Tackling the New Challenges of Learning At Home

Moving Education Online – An Educator’s Perspective

As a trained educator, we learn how to teach people things. This can be complex maths problems through to simply teaching students how to read and write. In practice, educators teach people a wide variety of content through a range of mediums; however, before the COVID-19 pandemic, everything was centered around in-person communication. Due to the highly infectious nature of the virus, and as you’re probably aware, this has now all changed. With the closure of schools around the world, educators are being forced into moving to completely electronic systems for teaching and learning at home. While this may seem foreign to many, there are many online resources available. These aim to alleviate the difficulties of moving to completely online and at-home education, for parents, students, and educators.

What Is Happening in Queensland?

While most schools are still open across the country, Education Queensland has taken steps towards allowing school communities to continue teaching and learning during extended school closures. In doing this, they have utilised an online resource called ‘learning@home’. In the event of prolonged school closures, parents and students can access the resources provided on this website for completion at home. Even though the Queensland Government has provided this openly available resource, each school will have its own unique approach to online learning, so it is important to maintain effective communication with your child’s school. You can access ‘learning@home’ here or access our Parents’ Guide to the Queensland Government Curriculum.

Understanding the ‘learning@home’ Resources

Through their ‘learning@home’ platform, Education Queensland has provided extensive, curriculum-based resources across all year levels. They have provided numerous units of work for all core subjects that can be used in a home-based educational situation. Students and/or parents can either download individual resources, or they can download complete, interactive two-week units of work. They all align directly with the Australian curriculum set by ACARA and are quite extensive. When using them, it is important that students and/or parents select ones that align to the curriculum currently being undertaken by the school. If we move to a completely online, home-based educational system, it may also be a valuable opportunity for students to improve any skills they are lacking, and the extensivity of the ‘learning@home’ resources and links is perfect for that.

Learning At Home Challenges for Parents and Students

While they are certainly comprehensive, understanding the individual skills and content knowledge in the curriculum can be quite confusing. This is compounded by the recent changes to the curriculum in some states and parents can’t be expected to understand the complexities of the educational system and its content. If you and/or your child is finding it difficult to understand the ‘learning@home’ resources, as well as the requirements of the curriculum, I would encourage you to seek the help of trained educators who are familiar with the Australian curriculum, ATAR and online education. With the effective support of trained educators, students can utilise the provided online resources to their full potential. This will provide them with as many educational opportunities as they usually receive from a traditional school setting and can even allow them to excel!

What If My School Has its Own Learning at Home Resources?

That’s great! Most schools will have their own comprehensive resources for all their available subjects. The vast majority of school students already work from multiple online platforms, so schools are utilising these to provide online teaching and learning opportunities. Whether it be Microsoft Teams/OneDrive, Google Hangouts/Drive, Microsoft OneNote or Notability, most schools already incorporate a large amount of electronic contact time into their curriculum. I would encourage students and parents to use the school-provided resources as a priority, and to use the ‘learning@home’ resources as extra support. While they may be different from what students are used to, they will align perfectly with the curriculum set by their schools and will allow for the most effective teaching and learning experience.

My Child Is Struggling to Learn

With students spending significantly more time at home/online, and relying on resources provided by their schools, they may seek more help for their schoolwork. Working 100% online is not for everyone, so many students will find learning this way more difficult. With the complex educational needs of students magnified by an online learning scenario, if your child is struggling with their education, I would recommend seeking the assistance of trained educators, who specialise in accommodating diverse learning needs. It is vitally important that parents, students and educators work together through this extraordinary period so that students are provided with the best educational opportunities and outcomes possible.

Does A Team Tuition provide Online Tutoring?

A Team Tuition provides online tutoring according to our unique educational philosophy.  We combine elements of psychology with education to ensure all kids have the right mindset needed for effective learning at home and in school.  We are currently experiencing a burgeoning number of enquiries and working hard to help everyone we can through this difficult time.  It’s recommended that if you’re considering an online tutor, you get in touch without delay.

Check Current Availability

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Parents Guide: Queensland Schools Online Curriculum

How to Teach Queensland Schools Online Curriculum

Education Queensland has now released the first two weeks of online curriculum for prep to year ten. The Online Curriculum is in downloadable PDF worksheet format (hope you stockpiled printer ink) but with a “Learning Place” login (to be provided by your school) you can do these worksheets in document format on a computer. It’s all a bit overwhelming, this homeschooling thing… so we’ve produced this parent guide to Queensland Schools Online Curriculum.

Understand the purpose of the online curriculum

The purpose of the Queensland Schools Online Curriculum is to stop kids falling behind during a short, or prolonged period of isolation. It’s not there to measure your child’s academic capacities. Education Queensland has released lesson plans for “general” consumption. That means that your child may feel “miles ahead” of some lessons and may really struggle with others.

Do not jump onto your year level parent group on Facebook and compare how your child is coping to the other children in their class. Some kids will breeze through this and others will feel anxious and struggle to concentrate. That doesn’t mean they’re not keeping up with the curriculum, it means that as a parent, you must look for signs of their study capabilities.

Start with their favourite subjects

If you child can recite the periodic table but HASS makes them want to cry, start with science. This is about building confidence in the new learning format. Remember that this whole homeschooling is a big change to a little person’s routine and they may be facing new psychological barriers they’ve never felt before.

When your child has completed a few of their preferred subjects, look for signs of strengthening study skills before moving on to their least loved topics.

 

See Also: How to set them up for study at home.

