Common mistakes in JC Economics shared by our Inspired Tutor

February 27th, 2015

JC Economics students can avoid these mistakes, they can excel in their econs papers.

A good preparation come with a good arrangement techniques in a linked and integrated manner to cover the syllabus. Most of the students fail to accumulate a substantial amount of questions to comprehensively cover the variety of questions types needed to tackle the various  chapters of Economics. They often fail to read the extract carefully and link them to appropriately to economic principles. Another common mistake is the lack of knowledge of micro, regional and international economic entities as students simply study from their lecture notes without empirical application. Slow in understanding the question and careless in their answering, they fail to highlight the main phrases in extract and then relating them to the principles. Without this, they will find it diffcult to support their answer and derive the actual evidence to support the economics causation. Organisation technique of answering is vital, if not it will becomes less logical and convincing. Answers without proper economic terms and processes will also affect their grading. In graphical explanation, many a time students fail to label diagrams and properly show the changes in curves to support their explanation. It will take greater effort and persistance to resolve these common mistakes but having a clear understanding will be a good start.


Mistakes Are Okey

February 5th, 2015

Encourage your child to take some risks by making decisions and learning to resolve issues that arise as a result of those decisions. Allow him to make mistakes, for that would give him opportunities to learn and grow. Impress upon him that mistakes are a normal and essential part of the learning process. Provide role models for your child. Expose them to people who have overcome difficulties with grace and rebounce back in life. You may read  stories of such people and their achievements so as to INSPIRE him. Also include anecdotes of how you and your spouse fought against a personal setback and came out of it successfully. Hence teach your child to be responsible. When something goes wrong as a result of his actions teach him to be courageous and take accountability for it.

For example if he does poorly in a test, he should recognise that they were the consequences of the choice he made.


Resilient Kids

January 26th, 2015

Resilience in short, is that emotional strength we display when we encounter challenges and less than-ideal situations.

The Qualities of Resilient kids : Research from various fields shows that most people including children and young adults can bounce back from crises and trauma and move on to success. But those who did so had some of these in common.

Has a Role Model or Mentor – with a presence of a supportive person eg parents or Inspired tutors etc

Thinks of Others – considerate children who helped others managed to deal with stress better.

Independent- kids who are independent and accepted responsibility for things that went wrong.

Self-Belief- those who believed that one has influence over their life did better.


Does your child has learning difficulties?

December 8th, 2014

Do you observe these problems in your child?

a) Problems in reading, writing and spelling?

b) Slow progress despite enrichment class.

c) Highly active, poor memory and short attention span

d) Difficulty in focusing in school work

At Inspired, our home based tutor can help.  We have trained tutor that are able to help in these areas.

example To improve Focus and Attention span- a good night’s sleep is useful as our brain repairs itself and consolidates memory, take supplements to help to calm the brain, avoid junk food and excessive sugar intake.

Remember improving focus and attention improves a child performance as well as his learning abilities.


Create an Inspired and Motivating Study Space Part 2

November 16th, 2014

Part 2: Think Ergonomics

The arrangement of chair, desk and equipment can have adverse effects on health eg myriad back problem can arise from an unhealthy setup of a study. So invest in Ergonomic furniture whenever possible.

a) Desk – For wood surface maple wood is a good choice. Plastic laminates make a goodalternatives too. An L-shaped table allows for a large work area.

b) Foot Rest-  usually we would miss out having a footrest but this can work wonders. They can relieve pressure from thighs, knees and ankles and hence reduce the strain on legs.

c) Chair- Buy a good chair and your back will thank you. Choose a chair with a back that inclines inwards to support the lumbar area. The contours of a chair should form the natural curves of the spine. Its back should be widw enough to support the shoulders. Armrests takes the weight off your neck and shoulders and allows children to pull close to the desk.

Part 3: Think Lifestyle

a) Storage- should be functional and durable. Choose ones that are flexible and provide maximum use of space. Note that magazine holder are inexpensive, neat and make a practical system for categorising storage.

b) Misc – Get kids to take 10 minutes everyday to organise their desks and schedule tasks. Get white boards for daily planning. Get them into habit early.

c) Music- Realise the power of soothing music eg playing or listening will relieves stress and outs the mind at ease for better concentration.

Read part 1 here:

http://www.inspiredtuition.com.sg/tuition/2014/create-an-inspired-and-motivating-study-space


Create an Inspired and Motivating Study Space

October 31st, 2014

Now exam is over, parents might want to rethink and revamp their child’s study room for their new school terms that will begin next year.

Well you might think its a bit early for that but it does take some time to plan and design before implementing it. Good to discuss with your child on your idea and do plan along with her during this school holidays.

Your child needs a study space that inspires her. A space that provides for storage, for organising, for thinking and studying.

These tips will help you create just that space.

