Many parents are faced with the dilemma of whether sending their kids to enrichment or tuition classes especially for the subject of Chinese language given that majority of them come from English-speaking backgrounds and do not have the sufficient knowledge to help with the Chinese-related school materials. Fret not, our team at Yanzi Mandarin have broken down the key considerations to aid you in the decision-making process.
When NOT to get Chinese tuition?
For children with more independent learning methodologies, it is recommended for parents to give them sufficient space to develop their own learning styles or strategies, instead of engaging tuition on the get-go which may inadvertently harm their learning progress. An independent learner will always take responsibility of their learning, be it in the form of disciplined study schedule or taking the initiative to seek out extra learning materials to target their areas of weakness.
Tuition itself is also a weekly commitment and should be included in the reasonable. Hence, it is advisable for parents to first monitor the schedule of their child as tuition often comes with the assignment of extra homework and practices which may be add on unnecessary stress to an already heavy workload.
When to get Chinese tuition?
On the other hand, Chinese tuition can help students who require more individualized teaching, attention. In a typical classroom size of more than 30 students, it may be hard for a student to effectively target their weak spots and get additional help given that school teachers have limited time and resources to distribute amongst every students.
Chinese tuition can also help bridge the enormous jump in syllabus difficulty when they transition from lower primary/secondary school to upper primary/secondary school. Difficulty in adjusting to heightened academic difficulty will most likely be reflected in grades for common tests/mid-terms or feedback from school teacher.
Lastly, Chinese tuition can help students who have poor fundamentals to play catch-up with their peers. More often than not, students who already lag behind often feel demoralized when it comes to learning new materials given that language learning is a foundational build-up. If previous errors and mistakes are not corrected in a timely fashion, they will build up and lead to a snowball effect, causing an ever-widening gap between your child and his/her peers in terms of Chinese academic ability.
The Verdict?
Ultimately, it is a still a personal decision to get Chinese tuition and parents should decide based on their child’s unique needs and situation and set up an effective communication channel to understand them. If you’re preparing your child for upcoming important examinations such as PSLE or O Levels, do check out our study tips to help him/her improve and excel.
