There are many ways to get extra tutoring and homework help out there. You can find study resources everywhere, online, in your community at school…the list goes on. We will list some of the more common tutoring and homework help resources out there and over the next few posts, list the advantages and disadvantages of each, from knowledge. Let’s start with a list of the tutoring and homework help resources out there, again, not exhaustive list by any means.
Homework and study resources
- Online resources
- Online tutors
- Private tutors
- Group tutoring
- Homework clubs
- Learning centres
- Apps
Let’s elaborate on the above. A quick google search gives the following:
Online study resources can include
- https://www.youtube.com/
- https://scholar.google.com/
- https://www.udemy.com/
- https://www.coursera.org/
- https://www.khanacademy.org/
And of course, there are many sites for learning coding and any other computer or technical skill.
Online Tutors
- https://www.skooli.com/
- https://tutorme.com/
- https://www.tutordoctor.com/our-programs/online-tutoring/
- https://www.firsttutors.com/canada/
- https://www.tutor.com/
- https://www.learntobe.org/
Private tutors
You can find these through,
- tutoring companies,
- craigslist,
- kijiji,
- through your child’s school,
- university departments,
- word of mouth,
- posters in local neighbourhoods
Group tutoring
This can be,
- informal with a group of friends,
- examination prep workshops,
- hiring a private tutor independently for group tutoring,
- Tutorials for a course, e.g. Calculus tutorials at the university level
Homework Clubs
I’ve noticed these more and more and see posting for them in
- Public libraries
- Schools
Learning Centres
- Kuman
- Oxford Learning
- Sylvain Learning
- Mathenasium
- Independent learning centres
Apps
There is an app for everything now. It was almost impossible to narrow down this list because there is an app for every subject, learning languages, every level of education, it’s just so extensive. Below is a list of lists of the best apps for studying, learning a particular subject, language and more.
- https://www.unigo.com/get-to-college/college-prep/the-6-best-study-apps
- https://www.prodigygame.com/blog/best-math-apps-for-kids/
- https://www.lingualift.com/blog/best-language-learning-apps/
- https://www.educationalappstore.com/blog/10-best-maths-apps/
- https://appgrooves.com/rank/education/chemistry/best-apps-for-learning-chemistry
Looking through your app store and searching for whatever you need help with, will certainly turn up a list of useful information and apps.
Now that we have some resources of where to look for help with our studies, what is the best way for you? Below are a few factors to consider when considering a tutoring or homework option.
Identifying the challenge
The first question would be to determine what your obstacle is for learning. Is it practice, concepts, something else? Sometimes just consulting another reference or another approach to the material can help.
Cost factor
Now, is cost a factor? Cost is always a factor to some extent but to what extent? If cost is a factor, perhaps some of the free or less expensive options are the way to start.
Time factor
Is time a factor? Where does time come into play, you may be wondering? If there is a physical location that you must take your kids to in order to get the help and support then that travel time and cost needs to be factored in.
Scheduling
Scheduling can and usually is a factor. Many kids and parents have other things going on so if the support that is being considered requires face to face or facetime meetings, then it has to fit into both your schedule and the tutor’s schedule. If this is challenge, perhaps a more flexible option may be the place to start.
Learning style
And of course, there is what suits your learning style. Some people are great at self learning while others need to be watched and motivated to learn especially something you don’t want to learn. If you’re not great at self learning, online methods and tools that require not accountability may not be the best option for you. In many cases you may not know what the learning style is and there will be some trial and error at the beginning to identify this.
We have created a few pages of study resources that we continue to add too. Our first is a resource page for IB students in the IB math program; we have a page of links to resources for Canadian students by province. This page includes links to provincial education boards, high school math text book references and more. And we are slowly adding to our list of online math tools page.
Everyone’s situation may be different so there are many other factors to consider. The above a just a few to consider when making a choice of tutoring and/or homework help.
References:
- 10 free online resources that will make you more successful, Sujan Patel, March 2015, Business Insider, URL: https://www.businessinsider.com/the-best-free-online-learning-resources-2015-3
- The 10 best online tutoring services for 2019, Lauren Garcia, Aug 2019, care.com, URL: https://www.care.com/c/stories/15069/tutoring-online/
- The Best Online Tutoring, July 2019, Reviews.com, URL: https://www.reviews.com/online-tutoring/
- The Biggest Problems with Online Tutoring, According to Tutors, Brett Montrose, Nov 2016, medium.com, URL: https://medium.com/accelerated/the-biggest-problems-with-online-tutoring-according-to-tutors-2eaccf8d19e1
- Online Tutoring is Becoming the First Choice of Parents, Rescue Mission April 2019, Captialgazette.com, URL: https://www.capitalgazette.com/lifestyles/cg-ugc-article-online-tutoring-is-becoming-the-first-choice-2019-04-03-story.html
