Talk to Maths Doctor about (online) tutoring - £200 John Lewis voucher prize draw NOW CLOSED

[MichelleMumsnet]

Maths Doctor have asked us to find out what Mumsnetters think about (online) tutoring for children.

Here's what they have to say, "Maths Doctor is the UK's award-winning maths tutoring company with an inspirational approach to teaching. Our one-to-one, private tutorials for students aged 7-18 are delivered live over the Internet using a shared virtual whiteboard and live video feed, so that our 500+ tutors can teach anyone, anytime, anywhere. We're the UK's largest provider of this innovative digital education method that helps boost students' grades."

So, have you ever tried tutoring with your child? If so, why did you decide to get a tutor? Did it help? If not, is it something you'd ever consider? Do you think tutoring is the same as giving your child music or sports lessons, or does it put other children at a disadvantage? What do you think about Maths Doctor's approach with online tutoring? Whatever it is, we'd love to hear your thoughts!

Maths Doctor also want to give six Mumsnetters the chance to trial the Maths Doctor service and share their thoughts on this thread. The Mumsnetters who are selected will receive two free lessons for their child, which will need to be taken before 3rd February. To apply for the free trial please PM me with the age of your DCs and why you would like to trial Maths Doctor before Friday 17th January. We'll then select six Mumsnetters at random.

Maths Doctor may use posts on this thread for further marketing purposes (anonymously, of course), so please only post if you're happy with that.

Everyone who adds their thoughts to this thread will be entered into a prize draw to win a £200 John Lewis voucher.

Thanks and good luck,

MNHQ

PS: For those Mumsnetters who miss out on the free trial, Maths Doctor will also be offering a 20% discount for all subscriptions purchased in January (lessons can be taken at a later date but need to be booked by 31st January). Simply mention the promo code MUMSNET to receive the discount.

[Theimpossiblegirl]

Is the tutor in an office environment with other people or in their own home? This would really influence whether I would use the service or not. I wouldn't feel comfortable letting my child interact with someone we didn't know in this way unless they were being supervised both ends, CRB checks or not.

[hunhun007]

So, have you ever tried tutoring with your child?
Yes, we did

If so, why did you decide to get a tutor?
Most of our foster kids are behind, so they do need extra help

Did it help?
Not always but in most cases yes, it did help

Do you think tutoring is the same as giving your child music or sports lessons, or does it put other children at a disadvantage?
No, it is not the same unless it is done purely to enhance special interest of the child

What do you think about Maths Doctor's approach with online tutoring? Whatever it is, we'd love to hear your thoughts!
We didn't try it, so it is hard to say but I do believe online tutoring in general is a fantastic idea.

[NettleTea]

My daughter does online live lessons via the internet as she is currently out of school. It works really well and she enjoys working that way. I think it is a good way to learn, if the child needs extra help maybe. I would think it might be a cost effective way for home ed in subjetcs that the parent feels less confident in too.

[neenienana]

I would definitely be interested in this, probably more for me than my 8 yr old son who is pretty good at maths. I struggle to help him when he goes on my maths. I think it's a great idea.

[Wizard19]

Tutoring can be beneficial. I make sure I am aware of the curriculum and tutor my DD at home.

[StarWarsStanley]

So, have you ever tried tutoring with your child? - yes

If so, why did you decide to get a tutor? Did it help? it became evident to me that my son was struggling in a few basic concepts and felt that if he didnt get a grasp of these soon then he would fall way behind and struggle further. An experienced tutor is helping my son immensely by boosting his confidence in his growing ability to tackle the subjects he has been finding it hard to cope with - on a 1:1 basis without the classroom disruption or the lure of Lego at home

If not, is it something you'd ever consider? - n/a

Do you think tutoring is the same as giving your child music or sports lessons? no. It's entirely different IMO as maths is a life skill and essential going forward towards getting a decent career

or does it put other children at a disadvantage? i don't believe that finding a teaching style that suits my child can possibly disadvantage him in any way - not all children grasp maths concepts in the same way

What do you think about Maths Doctor's approach with online tutoring? thus looks very interesting, I would like the opportunity to explore this further

[OPeaches]

I've not used a tutor as yet, my kids are too young. I am a primary teacher and find that kids can be far more motivated by working on a computer than by using paper and pencil
. Because of this, online tutoring is certainly something I'd consider for my own kids if they needed it in the future.

[BoffinMum]

Online tutoring is rubbish because providers' learning environments just keel over all the time. It's frustrating.

[WhatDoesItAllMeanJonathan]

I got a tutor for DD1 when she was 7, about 8 months ago. She is academically v capable & I felt like she was a little bored in her school classes, especially literacy. Anyway, she said she would like a tutor, so we found a lovely lady who cones once a week. She does really dull things with DD, and DD is completely uninspired. It hasn't worked at all. She is great at explaining things, but completely lacks the excitement and personality of DDs school teachers. I am letting the tutor go on Monday.

[kateandme]

i dont think tutoring is wrong if there is something your child either wants or needs.but i dont want to force them into anything for my gain.to make my child as smart as i think they shoiuod be or so they can get ahead.this could harm the child more than just letting them be.
for some it might work better because they suit more one to one sessions whihc tutoring can give.
i think online lessons are good.everything is done online though snd the person tutor to stdent approach is sometimes better.
but if done well this could really be something brilliant.
for many children who need extra help it might be because of nerves,aniety in their lives with other issues so being able to do it online on their own in their own safe place could be very helpful.
i think school is always better,but for many reasons tutoring could be needed and be indeed very usefuyk to the child.