Signs you’re teaching the online curriculum successfully

• Your child is open to reaching daily, reasonable goals for getting their schoolwork out of the way. They will willingly complete all worksheets for that day, even the subjects they don’t like.
• Your child is focused (at an age-appropriate level anyway) on the new system. They’re demonstrating resilience in this time of change.
• Your child is able to do the worksheets independently without your constant encouragement and supervision
• Your child is adapting to a new routine and is able to understand that study time is study time. They’re motivated to get the work done – even if playing Xbox is the overall goal.
• Your child displays confidence in their ability to do the work – even if only in their favourite subjects.
• Your child can take initiative to find answers to questions that confuse them – either by going over the materials again or by “Googling it”
• Your child feels relaxed with you as their temporary teacher. They are not anxious about working with you.

Note that none of these signs relate to the actual course work. As a newbie teacher (and let’s all take a moment to appreciate teachers. Seriously. Not all heroes wear capes) your main goal is to facilitate learning – not to transform your student to a straight-A student at this time of change and confusion.

 

Signs you may need professional help teaching the online curriculum

Your child is going through a period of uncertainty and may be feeling untold anxiety. Some kids are very good at hiding anxiety but it’s there. It may culminate in obsessive behaviours like hand washing or Minecraft World building, or it may culminate in rebellion against the Queensland schools’ online curriculum. Most commonly you’ll see an inability to concentrate (this is a very common symptom of anxiety in extreme situations), a “bad attitude” when you call your child to study or a defeatist attitude where you child “can’t do it”. Every child’s reaction to anxiety is different. As a parent, not a psychologist, your only duty is to acknowledge that your child is struggling.

 

“With all the academic setbacks I experienced with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), I was at a significant risk of failing high school. It was only when I learned to adjust how I went about my learning, and to keep performance anxiety at bay, that I graduated to an A student. It’s not about a child’s ability to understand, it’s about their ability to learn in their own unique way.”

– Hayden McEvoy, founder of A Team Tuition.

 

Parent Guide to where to get help, and where NOT to get help

Social media is full of armchair experts. Suddenly Australia has eleventy-billion immunologists giving their half-baked opinions based on reading one obscure article written by another arm chair expert. Turning to social media groups for support may feel beneficial (and community is so important right now) but when it comes to the science and art of teaching, it’s all about your child’s particular needs. What works for Karen and Debbie in the mum group may not work for your family. There’s nothing more anxiety-inducing than feeling like you’re the only one failing at a task. Stick to chatting about your feelings and how you can support your community, leave education, and health, to the experts.

Talk to a child psychologist

A child psychologist will be able to help with your child’s long term challenges. If your child has had constant issues with school work, not just during this terrible time, a good psych may be able to help you identify underlying issues. This is a long term process and right now, getting a seat at a clinic is harder than finding a roll of two-ply.  Learn what a psychologist has to say about managing anxiety here.

Talk to your school

As the dust settles and Australia falls into an online study routine, there will be more time for teachers to spend assisting struggling families. For now, you may find teachers are overwhelmed with the tasks that lay ahead. A great teacher will still answer your questions. Your principal or deputy may also be available. It may take time though. Everyone is in triage mode right now. It may be worth hitting pause on your child’s education for a week or two until your school can devote time to one on one help. This will, however, mean that your child will need to “catch up” which may cause additional stresses down the line.

Book a tutor experienced in diagnosing barriers to learning

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Case Study: B Minus To A Plus in a Month

Choosing the right tutor, with the right skills to overcome poor study strategies is vital to improving your child’s attitude and aptitude for studying the Queensland schools curriculum online. An online tutor once a week can take your child through all the subjects that give them anxiety. That means your time tutoring can focus on the online lesson plans that your child can manage without feeling overwhelmed.

During the session, your tutor will gently delve into underlying issues with your child’s learning and develop strategies for overcoming them.

A Team Tuition is the first, and only tutoring program developed by psychologists and educators.

The program addresses your child’s psychological barriers to achieving academic success, not just the “subject matter”. Your tutor will then “educate your child” in recognising these barriers and help them take control of their learning. Your tutor can then “fill you in” on what’s working and give you practical guidelines for continuing with the Queensland Schools Online Curriculum.

Read our online tutoring case study.

A Team Tuition has a stringent recruitment and training program to ensure our tutors aren’t just teaching subject matter, they’re teaching learning skills. Learn more about our approach to tutoring here.

Check Availability in Your Area

Note that during this tumultuous time, A Team Tuition is taking on a limited number of new clients. While we’re expanding our online education program, it’s recommended that you register your interest without delay. We apologise to parents and students who miss out on a place, but we must ensure the ongoing tutoring of our existing clients first.

Register your interest now.

Talk To Us Now

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Why Can’t I Concentrate? Corona Anxiety Is Real

This is a contribution by Brisbane Psychologist Dr Rachel Hannam

For millions of people around the world with existing trauma or anxiety disorders, the Coronavirus pandemic can be a psychological nightmare. But what about the rest of us? Feeling a bit…off? Thinking… “why can’t I concentrate?” You may find it’s not just your child struggling to concentrate while working at home. Corona Virus Anxiety is sweeping the nation faster than the bug itself.

Why can’t I concentrate?

Humans are hard-wired to avoid danger and seek a sense of control over their lives. The rapid onset of Coronavirus-related disruptions and the accompanying uncertainties have removed this perceived control, along with any sense that we can predict the future. This can cause your emotional and mental state to become less coherent and your ability to concentrate, relax and sleep is almost bound to be affected.

”Corona Anxiety” has a name – it’s Hypervigilance

There is a name for what many of us are feeling: hypervigilance. Hypervigilance puts you on high alert. It is an enhanced state of sensory sensitivity characterised by increased adrenaline and cortisol, which in turn increases your heart rate, muscle tension and blood pressure, and causes shallow breathing.

