactive and diagnostic instruction. Dyslexia is a hurdle that can be overcome with screening, early intervention and skillful and intensive instruction as we give tutors and students a chance to “maintain the effort for as long as it takes” (Moats, 2016). Trust is of vital importance and belief in the student should be paramount as they are nurtured in their aptitudes and interests (Moats, 2016). By connecting extraordinary young people with our extraordinary grown-ups, tutoring allows the facilitation of learning and growth through nurturing socioemotional resilience. Improvement can be seen in the areas of self-esteem, coping strategies inside and outside of the classroom, and an understanding that their intelligence can grow and expand despite the difficulties they face (Brady, 2019).

References

  • https://dyslexiaida.org/louisa-moats-debunks-five-popular-myths-about-dyslexia/ (Moats, 2016)
  • https://mydigitalpublication.com/publication/?m=13959&i=572951&p=6&ver=html5 (Odegard, 2019)
  • https://mydigitalpublication.com/publication/?m=13959&i=572951&p=14&ver=html5 (Brady, 2019)

Proactive actions foster success

Proactive actions foster success

What does it mean to be proactive, and how does this relate to tutoring?

Proactive is defined by the Cambridge English Dictionary as

‘Taking action by causing change and not only reacting to change when it happens.’

Reactive is defined as

‘Reacting to events or situations rather than acting first to change or prevent something.’

So, how does this apply to tutoring?

In the majority of cases, families contact us in responseto a situation occurring with their child/ren and their learning. The student may not be achieving as expected at school in a specific area, or perhaps they have undergone assessment and/or received a diagnosis of a learning difficulty.  Parents react to this situation by sourcing assistance for their child/ren. This is a reactive response to a situation, as defined above.

Once intervention has been sourced and a student is engaged in a program, be that tutoring, educational support at school, or with an interventional therapist, a proactive response has occurred – planning for the future and acting upon that plan ensures change will occur.

Case Study – Student “Sam”

Sam was progressing through the primary school system as expected until Grade 5. Local school and national testing identified Sam was not achieving at the standard expected for spelling and reading comprehension. Sam’s parents reacted to this information and sought further assessment. It was identified that Sam was struggling with reading and spelling unfamiliar words and was not able to apply the strategies necessary to progress. Sam’s parents acted upon this information and enrolled Sam in a tutoring program with Educate Tutoring.

After an intensive intervention program, Sam gained confidence with his spelling and reading, and assessment showed he was now performing at or near age-appropriate level! Sam’s parents decided to be proactive by keeping Sam enrolled in tutoring, in order to ensure he continued to improve and experience success and did not fall behind again. They decided being proactive at this stage of Sam’s schooling was imperative for him with the transition to high school in the coming years.

In today’s society, our responses to most situations tend to be reactive. Using the recent QLD and NSW floods as an example, towns, residents and emergency services were left with little choice but to react to a series of events which were outside their control. As with any natural disaster there are compounding issues, and some of the main criticisms with these events were the lack of preparation and planning. Prior flood experiences, updating infrastructure (such as flood levees), early planning for evacuations, earlier warning systems, addressing climate change may all have allowed for a more proactive response, and may have made some difference to the outcome.  Although this analysis of the flood situation may be simplistic, this is a great example of how proactive responses can be beneficial.

We can relate this to children and their education by looking at past results, making comparisons to the present, talking with the student, the teachers, the school and other relevant parties, looking to the future for any issues which may arise, and then create a strategic plan.

To do this, the following questions may be helpful:

  • “Is my child happy and experiencing success in school?”
  • “Are my child’s academic and learning needs being met?”
  • “How can I help my child progress and succeed into the future?”
  • “Can I foresee a time where my child may need extra support, like the transition to high school?”

This is a great example of being proactive. Being proactive will ensure your child has positive experiences with learning and will ensure they transition through any difficult stages with an invested support system in place! Educate Tutoring and our team of dedicated and professional tutors are here to support your child, and your family, through all stages of their educational and learning journey. (We are not, however, equipped to help you with any major flood events!)

