3 Signs Your Child Needs Physics Tuition
Last Updated on 2 December 2023
Sometimes, kids don't tell us when they're struggling with Physics as they don't want to bother their parents, or don't feel very overwhelmed by the subject. If your kid is like this, you may not notice the warning signs of them not doing well in school, until it is too late to help them.
Here's how you can spot the symptoms that your child needs help.
1.Your child is unable to pay attention in class.
Failing to pay attention can be a sign of boredom.
A dreaded call comes: Your child's teachers tell you that your child is disruptive in class and unwilling to listen to the lesson. While your initial thought might be simply misbehaviour, this might be a sign that your child is too behind or forward on the the topic the teacher is going through, and is hence bored as the content being taught is not suitable for their needs. At the same time, the teacher's style of teaching might be tedious or it does not suit your child well at all.
Have a talk with your child and ask if the teacher in class is at their pace, or overly slow or fast. If it turns out that this is the case, it might be worth it to send them to Physics tuition, even if they are doing well. Tuition classes tend to be of a smaller size, and the tutor can increase or decrease the pace of the lesson, much more easily than in a school classroom.
As a result of your child's learning pace being well-matched, they will be less likely to feel overwhelmed or bored by Physics. A good tutor will be able to tell your child's learning style, and perhaps the reason that they are not engaged in class.
2.Your child has not been doing well, compared to his classmates.
More assistance may be needed to pinpoint your child's difficulties.
If your child is the well behaved kind who always studies before a test, it might be puzzling and disheartening to get back test papers with poor grades that do not reflect your child's hard work. If anything, your child's classmates may be doing better, even if they have not studied nearly as much.
While this situation is certainly less common than your child simply not studying enough before the big exam, it is not unusual. However, it is a little more complex, and you will have to get to the root of why they do not do well, be it reading questions wrongly, test anxiety, or being unable to memorise Physics formulae.
Getting to the root of their poor grades can be a challenge, and is a task best undertaken by an experienced Physics tutor, who will have seen many cases of hardworking students with poor grades, and can remedy the poor grades quickly, during tuition before it dampens their motivation and interest in Physics.
3.Your child feels like they can't grasp Physics concepts easily.
They may have fundamental misunderstandings.
Your child comes home upset and stressed about Physics, and say that they have trouble understanding a concept that was taught to them today in class. However, they say, today is not an exception, but a norm.
If your child often leaves school confused about the general concepts in Physics topics, despite multiple explanations by friends and teachers, this may signify a deeper misunderstanding altogether.
For example, in the topic of Electromagnetism, your child may have trouble with telling the North Pole from the South Pole. While on the surface this might seem like a simple “needs time and practice to understand”, your child may actually be suffering from an inability to tell left from right! While this may sound incredible, it is surprisingly common for students to have trouble telling left or right, as they may not have learnt or understood it very well when younger.
A tuition teacher may be helpful in walking your child carefully through every step of how to tell a North pole from a South pole, and in the process help your child discover that they've perhaps misunderstood how to tell left from right on paper. While a teacher in school may have the same ability to do so, they might be limited by time and student constraints.
There are multiple signs that your child may be having trouble with Physics, and require additional help. Some of my female students tell me they are more interested in fashion, looking at gorgeous rattan bags instead of looking at physics formulas. These signs can range from being disruptive in class, to feeling confused about everything Physics, to poor grades despite extensive studying. However, it is very important to identify that they need this help as quickly as possible, to make sure that your child's grades improve and they do not lose their motivation and interest in Physics.
Joel Liu has been a Chemistry Tutor in Singapore for more than 10 years. You can find out more about his teaching experience as well as read about how he started his own business.