The fight-flight centres of our brain become highly responsive to stimuli that might be threatening in some way. We may become preoccupied with particular thoughts or find ourselves scanning the environment to search for sights, sounds, people, behaviours, information, or anything else that is reminiscent of danger or trauma.

At present, this might include scanning your environment for signs of people coughing or potential contamination. It might just as easily look like compulsively scanning news sites and social media for the latest updates. This is how ancient survival mechanisms manifest in a modern age.

Signs of Corona Virus related hypervigilance

Hypervigilance can lead to erratic emotional and behavioural patterns, as well as producing difficulties with social interaction and relationships. People may have trouble fully connecting with their surroundings or their family. They can become agitated or have a difficult time falling or staying asleep. They may use unhealthy coping mechanisms, such as drinking or eating too much. All this will eventually lead to exhaustion.

For kids, it can manifest in emotional meltdowns and a reluctance or outright refusal to complete tasks, including their home study tasks. It’s important to know that your hypervigilance is based on biological instincts, not your conscious choices. Your child isn’t “being naughty” they may simply be responding to their own anxiety. This pandemic has shifted our immediate priorities and such an abrupt and unanticipated change can be very stressful.

Healthy coping mechanisms become more important than ever

• Exercise helps use up all that stressful adrenaline in your system. Do yoga, go walking, dance around your living room.
• Laughter is a great form of release. Watch funny movies, sitcoms, or listen to comedy online.
• Kids need downtime too. Getting them out and about for a walk or play is great but (moderate) screen time can help them to relax too.
• Crying releases tension and expresses emotion. Sad movies help too!
• Hyper-vigilance makes you shallow breathe. Download one of the many mindfulness apps and practice 10 minutes of slow deep breathing at least twice a day.
• Constantly scrolling social media and obsessing about coronavirus news will make you more anxious and less focussed. Limit this in favour of the healthy coping mechanisms above.

Helping others feels good and can be a much-needed distraction. If you have the capacity, help your family and community cope with the increasingly difficult practicalities of life. Stay safe and remember:   Stop thinking “why can’t I concentrate?” or worse, reprimanding your children for their lack of focus.  Get some fresh air and take a break from social media. We are all in this together.

Need help managing your anxious child?  Our program has been developed in conjunction with psychologists to ensure your child’s best chances of success.

Talk to us now

 

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Hayden McEvoy Answering Home Schooling Questions on The Today Show

Did you see our founder Hayden McEvoy answering questions on Channel Nine’s The Today Show (view the “Catch Up” here)?

 

What Hayden Discussed on The Today Show

Did Hayden mention a particular challenge relevant to your child on The Today Show?  If you have any questions about any of the topics covered during the Today Show interview, we’re happy to help.  If you’re worried about your child’s ATAR results, or simply about falling behind, A Team Tuition can help you overcome the struggles and keep your child’s motivation, and grades, up.

What can we expect from School Closures based on other country’s experiences?  Learn how Japan handled the day to day logistics of school shutdowns.

How to prepare for school shut downs – What you can do right now to get ready

How can studying online with a tutor impact your child’s grades? – It’s not the classroom format, it’s the educator that counts.

Why Hayden McEvoy sees education a bit differently – Learning difficulties, elite sports training – Hayden had ALL the challenges.

How to get started with an online tutor – What you need to get set up.

How can we help?  If you’ve got questions about your child’s education at this tricky time, we’re here to help.  Simply get in touch and we’ll talk you through the next steps for staying on course.

 

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From C Student to A Student… Studying Online

Meet Joseph, he’s been studying online for one term… and he’s made some very, very impressive progress.  Working with our Academic Personal Trainer Emily, Joseph has travelled from an average student to top of his year nine class, all via online tutorials.  So can a child achieve academic excellence studying online?  Absolutely, with the right help!

Emily’s strategy for Joseph

Whether in person or online, our tutors are highly trained not just to teach school work, but to diagnose and overcome the challenges to academic achievement.  In Joseph’s case, it was a study strategy.  A child’s study strategy can make or break their academic performance.  A poor study strategy can be mistaken for laziness, complacency and even ineptitude.  For Emily, it took no time at all to uncover where she could help Joseph and put practical steps in place to set him on his path to becoming an A student.

Emily created a study and assignment strategy for Joseph that he could apply across all his subjects. With Emily’s help, he improved his performance in English, Maths and Social Science.  Taking control of “how” he studied and how he felt about doing assignments gave Joseph a big confidence boost.  It cleared a path for him to improve his mediocre grades – and that he did!  By the end of the first term, Joseph was so confident in his ability to get top grades… that he just did.

Never underestimate confidence and strategy

Unfortunately, some schools, and parents focus on a child’s intellect instead of looking at the whole picture.  Nothing ruins a child’s confidence faster than feeling pressure to “be smart”.  In fact, intellect is one small factor in academic achievement.  The best results are a balance of hard work, determination, attitude, support and a study strategy that removes barriers to success.  Once the strategy is in place, your child can feel the confidence to roll up their sleeves and go for that A grade.

Is studying online as effective as face to face tutoring?

It’s a misconception that so many online tutors face.  That without their presence looming in the room, their pupil will lack focus and discipline.  In actual fact, studying online with Zoom or Skype means your tutor can see everything your child is doing during lessons.  Some tutors report that online tutorials empower children to take ownership of their activity. The only adult in the room isn’t in the room and yet they take control of their workload, they demonstrate independence, initiative and self-reliance.  These are all vital study skills, not to mention life skills.