We can break these to 3 different areas for consideration.

1) Think Environment :

a) Lighting- there are 2 types of lighting: direct and indirect. You should always opt for a combination of direct light for work surface and some form of indirect or disffused background light. Indirect lighting helps create an overall balance of illumination and can be natural or artificial light.

b) Colur- Colour affects the way we feel and natural colours heighten clear thinking and is conductive for quiet study eg. shades of white create an atmosphere of spaciousness, simplicity and calm. Avoid dark colours as they make the entire room gloomy. Moreover light colours reflect light and create a more spacious feel.

c) Ventilation : Proper Ventilation is essential for your child’s well-being . Get good air quality by choosing a place near windows and create an avenue for some form of fresh air.

d) Temperature: the human mind is conditioned to work best at optimum temperatures of 20-24C. The right temperature aids concentration and reduces distractions.

Part 2: Think Ergonomics  click here;

http://www.inspiredtuition.com.sg/tuition/2014/create-an-inspired-and-motivating-study-space-part-2


Special Needs for a Sensitive Child?

August 4th, 2014

4) The Sensitive Child

These children are generally not assertive and will show signs of fear and caution. They may be overly shy and may have several anxieties, that in long run pose as a hurdle to making friends easily.  These kids are tuned in to the feelings of others and can sense the thoughts and emotions of others through body language and signs. As advised by one of our Inspired Tutor ( a special needs teacher) children of this personality type need an abundance of empathy and encouragement especially during lesson or doing a new activity. Tutor has to be patient and understand that they needs lot of attention. These children will respond well to compassionate tutor who display empathy. They will get motivated when they effort are well recognised and in turns will work hard to please both their parents and teachers. Remember to provide ample opportunities for this child to talk about what holds them back.  Given their diligence and eager to please attitudes, these kids will achieve great success in a nurturing environment.


Understanding A Child Personality… Part 2

July 3rd, 2014

Personality is very much a part of us and what we are made of though some life events can affect and change personality , it remains a vital factor in predicting future behaviour.

No 3 The Defiant Child

These Children enjoy defying rules and authority including parents and teachers. They are independent thinkers and have a mind of their own.  They can also be supremely perfect in every activity that they take on and are likely to give their best. These kids have a knack for organising their visual memory and like to be very much in control of their environment and their world. Perhaps this is the contributing factors to the stubborn streak but can be talented.

Most Inspired parents suggested that one should be firm and consistent in their discipline methods. Negative emotions will only caused more defiant in a child. Win over his trust by understanding his needs, calm behaviour toward any discussion can preserve his sense of self-esteem and bring out the best in him.

Read more here:

http://www.inspiredtuition.com.sg/tuition/2014/understanding-a-child-personality-part-1

Post your comment here:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Inspired-Tuition/291204747564009

 

 


Understanding A Child Personality… Part 1

June 12th, 2014

Understanding personality traits of children will help us understand them better and provide them with the right environment for them to learn an bloom.

No 1 The Self Absorbed Child

The Child may appear to be disinterested and easily tired with everything around him. The self-absorbed child will usually not be curious to explore his surroundings and may thrive in regular routine. This passive child although seeming quiet has a vivid imagination which can blossom as he grows older.

An inspired tutor we spoke to, give her view that tutors should never give up on this child. He may reach out to you in very subtle ways. Tutors should respond to that soft cue with zeal and support. If tutors show him disinterest then over time he will simply shut out and stay in his own world.

No 2 The Enthusiastic Child

They are talkative display high levels of intelligence and are enthusiastic about life. They like to take charge and be involved in seeking knowledge. They can be the boredom busters in social settings but sometimes they can also be annoying and may be mistaken to be attention seekering. They are interested in a wide spectrum of activities and thrive on intellectual conversations.

Tips from our inspired tutor: See this as an opportunity to celebrate his personality, provide ample opportunities to pursue creatives task. Do not shut him up instead teach empathy and show him how to be sensitive to the feelings of others and his surroundings.

Please post your comments on our face book at this link:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Inspired-Tuition/291204747564009

 

 

 


Lack of Sleep affects School Perfermance?

May 14th, 2014

Sleep is the new ingredient for school success.

A study shows that short term effects of insufficient sleep are delayed reactions and a higher tendency to make mistakes.

This makes sleep so important to enable children to reach full academic potential.

Some Inspired parents and Inspired tutors suggested that a student should get at least 9 hours of sleep especially during exam period.

Most of the Inspired parents agreed that an adequate quantity and quality of sleep is necesssary for optimal learning.

But it is during the exam period that some last minutes crammers do the opposite, they stay up till late to make up for the time lost.

Check this link for Understanding a Childs Personality Traits.

http://www.inspiredtuition.com.sg/tuition/2014/understanding-a-child-personality-part-1