Frequently Asked Questions

Note: 2-to-1 sessions are not suitable for senior students (years 11-12 in QLD). We run out 2-to-1 sessions through Microsoft Teams. Each session has a maximum of two students. If two students attend the lesson, each will be placed in a breakout room, meaning they will not have contact with the other student. The tutor will set exercises for both students on an online whiteboard. The tutor will move virtually from room to room to explain concepts and help students with their work. At all times the tutor will be able to see the work that both students are doing on their whiteboards. This allows the tutor to effectively allocate their time to which student it in need. Homework sheets will be given to students for Monday - Friday. Students can complete the homework on the online whiteboard that they use for the lessons. Homework should take 10mins or less each night. If more time is needed on the questions, then it is optional for the student to complete. Nightly homework allows for more repetition, and importantly, more exposure to problems which greatly helps students' understanding and fluency. The goal of 2-to-1 sessions are to improve students' competency in foundational math concepts like arithmetic, algebra, linear equations, and percentages. The weighting spent on each of these topics (and potentially others) is determined by the students' current proficiency level, and the math goals of the student.

Our 1-to-1 sessions are run over Microsoft Teams. Students tell their tutor what topics from class that they need support with and the tutor helps unpack those concepts. This can be achieved through, for example, direct teaching, working together to complete questions, moving from easier to current level questions etc. Tutors teach the subjects that they tutor so they know the content exceptionally well, and the best ways to deliver the content. They are well trained to identify student misconceptions, and how to correct these misconceptions. The goal of 1-to-1 tuition sessions is for the student to walk away feeling confident that they can do questions by themselves. Students often need to put in work outside of tuition hours to get the necessary practice to master the topic they are working on. Tutors are able to advise students on what work they should be doing outside of tuition hours.

Having tutored extensively online as well as in person, I'm a firm believer that online math tutoring is both better academically, and more convenient than face-to-face tutoring. Here are some advantages of online math tutoring: Academically: - Online collaborative whiteboards are far more effective for student learning than conventional pen and paper. - They allow both tutor and teacher to work in the same space on a page. - There is unlimited space for working and erasing work is not an issue. - Can copy and paste questions directly onto the whiteboard, so students aren't forever looking back to the original question. This also more closely resembles how students answer questions in an exam. - Can copy and paste other items (e.g. formulas, Cartesian planes etc.), all of which tutors have in advance. Thus, there is no issues of forgotten materials. - There are many coloured pens and highlighters to emphasise certain key points (no issues with forgotten materials). - All learning is completed in one space. This makes revision far more simple. - Notifications are made if changes are made to the whiteboard while a user is not actively using it. This allows tutors to check in with students outside of tutorial times to check if they've done homework correctly (or maybe highlight incorrect steps taken). Furthermore, a student is notified if the tutor posts questions to the whiteboard as well. - Online graphics calculators (e.g. desmos, geogebra) are great learning tools which are not as readily accessible in a face-to-face tutorials. Convenience: vs. traveling to an external location. - Tutoring happens in your own home. This greatly reduces the chances of being late to a tutorial. It also means that parents do not need to organise drop off and pick up (which can take up a large fraction of the 1h tuition time). vs. having a tutor come to your home. - There is no need to be keeping an eye out for the tutor to turn up, offer hospitality, clean the house etc.

There are only three things that you require to access online math tutoring. A computer. A way to input handwriting onto a computer (e.g. tablet & stylus). A stable internet connection. While high end tablets (e.g. iPads) are expensive, there are many options that are much more affordable. In fact, I started online tutoring with a tablet & stylus that cost less than $50. Although not strictly a requirement, a webcam is also great to have to allow some connection between the tutor and student.

Yes! Tutors either have access to a graphics calculator emulator or a camera which gives a birds-eye view of their calculator. The tutor then share the relevant view with the student to show them how to use the calculator for specific purposes.

We use Microsoft Teams to make video calls. You are not required to have Microsoft Teams on your computer to be able to participate in the call (which you can see during a free consultation). In case of product outage (for whatever reason), our collaborative whiteboard also allows video calls to be made.