It’s not a question of studying online vs studying in person, it comes down to with WHOM your child studies online.  An excellent tutor can tell how your child is feeling, can identify any big picture or day to day barriers to learning, and then adjust the lesson plan to suit.  Studying online with a highly skilled tutor will always deliver better results and more confidence than face to face study with an ordinary tutor.

Read more about our unique approach to online tutoring here.

Is your child facing temporary homeschooling due to school closures?  Learn more here.

Is Joseph just the exception to the rule?

Not all kids are like Joseph.  Especially in the difficult “year 9” classroom.  Joseph is different to other kids his age in one key way – he wanted to improve his grades.  He was willing to set a goal and adapt to his new study strategy.  That’s the hard bit; convincing a teen to embrace the idea that “he can do this”.  But with over 2000 students transformed from mediocre achievers to high achievers, tutors like Emily have paved the way to creating success stories for ALL kids – no matter how they feel at first – or where they’re geographically located.  A Team Tuition has face to face tutoring options in Brisbane, The Gold Coast, Ipswich and Toowoomba but our online classes are available Australia wide.

 

Your child deserves to reach their full potential, just like Joseph.  Talk to us now about how we can make that happen.

 

Get Started Now

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One Month: From B Minus to A Plus. How to become an A Student Like Ava!

Meet Ava. Ava is an A+ student but she wasn’t always.  Ava’s story is of a typical student who wasn’t meeting her full academic potential.  To become an A-plus student, it’s not just about putting in the long hours, it’s about identifying areas of potential learning growth.  Sometimes, small changes make all the difference – and of course, some hard work helps too!  So wondering how to become an A student parent?  Spoiler:  It’s not about us, it’s about your child and how they consume and recall information.

Why studying more isn’t always the answer to becoming an A plus student

At A Team Tuition, we pride ourselves in transforming students not only academically, but also psychologically, emotionally, and any other ways our students may require in order to reach the pinnacle of their studies. While many students may require Academic Personal Training to catch up on school content and understand assignments, Ava needed help with something different – the methods in which she approaches studying.

Ava set goals and that makes a big difference

Ava had a distinct goal.  So many children see study as a necessary and never-ending chore.  Their goals are nothing more specific than making it through to school holidays.  Ava had a goal in mind.  Helping your child to establish attainable and timely goals gives them direction with their studies.  “When Ava received a B- on her Semester 1 report, we decided to get her some personalised tutoring and she was determined to raise her grade to an A, and finish the year on a high.”  We all love a student who aims high for the sky!

Enter Jess, not your typical tutor

A Team Tuition paired Jess, one of our amazing Academic Personal Trainers, with Ava soon after Ava’s parents reached out to us.  Fortunately, Jess and Ava connected very quickly through their common bubbly personalities.  When a tutor and student pair well, it makes studying more enjoyable – that’s why we go the extra mile to find you the right help for your child.  Jess set to work understanding Ava’s barriers to learning.  Our Academic Personal Trainers take a deep dive into your child’s learning language and mindset to clear all barriers to meeting their full academic potential.

Why wasn’t Ava an A plus student?

Jess discovered that Ava’s greatest struggle was remembering the content taught through effective means: “It wasn’t so much the theory behind the concepts, however, it was about devising techniques Ava could use in exam/test situations.”  As a result, Jess thought it would be perfect to first find out Ava’s learning language – a key element to the effective and efficient learning of an individual. (Be sure to check out our learning language blogs to gain a better understanding on the best way you take in information!)

Retraining Ava to learn in the right language for her specific needs

Jess prepared a test for Ava to work through 3 different problems where she had to implement either an auditory, visual or kin-aesthetic type approach. The outcome of this test suggested that Ava is an auditory learner.  Taking the wrong approach to teaching Ava in a classroom would mean she may struggle to understand the curriculum.  As one of up to 30 students in a classroom, your child’s preferred learning language may be overlooked.  This is where a skilled tutor can make such a big difference in transforming your C or B student into an A student.

Teaching maths to an auditory learner is possible

In order to utilise Ava’s newly discovered learning language to the duo’s advantage, Jess and Ava began to work on creating rhymes for learning algebra.  Who would’ve thought algebra could be rhymed? Our power Academic Personal Trainer- and – student here have truly inspired us all with their resourceful creativity!  The secret to how to become an A student isn’t a secret at all, it’s simply teaching your child in the language they best understand.  Even if the subject matter is Algebra!

So, is Ava a remarkable student or can any child achieve better results?

Ava wasn’t afraid to set goals. She wasn’t afraid to put in the work.  Ava is a remarkable student, all our kids are remarkable – our tutors are committed to drawing out their remarkable skills. In tweens and teens, a solid attitude may seem remarkable!  But with the right help, most children can uncover their inner geek and achieve better academic results.   However, there is no success without a little hardship.

Like a lot of teens and tweens we meet, Ava lacked some motivation.  Jess described Ava as a very relaxed person, which prompted her to work on trying to make their sessions more engaging.  Our Academic Personal Trainers are trained to help lift student motivation by creating tutoring sessions that the child wants to engage with. It wasn’t long before Jess surprised us all with her ingenuity in overcoming such an obstacle:

“When Ava was trying to memorise her oral, we would read it out in different voices, trying to act out the words.  This made her have to think about how placing emphasis on different words can change the meaning of what she is saying,” Jess noted.  This not only helps with memorising but also helps develop deeper language skills – and is silly and fun… even if Ava was formerly lacking motivation.

The pinnacle point of transformation for them both occurred when they were revising for Ava’s test – they broke the session up with naughts and crosses when Ava got 10 questions right in a row!!