[maxpower]

I think there's a place for tutoring but there's a need to understand why you've opted for it. Is the education system failing your child? Has your child missed a chunk of input so this is just helping them catch up? Is it an opportunity to practice skills being taught in the classroom? I do worry that tutoring pushes children too much especially if it's used to get them into selective secondary schools because if you stop the tutoring at that stage the child can go on to struggle. Wrt virtual v ftf I would probably find virtual ok for short term but longer I'd prefer ftf.

[HRHLadyG]

We have been using Kumon for the last 12 months. We chose to support our childs learning to gain confidence.
I am not totally sure that this is the best route as it seems to lack the benefits of one to one tutoring. Having looked at the info re Maths Doctor, I am keen to enquire further...

[smilingthroughgrittedteeth]

dp and I payed for dsd (15yrs) to have maths tutoring over the Christmas holidays because she has been struggling with her course work, she found it very helpful and has really grown in confidence, instead of looking at her work and panicking she had learnt how to break it down into manageable steps.

she is only with us during school holidays so we will be continuing the tutoring each holiday however we will consider online tutoring for when she is at her mum's.

to be honest I don't really care if it's a disadvantage to other children, my concern is helping dsd gain confidence and get the grades she needs to get into uni which is her goal.

[smilingthroughgrittedteeth]

sorry posted to soon.

I meant to add that I agree with the previous poster who said it can work as a disadvantage to the tutored child as once they've passed the 11+/gcses they might still struggle

[androbbob]

Dd is in yr7 and struggled a little in primary school. More lack of confidence in her ability and we tried Maths Whizz online for 9 months in preparation for her sats. She ended up witj a level 4 which was good enough.

It showed her weaker areas so could brush up on those under her own direction.

We have a maths centre nearby and its 80 a month for a year which was out of our budget.

Online 1 to 1 tutoring sounds interesting but all comes down to price.

disadvantages children well its everyone for tgemdelves

[luckystarshine]

Yes I have tried both online and home tutoring. I feel it is an individual choice for both parents and children to decide on which method works best for them. Online is great as the child is self sufficient and allows the child to monitor their progress daily. Home tutoring offers a more personalised approach, But I would love the opportunity to try out other online resources as you can not put a price on education. To me it is just as important as after school activities and can just as much fun!

[serendipity1980]

We haven't used tutoring because our DC aren't old enough yet but it is something we would consider in the future if they needed extra support in a subject. The teacher would need to be fully qualified. I would have loved this opportunity when I was at school - I think it's brilliant. I think that virtual or face to face can be beneficial but virtual might be more convenient.

[Flossyfloof]

As a teacher, I have done face to face tutoring and would always think this preferable. However, it would not be ethical to teach a student from the same school and it can take some time to get to know the student so as to tailor the work to their needs. It can also be incredibly intense for both the tutor and the student. Having read other comments on this thread I am more positive about it than before! I am puzzled about the question regarding putting other children at a disadvantage - surely the point of any tutoring is to boost one's own child, I can't see a problem with that.
Shame my subject is not Maths - I might well be signing up!

[Willemdefoeismine]

Hi, MichelleMumsnet

Have the six lucky Mumsnetters been chosen yet to trial the Maths Doctor

Thanks (fingers crossed)

[Mamafratelli]

I think this is a fantastic idea. I lived abroad and have a number of friends who still live away. They would love to use an online tutor as the local tutors used different curriculums and strategies. In fact I will be sending this link to them.

[IncaAztec]

So, have you ever tried tutoring with your child? If so, why did you decide to get a tutor? Did it help? If not, is it something you'd ever consider? Do you think tutoring is the same as giving your child music or sports lessons, or does it put other children at a disadvantage? What do you think about Maths Doctor's approach with online tutoring? Whatever it is, we'd love to hear your thoughts!

I haven't tried tutoring with my child but i had a Maths tutor. My school struggled with providing a maths teacher as the regular teacher was off with illness a lot so my parents provided one. It was worth it 100% and if my 2 year old needs one, I will pay for one for her. I think tutoring is exactly the same as out of school activities but for some is actually more beneficial in the long term. Online tutoring sounds good, I think it might be useful to have the ability to meet 1-2-1 for revision before key exams as well.

[CrewElla]

I don't why you wouldn't use a tutor if your child was struggling with a subject; I am all for it though I haven't had to use one yet.

I think the method of tutoring depends on what type of learner your child is; some children will do better with an actual person sat beside them while others would do great with computer based learning.

[ThePortlyPinUp]

We haven't done any tutoring with any of our dd's, if any required it and we could afford it I'd prefer a tutor to visit rather than online, in fact I could do with one myself after becoming a mature student

[lolancurly]

I live in an area where the 11+ still exists and entrance exams to another highly popular school at 13. This sends local parents into a flurry to find a tutor to ensure that their darlings pass and get the school they want. It is so hard to find the time after school for weekly tutoring on top of everything else and so on-line tutoring could work as I assume it is flexible as to when you do it. I assume that it is a lot cheaper than hiring a Maths tutor at £30 an hour which make it far more accessible to most of us.