5 TIPS FOR EFFECTIVE CONSULTATIONS IN JC
Are you caught up in the daily hustle as a Junior College (JC) student? In JC, you come to realize in time that putting in more effort with the same strategies you used in Secondary school may just not be enough. This time, it seems giving a 150% effort is not yielding a 150% improvement in your grades. Maybe it is time to re-strategize.
In our opinion, consultations are one of the most powerful weapons in your arsenal. Consultations with your tutors provide the space for you to clear any doubts for a complete understanding of the subject. However, consultations become ineffective when done without direction or ample preparation.
Worry not!
Here we share with you some practical tips to make your consultations productive and effective.
A summary of the 5 tips:
- Be honest and identify concepts you do not fully understand.
- Be responsible and do your due diligence.
- Be bold and approach your tutors.
- Be consistent and keep the consultations going regularly.
- Be purposeful and track your progress with milestones.
Identify concepts you do not fully understand.
This is what happens during your tutorials: Your tutor goes through the content of the planned curriculum at break-neck speed to fit everything within an hour. When the tutor pauses to check in on any doubts, you won’t raise your hands to voice them; in fear of looking bad in front of others.
Big mistake. This means you will spend time struggling to relearn the concepts on your own. Damage done. Time has been wasted.
Ask yourself during and after tutorials – do I clearly understand everything so far? Be brutally honest with yourself rather than mask these issues behind a false sense of bravado. Delays in getting help eventually catch up with you.
List all your doubts and bring to your tutors during consultations.
Do your due diligence.
No pain no gain. That is the reality you will face in any A-level subject. Expect to clock in the hours doing practice papers, redoing your past topical tutorials and preparing your readings before meeting tutors. With the time spent on preparation and discovery, you might find new angles to solving a problem, uncover more doubts to clarify and also form better, more specific questions to ask.
It sounds like a painful process. However, we promise that it will definitely pay off. Your consultations will be much more effective without wasting your tutor’s and your own time. The victory tastes all the sweeter when your result slip reflects the work you have put in.
P.S. Many tutors really dislike students who are ill-prepared during consultations. You won’t want to get into their bad books by wasting their time.
Approach your tutors.
Sit with your tutors and go through even the most fundamental topics where your understanding is incomplete. Topics are built on top of each other, particularly for H2 Math. A learning misconception at this point can cost you dearly as you progress.
If you still find yourself going nowhere with your JC tutor, you can always consider private tuition at a center with a proven track record. A little monthly investment can provide the personalised help you need. There are good tuition centers out there, including us of course. The Annexe Project has small class sizes and an encouraging culture for students to ask questions during class time. We specialize in A-Level H2 math tuition as well as English tuition.
Keep the consultations going regularly.
The road to A-levels is like preparing for a full marathon. You will need time to study, revise, clarify and practice at a consistent pace before crunch time. Consultations are one of your best platforms to surface any misconceptions where tutors can help weed out and correct misconceptions along the way.
If last-minute revisions are your thing, you will find yourself to be constantly on survival mode – always racing against time to cover the entire syllabus within the few weeks leading up to your exams. Naturally, you won’t have the luxury to ponder upon your mistakes and correct them. Regular consultations provide ample time to clarify and internalize your learnings at a comfortable pace.
Bottom line, consultations keep you disciplined and provides the best environment for you to learn and grow.
Is school not the best learning environment for you? Private tuition is an excellent supplement you can consider. You enjoy the same personalised help with experienced subject experts. Mr. Alvin Yeo is a good example of a H2 math tuition tutor who specializes in helping students understand and score in H2 math.
Track your progress with milestones.
Consultations are meant to improve your mastery of the subject and you should plan them in accordance to the schedule of the subject syllabus. Using milestones in this case is very helpful in tracking your progress. Your milestones can be in the form of practical targets set across a fixed timeline or based on fully mastering each topic.
With proper planning and clear targets in mind, you won’t be discouraged by the seemingly huge amount of content to master. With your milestones and schedule properly worked out – you will find everything looks a lot more achievable!
Conclusion
You are not alone in this, most of us will require some help during our Junior College journey. It is perfectly normal to seek help. Assistance can come in the form of private tuition, practice papers, peer support and consultation. Consultations provide the space you need to ask questions and get more in-depth explanations that cannot be afforded during tutorial time.
Growth does not happen overnight. Let diligence and perseverance be your mantra . Your growth will be often more subtle than an obvious one so we encourage you to keep the consultations going and put our suggestions into practice. You may see yourself scoring well easily at your next major exam! That’s how effective it can be!
At The Annexe Project tuition centre, we offer different program tracks that tailor to different student group’s growth within reasonable prices. Contact us to find out more