“It made the atmosphere light-hearted and she seemed to have gained confidence with her ability,” remarked Jess.

What child doesn’t need more self-confidence?

When asked about the most significant thing she contributed to Ava’s life, Jess replied: “Personally, it’s hard to pinpoint one significant thing as it is the little things that build up to one big thing. Maybe confidence would be the key thing, building on what she knows and reinforcing it.”

Through Jess’ Academic Personal Training, Ava has become more confident when it comes to approaching problems she does not completely understand. She is also a lot more open to new ideas.  Aversion to new experiences is pretty typical in children, but overcoming it can change their whole life outlook.

Wait, this year 8 student started doing her homework without complaint? NEVER!

Both Ava’s parents have seen a positive change in attitude:

“Ava immediately became more confident in Both English and Maths and her general confidence grew very quickly. Jess helped her with an oral presentation and Ava was much more confident with performing the presentation in class.”  Not only did Ava’s parents reveal that Ava became more confident and keener to study, she also works diligently at home and is really focusing on her homework and assignments now that tutoring became part of her life.

There is almost no greater feeling than seeing your child transform and grow after getting help from an Academic Personal Trainer.  And, of course, Jess has benefited equally much from her tutoring sessions with Ava:

“Ava is an absolute joy to tutor, I always look forward to our sessions. She has such a bubbly personality that the time flies by. She approaches questions slightly differently than how I would, so she’s taught me a new perspective in some things which is really refreshing. She’s teaching me just as much as I’m helping her.”

 

So, how do you become an A student like Ava?  What’s the secret?

At A Team Tuition, there are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, persistence, hard work, and learning from failure. In the case of Jess and Ava, their hard work was paid off when everything came together to successfully transform Ava’s results.  Of course, this would not have been possible without Jess’ connection to Ava. Coming from a fresh perspective, Jess became more of a mentor than a teacher to Ava. Moreover, having just finished high school, Jess could possibly relate to Ava more than a teacher may. As an Academic Personal Trainer (not just a standard tutor), Jess was also able to spend ample time understanding how Ava learns best, making it easier to come up with strategies to enhance Ava’s learning.  The secret is no secret – help your child learn the way that best suits them, with a tutor who understands their needs and you may just find all barriers to academic achievement melt away!

For us here at A Team Tuition – nothing makes us happier and prouder than both a transformed student and a transformed Academic Personal Trainer!

Transforming your child into an A student may just require some specialist help. 

Let one of our Academic Personal Trainers uncover your child’s true potential.

Get started now.

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Tackling Poor Study Skills: Spoiler, No, Your Child Isn’t Just Lazy!

He’s just slack. She’s spending too much time on her phone, not on the books. He’s not as smart as the other kids in the class. Whether you’re telling yourself this or your child’s teacher is saying it to you, the reason for your child’s lack of progress may be more complex than “she’s just not that into school”. Study, like any other skill, takes instruction, support and practice to master. If your child’s study skills aren’t up to scratch, then their grades won’t be either. So, what can you do to help improve your child’s study skills at home?

What every tutor will encourage

The rules of effective study habits are:

• Avoid procrastination
• Avoid distraction
  Manage your time
• Have a study plan

But what happens if your child doesn’t seem willing or capable of these? It’s time to dig deeper.

Why does your child struggle so much with study?

Does your child show the classic signs of bad study skills? A child puts off assignments to the last minute, submits subpar work, “just can’t do it” or simply doesn’t seem to care about their grades. Lazy right? For some children, it’s simpler to not try at all than to risk trying and failing. Your child’s mindset plays a major part in their approach to study, which in turn determines the quality of the work they produce.

• Overcome their barriers to better study skills
• Help them understand their study goals
• Identify and correct any “gaps” in their support network

Learn More About How We Transform Student Attitudes, and Grades

Identifying the underlying challenges to good study habits

Study skills aren’t just about the ability to absorb information. Excellent study skills encompass not just their commitment to academia, but also their psychological state and their interpersonal skills. Your child doesn’t just need to read the book, she needs to be in the right frame of mind, and have access to support from teachers, tutors and parents or carers.  Your child’s emotional wellbeing may be the underlying cause of poor study habits. Getting to the bottom of any underlying issues will help them get back on track.

Does your child know even how to study effectively?

Good study skills actually mean studying less. It may sound crazy, especially if your child is already 10 or more years into their academic career, but does your child actually know how to study? For some kids, organising a workload, breaking it down into tasks and completing tasks on deadline can be as overwhelming as the subject matter itself. By struggling with the “how” of studying, your child will inevitably take much longer to get the same work done. In turn they feel like “they can’t do it”. In the time it takes another student to create an “A” grade paper, your child may do no better than a “C”. They may feel frustrated or anxious if not completely lost.

What else is going on?

Teens are always completely honest and open with parents, right? Your child may have other stuff going on that is impeding their ability to study effectively. If your child is suddenly reluctant to go to school, wags lessons or is unusually emotional, there may be an underlying issue. Check in with their teachers. Everything from first love to bullying can create a big distraction. Help your child navigate tough emotional waters so that they can get back on course.

Goals Vs Downtime

Achieving a goal feels pretty good. Getting the work done and dusted. Handing in a paper to be proud of. Acing a test. So does Xbox. It feels good too. If your child isn’t used to setting goals, then socialising, Netflix or Xbox becomes the goal. The goal is to feel good and their notion of feeling good is to simply have fun. Helping your child adjust their mindset around goals helps them to get those good feelings from achieving something, rather than just chasing the adrenaline they feel playing Fortnight.
Yes, your child needs downtime. Absolutely. It’s vital to their emotional wellbeing. By creating a goal based “pathway” to that downtime you are teaching your child not only study skills, but skills for their long-term wellbeing.

