The start of a new year is a great time to refocus and make plans for the future. Many people make New year’s Resolutions in the hopes that the coming year may be happier, more productive or generally better than the one that went before. However, resolutions tend to be heavily focused on the “giving up” side of things. I want to stop eating so much chocolate, I want to spend less time on the computer, I want to lose weight.
The problem with such absolute goals is they’re easy to fail at. Eat one piece of chocolate on day five and you may feel you’ve abandoned your resolution and may as well accept defeat. In for a penny, you might as well finish that bar off. However, taking a longer approach would be far healthier – I want to eat less chocolate would be a good place to start. If you usually eat a bar a day, eating half a bar every day is already a massive achievement!
But why are goals so important to make in the first place? Without a goal, how do you know what it is that you’re working towards? You wouldn’t just get in the car and drive – you’d have a destination in mind. If you’re sensible, you’d also work out a route on how to reach that destination. This is precisely what a goal does for you – lets you clearly identify what your destination is, and gives you the opportunity to pick the best possible route to get there.
We can’t help you when it comes to cutting out chocolate or spending less time on the computer, but our online tutors certainly know a thing or two when it comes to setting academic goals. Whether you’re about to sit your A Level or GCSE exams in the summer or you’re thinking ahead to the next couple of years when it will be your turn to take those exams, having an idea of what you want to achieve is key.
Perhaps you’re currently predicted a 6 in Maths, but you want to push yourself harder and achieve a 7 or perhaps higher. Identifying that as your primary goal is the first step in being able to achieve it. From there, you can look at ways in which you may be able to make progress. What is it that you’re doing now which ensures you’ve secured a solid 6, and what do you need to be able to hit that next level of grade?
If you know you want to improve your grade in a particular subject, such as maths, or one of the sciences, then working with an online maths tutor, biology tutor, chemistry tutor, physics tutor, or a general science tutor is one of the best things you can possibly do. With their in depth understanding of the subject, and knowledge of how the curriculum is shaped and what is expected during the exam process, they will be able to help identify where your weaker areas lie.
It may be the case that you’re doing well in the subject, but some foundational gaps in your knowledge aren’t letting you progress to the next stages of success. Unfortunately, as a student, you don’t know what you don’t know, and it may not be something your teacher has been able to pick up on in class. A personal tutor however has the opportunity to work with you directly, which means they can quickly gain an intimate understanding of what you know, are confident with and what perhaps you need some extra support with. They are then able to provide that additional support at a pace that suits you, ensuring you really do understand before moving on to the next topic or issue at hand.
You may find that there’s a degree of overlap when it comes your potential knowledge gaps, and as a result it might benefit you to work with other tutors, such as a physics and maths tutor or an online science tutor for combined science. Some of our tutors do have combined subject areas that they teach, rather than specialising in just one specific subject. This all-round knowledge can be hugely beneficial to students who are looking to make progress in complimentary subjects at the same time.
Working with your online science tutor or online physics and maths tutor you may be able to identify some very specific goals to help you achieve your ultimate goal of a particular grade in your exams. These goals may include doing an hour study per day, or completing a practice paper once a week. It may be the case that you need to work on your scientific vocabulary to ensure that you are able to answer questions to the levels that examiners will be looking for – the knowledge may be there, but the best way to package it during exam conditions may be missing.
These are all things your online tutor can help you identify, clarify and then work towards over the coming months.
Whilst it’s safe to say there are times you can leave it too late to hire a private online tutor, there really is no such thing as hiring one too soon. If you are currently in your final year of GCSE or A Level study then now is a fantastic time to hire one to support you through the final push of your studies. Starting the new year with a tutor on your side can ensure you go into revision season, and then the exam process with renewed focus, energy and confidence.
However, if you’re currently in your first year of studies or perhaps are just looking at taking your options for the next stage of your academic journey, then hiring a tutor now is a great idea. Finishing your year strong to ensure you are in the best classes for the next year is a great way to get a jump start. Putting the effort in early ensures that your exam process in the next few years will be far less stressful.
Find the right tutor for you with Tutorspot. You can find a tutor by emailing us at info@tutorspot.co.uk or giving us a call or text on 07480637128.