Summer Holiday Program

Summer Holiday Program

We at Educate Tutoring would love to extend a heartfelt thank you to all who participated in our Summer Holiday Program from December 2021 to January 2022! We had such a great time with our dedicated students. Here are a few insights into wonderful learning outcomes:

Marina* – Maths Tutoring

Marina participated in 4 sessions of Maths tutoring, specifically in measurement. She was introduced to measuring length, distance, perimeter and area of quadrilateral shapes, capacity/volume, weight/mass, time and money. We completed several practical activities related to real world situations and explored the language of measurement. Marina is now able to convert and compare different units of measurement and also explored the relationship between liquids and weight. During this unit, Marina was practising and broadening her skills in mental computation of whole numbers, decimals and fractions. She developed a toolbox of “tricks” to assist her into the future! 

Flynn – English Tutoring

Flynn participated in 8 sessions of English tutoring. We engaged in reading, writing and spelling activities. We also explored phonemic awareness and linking symbols to sound through phonograms. In addition to addressing English skills, learning skills and their importance were also emphasised. Oftentimes, students may experience anxiety and frustration in the classroom, so at Educate Tutoring, we aim to provide a safe space for students to grow in their interest towards learning! Flynn is now able to utilise spelling skills with increased confidence due to heightened decoding skills and has improved in his willingness towards the learning process.  

Owen – English Tutoring 

Owen participated in 12 sessions of English tutoring. At the beginning of the program, Owen struggled to decode and spell 3-letter words and lacked confidence in reading. During the program, he was re-introduced to reading, writing, spelling, phonemic awareness, phonograms, and creative planning. Additionally, we emphasised the core elements of English learning to solidify Owen’s understanding of how all the parts fit together! By the end of the program, Owen was able to understand and retain the reading and writing process and the connections between text forms. He was able to recognise and understand common phonographs and identify common double letter phonographs. He proudly improved confidence in reading 4 and above letter words! 

Alain *– English Tutoring 

Alain participated in 8 sessions of English tutoring and experienced success in reading fluency and comprehension. At the beginning of the program, Alain was able to read simple one syllable words by sounding aloud. Blending sounds together was not an automatic skill. By the end of the program, Alain had progressed to reading a full book from our decodable readers. He read with fluency and expressed emotion and understanding of punctuation. Alain was able to answer questions, make predictions and summarise the books he read. He also made great gains with his handwriting and is now capable of forming the majority of his letters correctly. Alain can now articulate each of the jobs of silent final ‘e’ in his spelling words and uses this knowledge to decode and encode new words! 

Why Educate Tutoring?

Why Educate Tutoring?

At Educate Tutoring, we draw on the theory of the Spalding method. Spalding has been proven to be successful because it integrates spelling, writing and reading through systematic and sequential teaching using explicit, interactive, diagnostic instruction. Through the use of a multisensory approach, the Spalding method aligns with the five literacy components consistent with the recommendations made by the National Inquiry in the Teaching of Reading: Phonemic Awareness, Systematic Phonics, Vocabulary, Fluency and Comprehension. 

At Educate Tutoring, we believe in being child-centred, where the wellbeing of the child is first and foremost; having high expectations of our students; and continuous teacher improvement, so that we can be sure we are constantly updating and refining our teaching as new resources and research becomes available. 

Warm regards,

Naomi Wright

Director, Educate Tutoring

Our Response to COVID-19

Our Response to COVID-19

I’d like to extend a personal and heartfelt thank you for your understanding and support of the measures we have taken to adjust to the ever-changing coronavirus landscape. 

Whilst prioritising the health and safety of our students and their families, we remain as committed as ever to the continuing educational support of our students. It is our aim to assist your child’s ongoing engagement with learning, particularly in the event that attendance at school or college is disrupted.

As our service continues to evolve, we have been working with technology in a new and exciting way that allows us to connect students seeking academic support and extension from remote locations. As of Tuesday 24th March, all lessons will be delivered through the online conferencing facility, Zoom. For more information about Zoom, follow this link.

Please know that the transition to online service delivery is a preventative measure and is being implemented in accordance with government recommendations.

Whilst the timing of these changes is unexpected, we are excited about the possibilities it may present moving forward.

I am most grateful for the opportunity we have to work with you and your family, and I thank you for your patience and understanding as we all navigate these unusual times. Do not hesitate to make contact should you have any queries about how tutoring may work for you and your family. Let’s stay connected during this time. Stay safe and look out for one another!

Warm regards,

Naomi Wright

Director, Educate Tutoring