Good goal-setting skills include:

• Setting specific goals. “Read 15 pages per day” is better than “read your textbook”
• Setting measurable goals. “This assessment is worth 20%, so let’s aim for a minimum of 17/20.”
• Setting achievable goals. “This maths is hard, so let’s focus on NAILING the first section this week.”
• Setting relevant goals. “When you’re a nurse, you’ll need to know ALL about the pulmonary system, so memorising the sections in the heart will be useful for the rest of your life!”
• Setting timely goals. “It’s not due until Tuesday, but if you get it done on the weekend, you can go out on Monday after school”.

 

How does their support network impact their study outlook?

A successful student doesn’t operate alone. Their support network enables them to reach their full academic potential by fulfilling their needs. Your child’s support network includes their teacher, their tutor, and you, their parents. If you and your tutor are actively encouraging your child to work hard at maths, but their teacher is telling them they’re not capable, who do you think the child will believe? Cue excuses not to try. Everyone in the support network must assist the child in feeling confident that they can do the work. That they can reach their full potential. If a member of your child’s team is letting them down, take action!

How can you create an environment conducive to better study?

• Assist with organising their study schedule if they typically struggle with organisational skills
• Ensure they’re basic needs for quality food, exercise and socialising are met
• Create a distraction-free, comfortable working area
• Give them clear instructions for effective study and assist them if they feel overwhelmed
• Link study goals to recreational activities (finish this assignment and you can go to the movies)
• Help them understand how immediate goals impact their “big picture” goals
• Observe their study skills, look for any issues that interrupt their best work
• Be patient. Learning new skills takes time.
• Give credit where credit is due, encourage and praise good work
• For particularly stressful subjects, engage a tutor who understands the mindset approach to study skills and also “clicks” with your child

Every parent meets with resistance. It’s not you, or your child to blame

Remember every trick in the book? Sure you do, you pulled those too. For some parents, managing resistance from their children is pretty simple. Aren’t they lucky! For others, changing habits in children and teens is an impossible goal. This is where the rest of your support network can step in and help. If you’re lucky enough to have a truly wonderful teacher, ask them for help.
If not, talk to us. We carefully recruit and train all our tutors, not just in teaching the work, but in building up confidence, knocking down barriers and helping kids enjoy the rush of achieving excellent results. We then match the RIGHT tutor with your child.

Our tutors are “that extra voice”. They’re not the voice of mum nagging about homework. They’re a mentor, used to the struggles of understanding the curriculum. They’re into the stuff your kids are into. They spend weekends hanging out with their friends – after they’ve finished their assignments. They know first-hand what your child is going through. They’re specially trained in helping children feel confident enough to give it their best.

And, “they’re not mum”. For some kids, “not mum” makes all the difference.

Would your child benefit from someone “not mum” to help them achieve better results?

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Stay up to date on Queensland School Shutdowns and learn how to Prepare For Temporarily Homeschooling Your Child Now

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How to Prepare RIGHT NOW for School Closures in Queensland

Hopefully, it will never happen. Hopefully, you won’t be required to provide temporary homeschooling to your kids. With any luck, Queensland school closures won’t be necessary, and we’ll all go about our academic lives without major inconvenience. Officially now a pandemic, Queensland families are being urged to treat Coronavirus (COVID-19) as a serious issue and to prepare. So what can you do right now to prepare for school closures?

Preparing your child for this big change in routine

Mindset: This is the most important, and most overlooked aspect of study, be it at home or in the classroom. Your child’s mindset plays a major role in how receptive they are to learning, and how efficiently they study. For children already struggling with the right attitude to study, a major change in routine can be detrimental to their academic performance.

Make lemonade – homeschooling is an opportunity to help your child grow their academic potential

If there’s one thing we’ve learnt after almost a decade in transformative academic training, it’s that kids rarely get A’s in a vacuum. For every A on a report card, there are four people playing a vital role: the teacher, the tutor, your child and you. We’ve been turning C’s to A’s for a long time now, and the key ingredients are the right mindset, the right strategy, and the right support.

Temporary homeschooling affords parents a golden opportunity to empower children for better learning. Preparing your kids for temporary homeschooling isn’t just about getting them into a daily study routine, it’s about building the core skills required to be successful in life, not just at school. While teachers try every day to build capable learners, this is your chance to have first-hand, direct input into your child’s academic success.

How to help your child make the most of school closures

• Be resilient: See this as a temporary setback, to adapt and do their best, regardless of the difficulties.
• Be independent: Now is the time to encourage kids to take more responsibility for their studies because they don’t have a teacher dictating their every move.
• Be reliable: Commit to a daily study routine and keep to their commitments.
• Be self-motivated: Once the routine is established, make it their responsibility to get up and get it done!
• Be confident: This disruption is unprecedented, and they are pioneering a new way to study. Celebrate their victories. Make sure they know you’re proud of how capable they are at such an uncertain time.
• Be a problem solver: When tech problems or other struggles arise, encourage your children to overcome the problem themselves.
• Be focused on goals: Set them achievable study targets daily and acknowledge their achievements.
• Be their best: This is a golden opportunity for parents to help kids realise that they are capable, they do have the skills to meet their full potential, and with the right support they can do amazing things – not just at school, but in life.

What if they’re not receptive to homeschooling?

A teenager who wants to sleep late and play video games all day? Never! This never happens (*eyeroll*). Keeping them motivated during this time is not going to be easy, even if you’re there with them on lockdown. If you’re off to work during the day, most kids won’t make home study a priority. If school closures drag on, your child could risk a major dent in their academic record.

