Published: April 30, 2019
Most parents want their children to succeed in life, and in the knowledge economy of the twenty-first century, doing well in school is a pre-requisite for any good job. But not all students are naturally inclined towards academics, and with class sizes across Ontario set to increase in the coming years, it is likely that some struggling students will fall behind. What can ordinary Ontarians do to make sure these changes don’t impact their children’s learning?
In order to understand how problems can be averted, it is important to understand why growing class sizes are an issue in the first place. According to Shirley Bell of the Elementary Teacher’s Federation of Ontario, increasing class sizes beyond twenty-six students is correlated with negative impacts on students, because it means students have less access to the vital one-on-one support they need if they are to thrive.
Teachers don’t just present information: they play a vital role in modelling for students how problem solving works. So how is a child supposed to learn mathematics, writing, or science if they don’t have a teacher close at hand who can correct their errors and help them master the skills they need to succeed?
The importance of individual instruction for positive educational outcomes is backed up by hard research: a recent report from the Center for Public Education noted that smaller class sizes are especially important in the lower grades (and are critical from Kindergarten to Grade 3), and argued that no class should have a student-teacher ratio higher than eighteen to one.
Given that the Ontario government’s education plan raises the average classroom size to twenty-eight students, parents can clearly expect their children’s quality of education to suffer from the lack of personal attention. This is why you should get your child a private tutor to help them prepare for the coming academic year.
The Benefits of Tutoring
There is a common misconception that tutoring is only for students who are struggling academically, or who have particular learning challenges that require remedial help. While it is certainly true that tutoring has been shown to play an important role in increasing matriculation rates, most students can benefit from tutoring of one kind or another.
This will become even truer as classroom ratios grow and students get less one-on-one time with their teachers, making it less likely they will get the kind of instant feedback that facilitates effective learning.
Simply being told how to write an essay isn’t much help if students aren’t able to receive the kind of personalized critique that helps them work through the process for themselves. Making mistakes is a key part of learning, and one-on-one help from a tutor can make it a lot easier for students to learn from these mistakes more efficiently (you can get more information here about how the Prep Academy Tutors’ approach helps students become more confident in their abilities).
This is especially true of a subject like math, which demands a lot in terms of abstract thinking. One of the benefits of getting a math tutor is that it helps students overcome their fears of difficult problems and make the link between the formulas they are learning in the classroom and the world around them. This is a vital aspect of learning, and one that is particularly difficult for teachers to manage when they are stretched for time and resources by large class sizes.
Our Approach
Tutoring can clearly play an important role in helping students handle the stresses of larger class sizes and a less interactive time with their teachers. But if you want to make sure that your child gets the most out of their private tutor, you will need to find a tutoring service that provides personalized service.
At Prep Academy Tutors, we are proud to offer tutoring to a broad range of students with a broad range of needs. Here are a few of the unique services we offer to families across the Greater Toronto Area.
- Tutoring for All Ages and Subjects: We work with children starting in JK all the way up to Grade 12, and have tutors qualified to provide help in all subjects.
- Flexible Scheduling: We know that students these days are busy with lots of rewarding extra-curricular activities, which is why we work around your schedule to provide your children with the help they need.
- Home Tutoring: It is important to engage students in an environment they feel comfortable in, and where they can focus on their work. To make tutoring easier for you and less stressful for your child, we offer in-home service.
- Personal Attention: At Prep Academy Tutors, we observe the highest standards of professionalism — but we also understand that for tutoring to be effective, it needs to be personal. Our tutors meet your child where they are, and come alongside them as an equal in tackling their personal academic challenges.
- Test Preparation Help: If you have a child who is considering studying abroad after high school, they will probably need to take either the SAT or the ACT. These challenging standardized tests are the gateway to an exciting academic career, but they can also be highly competitive. With tutoring from Prep Academy Tutors, you can ensure your child is up to the challenge.
If you want to know more about how Prep Academy Tutors can help your child achieve academic excellence, you can learn more about our teaching philosophy here. Or you can read our testimonials page to hear from parents whose children have benefitted from one-on-one sessions with Prep Academy Tutors.
Though it is not yet clear when the increase in Ontario’s class sizes will take effect, many parents are already worried about what it will mean for their children’s schooling. Don’t take any chances with your child’s future: If you want to ensure that your child’s education prepares them for lifelong learning, get in touch with us today to find out how our tutors can help your child get the personalized instruction they deserve.