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21May
The School Bell Just Rang – Start Your Tutoring Business Now

When you start your tutoring business, remember that you may just be starting one of the all time great home businesses. This is a business for carpenters and chemists, for French language specialists and for French cooking specialists.
Take a look at why tutoring is such an amazing business to start.
IT IS THE PERFECT HOME BUSINESS. The internet has absolutely revolutionized the way people learn. Your clients need not be next door; they could be thousands of miles away. With the magic of online tools, you can connect to very nearly any country in the world. And do it in your own good time. If mornings work best for you, do your tutoring in the morning. If you are a night person, well, shift your schedule to night time tutoring. No matter what time of day or night you choose, there will be people up and around, and anxious for your information.
START UP COSTS ARE MINIMAL. Like many home businesses, the overhead is minuscule. A computer, an internet connection, perhaps some tutoring of your own to get you up and running in a jiffy. A few other rather minimal investments and you are up and operating.
POTENTIAL REWARDS ARE PROMISING. Some tutors charge $20 an hour; some charge $200. What you can charge depends a great deal on the demand for your expertise.
TREMENDOUS VERSATILITY. No matter what your expertise, there is someone who wants to know it. Honest. If you can teach it in person, you can teach it on the internet. Language tutors, science tutors, life coaches, professional coaches, tutors for special learners, tutors for adults as well as for children, for college students and grammar school students. All of those clients are as close as your computer.
There is one big caveat. Many “gurus” will tell you that you can put up a website and people will flock to your site to read what you have to say. Well, I am here to tell you that it just ain’t so. I’ve worked with hundreds of start up companies, many with websites, and I know very well that it does take time to build your website and generate traffic so that you can attract clients.
A tutoring business is like any other business: It just takes a bit of time to build up clientele. If you can give yourself some time to accomplish that, you can enjoy one of the most creative, and one of the most rewarding, businesses to come along in a very long time.…
20Jul
Maths at School is Hard – Here’s Why

For most, the word “maths” will stir up feelings of irritation and letdown. A comment resembling “i was so bad at math” will most certainly emerge. Usually that’s the end of how much we think about maths. For some of us it is a different story. For some, the word “maths” stirs up feelings of pride and confidence in one’s abilities; an acknowledgment of just how much maths has helped us in life and how many opportunities for education and career it exposed us to. What a difference in perspective. Why does maths not click for so many?
Maths is rarely taught cooperatively – with partners, groups or teams. Yet to succeed at it, math requires a lot of discussion, feedback and reflection. Reflection in particular is important – unlike many subjects understanding of maths comes in layers and reflection is necessary.
Maths is rarely taught globally – with the big picture in mind. It is usually taught in small micro-chunks. Relationships between topics are neglected and concepts become too patchy to remember. Some topics are learned out of context, without their real value emphasised. Algebra is a prime example. Often taught as just another topic, algebra is so much more. If mathematics were a language then algebra would be its grammar, syntax and punctuation.
Maths is rarely taught with real world relevance. Theorems and formulas become more distant from a student’s life than they really are. Maths seems useless and students resort to memorizing maths instead of understanding it.
Maths is rarely taught proactively – with teachers encouraging lots of questions and a deep understanding. Teachers have strict guidelines, large classes and limited time. The result is many, many gaps in knowledge.
Most importantly, maths is never taught strategically with a focus on the learning skills required to succeed. Unknowingly students rely on memorizing rules and processes which simply does not work for maths. Those hard word problems that we all hated cannot be answered by remembering maths. Problem solving and lateral thinking are required – unfortunately they are not explicitly taught at school.
It is no surprise that many struggle with math but it does not need to be this way.
These are just a few ideas to ponder. If you want to succeed at math, you need to stop focussing solely on the content and start focusing on your learning strategy.
Students who start to learn maths the right way can often improve by 20-35% in just months. As grades improve, further study and career opportunities become available. Students can finally join the group for whom the word “maths” stirs up feelings of pride and confidence.…