When to call in a pro to keep your child’s motivation up

A tutor specially trained in keeping students motivated and on course for academic achievement will aid you in supervising your ad hoc home school. Here are the top signs you need help:

• Your child lacks motivation to get to work each day.
• He or she uses minor setbacks as an excuse to avoid study.
• Without constant supervision your student won’t get the work finished.
• You keep hearing “I can’t do it” over and over.

The first mistake parents make is attributing all these excuses to laziness. Often, it’s actually self-doubt creeping in, and kids feel it’s simpler not to try than to try and fail. This is pretty common and definitely not reserved for kids. If your child is making a lot of excuses and not kicking their (attainable) goals, a course of tutoring with a mindset-trained tutor can adjust the way they “see” studying so that they can “do” study better. Getting past the mindset barriers can open the floodgates and solve those weekly homework meltdowns.

 

Forget toilet paper – “stockpile” teaching time!

In China, Japan and other countries heavily effected by school closures, the big issue has been educator shortages. Teachers and tutors have been forced into self-isolation in order to protect the student body, meaning they can’t hold classes. So how do you stockpile teaching time?

In other countries, online tutors have “sold out” long before school closures were announced. They’ve faced a massive shortage in online tutoring places. With “shop front” tutoring companies also affected by closures, parents faced with teaching the quadratic equation to their fifteen-year-olds (*hold me*) looked to the online teaching world for help, only to find they were sold out.

As part of the education industry and providers to Australia’s elite schools, we’ve already made expansion of our online tutoring capabilities a top priority. Our existing students will be our first priority and we’ll always guarantee their needs are met. 

Learn more about mindset-based academia

Reserve Online Tutorials Now

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Set your computers up now for effective homeschooling

It’s time to get the kids’ laptops backed up and in good working order. Clean out unnecessary apps, update their operating systems/virus software, do a disc clean up (and where necessary defragment), and give it a good clean. If your children are using desktop computers, this includes taking off the cover and removing excessive dust (take necessary safety precautions before doing this). Make sure there is sufficient space on the hard drive for any new materials provided by the Department of Education or your school.

Now is also a good time to teach younger kids about keeping their computer organised, using a specific folder, ordered by subject, for school work. Teens already know how to use their computers better than you do… but kids under ten may need some help to learn the basics.

What to consider when planning for online homeschooling:

• Is there a power point for long use of laptops?
• Do you have a microphone and volume-limited headphones for your child’s laptop?
• Will your child’s laptop need any extra hardware? If your child uses a desktop, will you need to purchase a cheap and cheerful camera?
• Is the WIFI signal stable or do you need to relocate your router?
• Is your WIFI plan sufficient for a sudden increase in usage, including video conferencing?
• Does your NBN connection slow significantly in peak times? How will that affect your child’s ability to study when the rest of the neighbourhood is also receiving online lessons?
• Do you have all your child’s school logins and passwords? Will they need any special software to study at home?
• Can you access the school’s online learning aids at home? If your school uses Maths Online or other resources, do you have it all set up at home too?
• If your children are younger and use your online credentials (or even phone hot-spotting for data), will they need their own during this time? How will you cope without your phone for hours on end?
• Learn to use Do Not Disturb Mode (Mac) and Focus Assistant (Windows 10) to help minimise the number of distractions during working periods. Note: They’re very easy to use – just a few clicks – but permanently making changes to Windows 10 Focus Assistant hours requires registry editing, which is not recommended for novices!
• Does your child need their own Zoom or Skype account?
• If your tutor will be delivering their services online, what will your child need?

 

Preparing your homeschooling space

A good workspace has plenty of room, plenty of natural light, and is clear of clutter and distractions. For most families, there’s already a space where the kids sit to do homework but consider how suited it is for longer term study. Is their study area free of distractions during the day? What suits in the evening may be less suitable by day. Will you have multiple kids doing online study at the same time? How will you minimise sibling distraction?

Consider talking to other parents about planning online gaming downtime and social media “do not disturbs”. Even if the other parents don’t get on-board with structured homeschooling, they can at least tell their children not to send constant distractions to yours!

 

When will schools in Queensland close?

At this stage, if, when, and for how long Queensland schools will close is still up for speculation. Like all parents across Queensland, we’re hoping that COVID-19 passes without much drama and there’s no need for school closures at all. As responsible members of the education industry, we’re also taking a proactive approach to planning and preparing at this difficult time. Unfortunately, due to high demand, we cannot guarantee online tutoring placements for all enquiries. We will be forced prioritise existing students first.

 

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What happens if Coronavirus (COVID-19) Causes Queensland School Shut Downs?

The first rule of Coronavirus is “Don’t Panic”. The current infection trends have so many Australians worried about Coronavirus that we’re collectively getting a bit carried away. It never hurts to take precautions and plan but panicking has already proven problematic – inexplicably, around toilet paper!

For parents, a big concern is Queensland school shut downs due to Coronavirus (COVID-19). The lack of information available about school closure contingency plans is frustrating. The State Government is likely concerned about fuelling the fear around Coronavirus. So how do you plan for school closures when there’s no information available? For now, it’s not known if families will be expected to provide temporary home-schooling, or whether you’ll be able to keep sending the kids to school.

We’re all still hoping that this virus will be stopped long before school closures are necessary but here is what we know so far. Access the Federal Health website to stay on top of news around Coronavirus.

 

To learn more about A Team Tuitions services in the case of school shut downs, please get in touch.

What happened when schools in Japan shut down?

