WHY PRIVATE IB TUTORING FOR YOUR CHILD

Jul 21, 2022

On average, European families pay high-end tuition fees (€ 16.000,00 a year) for the IB Diploma Programme® in private schools; therefore, the prospect of forking extra tuition for private tutoring may not sound exciting to parents. Moreover, some may naively believe something is off with the school’s teaching staff or leadership. 

Relax, schools are not to be blamed!

One-to-one tutoring is a response to the needs of a broad range of students, explains Ms. Battaglino, Academic Dean of the World International School of Torino. Moreover, it is the strategic answer to the needs of those students who struggle with a particular subject.

Thanks to tailored sessions and approaches, extra papers simulations, and frequent feedback, individual tutoring helps strengthen subject comprehension and build essential learning skills according to each student’s learning abilities, as we all learn differently. On a well-being level, tutoring may also boost the students’ self-confidence and their ability to acknowledge their progress.

IB tutoring is also pivotal for those students who are already excelling but want to boost their academic performance, and need one-to-one attention through tailored lessons, to maximize their learning efficiency.

Extra private tuition is quite a popular practice, especially in preparation for the mock exams or the IB final exams. Eventually, it can be said that extra IB tutoring has become a common practice. However, the most fruitful outcomes are experienced when the schools and the private tutoring company proactively work together in the students’ best interest, says Ms. Prisco, director of WINSme.

How to choose the best-fit tutor

Parents are not expected to hold the skills to select the most suitable IB tutor for their child. “It’s a massive responsibility that requires extended IB knowledge and great empathy in understanding the students’ needs,” points out Ms. Prisco.

WINSme offers an innovative booking platform to be used by parents and students in complete autonomy. However, the first essential step to the tutor’s choice is the individual online meeting between the parents and the IB expert that WINSme grants as a free service.

How to maximize the tutoring outcomes

IB tutoring platforms have become quite a popular business, so how can parents make informed and wise choices when it comes to their child’s best interest?

The most enlightening answer comes from the review left by Kathrine S. in January 2022:

Kathrine S.

It’s IB teachers, not just tutors. That’s what triggered me since the first approach. I wanted the most professional support for my son, and he got it. As a mother, I’m happy to recommend WINSme to other parents.

“Work smarter… not harder”

Mar 2, 2022

3 Stellar Study Tips

We all are unique creatures, and so is the way we learn; therefore, to master our academic performances, we need to identify our study best fit first.

Inspired by Allen F. Morgenstern’s famous quote “work smarter… not harder”, in this article, we will analyze three strategic study techniques to help you pursue your goals most effectively: Cornell Notes, Mind Maps, and Mind Palace.

⭐️ CORNELL NOTES®

Taking notes is vital for the learning process; however, scheme-free notes may not be as effective as expected. On the other hand, students who rely on Cornell Notes® as their study tool retain 90% to 100% of what they have learned.

Cornell Notes® Preparation

  1. Paper set up 📝
    • Heading in the top right corner (Name, Subject, Period, Date)
    • Write an essential question to express the topic of the lecture
    • Fold 1/3 of the left-hand side of the paper for your questions; you may also draw a vertical line

2) Taking notes ✍🏼

    • Write your notes on the right-hand side of the paper
    • Use abbreviated words
    • Include symbols, diagrams, or pictures
    • Skip at least 2 lines between each topic

3) Apply Your Thinking 💭

    • After 24 hours, review your notes and complete them with the related questions, placing them on the left-hand side of the paper

4) Revise Your Notes 🙇🏼‍♂️

    • Review your notes and add details or information you may have missed
    • This activity can be done in pairs

5) Reflection 🤔

    • At the bottom of the page, write a summary of your notes

6) Review 🙇🏽‍♀️

    • Fold the paper so that only the questions are visible, but not your notes
    • Quiz yourself or work in pair

Check out below what Cornell Notes® may look like.

Source: https://www.wordtemplatesonline.net/free-cornell-note-templates/#google_vignette

 

⭐️MIND MAPS®

Conceived in the ‘70s by the British psychologist and author Tony Buzan, Mind Maps® have become a leading study tool thanks to its efficiency and versatility. They uniquely harness the full range of cortical skills – word, number, color, image, rhythm, and spatial awareness. As a result, they allow the freedom to roam the infinite expanses of the brain.

Mind Maps® hold a hierarchical-associative structure that branches out like a tree that develops from a central element toward the outside.

How to carry out a Mind Map® 

  1. 🎯 Identify the central element or idea and draw an oval around it
  2. 🌱 Draw out thicker branches on which you write the primary keywords connected to the central element. You can expand this process to sub-categories by using thinner branches
  3. 🔑 Link the keywords to essential images/symbols, easy to remember and decode
  4. 🟣 Use as many colors as you need to organize your development
  5. 🟧 Divide the map into quadrants and start repeating aloud from the top left corner clockwise

Have a look at what a handwritten Mind Map® may look like.

Source: https://www.tonybuzan.edu.sg/about/mind-maps/ 

Handwritten Mind Maps® enhance the sinking in of the learning; however, if you are a true tech-savvy, you may express your creativity with the following software iMindMap or Coggle.

⭐️MIND PALACE®

Also known as the method of loci, the Mind Palace® is a technique of remembering that associates information to objects placed inside an imaginary room or building. In essence, the concepts to be remembered are attached to objects, organized in a specific sequence.

How to apply the Mind Palace® technique

  1. 🏠 Select a familiar environment (e.g., your bedroom)
  2. 🛏 Identify furniture items as points of interest (e.g., the bed, the desk, the chair) and their sequence
  3. 🖼 Turn the info into a visual image
  4. ↔️ Match each point of interest with information that you have turned into a visual image
  5. 📖 Create a story by connecting the different images

Check out below a possible Mind Palace® process.

Source: https://www.wikihow.com/Build-a-Memory-Palace   

YOUR OPINION MATTERS TO US

The proposed study tools are equally valuable and efficacious.

Please, share with us your feedback once you have experienced one or more of the suggested tips! And remember, if you need additional study support, our outstanding IB tutors are just one click away 🙃.