Noriko Okita is mother to three kids under 12. She’s also a full-time pharmacist in Osaka, in the Kansai Prefecture in Japan. Her oldest daughter attends public school, followed by daily Cram School (private tutoring companies attended by many older children after school in Japan), her middle child is in a public state school and her youngest is in private day care. March is the end of the school year in Japan, so many students are missing their final exams before heading off to “spring break”.

As a pharmacist, Noriko continues to work full time during the COVID-19 shut downs. At present, there is no testing to determine if patients have a regular flu or Coronavirus. All patients are simply treated as “sick with a virus”. Despite her prefecture opting to shut down many schools, Noriko says she’s seen no noticeable difference in the number of people seeking flu treatments.

 

How Japan battled Covid-19 in the schoolyard

The Japanese federal government gave authority to each prefecture, city and private company to make decisions on closures, rather than ordering a “blanket rule” about school shut downs. Noriko’s youngest child attends private day care as usual but her older children go to schools that opted to shut down. How are Noriko and her neighbours managing?

•  With the higher risk to elderly people, many families have chosen not to rely on grandparents for child care. The Japanese government is providing a small stipend for workers forced to stay home to care for children.
•  Day care centres are currently “overbooked” and experiencing wait lists for additional days and new students.
•  The Japanese government is providing “isolated school-based study” for children who simply have nowhere else to go. Children sit alone in a classroom, or with just a couple of their cohorts and avoid physical contact at all times. These children study, do art and are supervised but do not undertake regular lessons.
•  For children old enough to be home alone, the government is providing affordable “meal deliveries’ where the delivery drivers “check in” on the kids. A little like meals on wheels for children.
•  Private Outside School Hours Care is still available
•  Graduation ceremonies are due this month but many have been cancelled. Some students have had to defer their final exams.
•  Students were sent home with text books and access to a small selection of pre-recorded online lessons (these have now run out). Some schools have provided home-schooling curriculum for parents but it’s strictly optional. Noriko and her husband are currently working full-time and then home schooling their children at night.
•  Many private cram schools (private tutoring classes) are now closed, including the one attended by Noriko’s daughter.
•  Online tutoring is in very high demand with most of the larger online tutoring firms and English schools completely booked out and not accepting new students.
•  Some private schools are offering one on one teaching sessions and group video “lectures” online.
•  The US CDC and other authorities are reportedly urging school shut downs as early as possible to contain the disease.

 

Is temporary home-schooling an option in Australia?

Australia has an extensive home-school network and infrastructure for remote lessons and assessments. These however, are designed for parents who have opted to (or have no choice due to location or special needs) permanently home school their children. While home schooling has become very popular in Australia, the current system isn’t designed for “casual or temporary home schooling”.

Instead of relying on the current system, it’s more likely parents will face an “ad hoc” approach to keeping up with the curriculum. This could involve lesson plans arriving digitally from the school for parents to “teach” to their children at home. For parents unable to provide home school style lessons, it may fall to the child’s tutor to provide lesson instruction, either in person or online.

What can we learn from the school closure in New South Wales?

When Epping Boys High School uncovered 11 cases of Coronavirus on campus, the school conducted a thorough disinfection while students stayed at home. Students and staff who test positive or have had close contact with those infected have now entered 14 days of self-isolation. At the time of publication, the school was back to business as usual. With more cases transmitted on Australian soil however, there are other New South Wales schools considering full shut down.

The Victorian Government has reassured parents that “Special Provisions for Classroom Learning” will apply to Coronavirus affected students, meaning students should be provided with extra time and assistance to catch up if their school is shut down.

There are reportedly moves to digitise lesson plans and to ensure all students have access to digital learning aids. From there, students can log in and continue with their studies with assistance from parents in a temporary home-schooling fashion.

How can Australian families prepare for Coronavirus at school?

First, do not panic. It may never happen and if it does, it may only affect small groups of students, not the entire student body. The best preparation you can do right now is to teach your kids to take precautions, including proper hand washing. While little is yet known about COVID-19 transmission and long term effects, children have so far, suffered fewer symptoms than adults. Kids are generally considered at lower risk of serious health complications than the elderly and immunocompromised. But what if the worst happens?

Speak to your school

Speak to your school about their in-house contingency plan around possible closures. In Australia, it’s likely that the State Governments will be responsible for school closure policy so very little information will be available until there is an issue. Discuss your situation with the OSHC team at your school.

Speak to your boss

In Queensland, it is a criminal offense to leave children under 12 home alone for an unreasonable amount of time. You may wish to consult with your workplace about their Coronavirus contingency plan. If you’re able to, your workplace may allow for telecommuting while schools are closed. As older people are highest risk, relying on grandparents may not be an option. If school closures occur, alternative child care may be over booked and impossible to find. Consider making a contingency plan now.

Speak to your tutor

Whether you’re using “shop front’ or one on one tutoring services, you may need to change the way your child receives lessons. In Japan, online tutoring services sold out and became waitlisted very quickly. If your tutoring firm offers online tutoring, speak to them immediately about availability and priority for existing students in the event of school closures. For our clients, we currently offer limited online tutoring across Australia. Our online tutoring will be offered first to existing students. Please get in touch now to register your interest in online tutoring in the event of Queensland school closures.

Is A Team Tuition taking new online tutoring students?

At present, online tutoring is a small part of the work we do with our students. Our priority of course, is to provide an exemplary service to our existing kids. That means increasing our capacity to teach students online in the event of school shut downs. At present we provide online lessons via Zoom video conferencing and plan to increase this capacity if necessary.

 

 

Please complete the form below to discuss your child’s needs.

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