5 Questions Smart Mums Never Fail to Ask before Calling a Tuition Agent

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We have all the kiasu parents in Singapore. So when it comes to calling an agent for a tutor, smart mums must really know these:

1. Does your child REALLY need tuition?

First thing first. Is tuition necessary?

Tuition is not a silver bullet to bad results. If the cause of bad results is not too little attention in class or “don’t understand what the teacher says”, tuition may not help much. Why not find out more what’s bothering your child first?

2. Does your child want tuition?

Your young children may just attend the tuition you set up for them, but don’t assume the same if your child has hit puberty.

In either case, ask your children first. Get their understanding before telling them your decision. You will be surprised how this helps make the tuition more effective.

3. Is a female tutor more suitable for my child?

Every child is different. While a female tutor may be more patient and approachable, older male tutors are better at handling hyper-active children. Hope the following matrix can help you select a suitable tutor.

4. Are all tuition agents honest?

 

 

 

 

 

Sadly, no!

There was one instance where the agent told the mum that she had examined my certificates, but in fact she didn’t. A female agent even proudly told me how she boosted my credentials by telling the mum how many students I taught when I only had 2 students back then. I won’t tell you which agent this is, but watch out and don’t believe 100% every word they say. After all, they earn commissions just like any insurance agent you find on road shows.

I don’t have tips on how to avoid this, but specifying qualities you look for in the tutor can mitigate this, because it shows you have done your homework and the agent will be extra careful.

You can list some specific qualities you want in this way:

• The tutor must have at least 5 students currently. (It shows commitment)
• The tutor must be good at explaining geometry. (Know your child’s weak topic and tell the agent this)
• The tutor must have at least 3 years of experience. (In teaching, experience counts)

5. Which agent to call then?

 

 

 

 

 

Google can take you to many agency websites. But if not all are reliable, which one do you call?

A simple indicator is how much detail the agent asks. For example, does the agent ask what your child’s latest result is, whether your child is shy or outgoing, what kind of personality your child has, etc. You know how responsible the agent is by the amount of enthusiasm he shows.

I would suggest these few after working with them.

• epigami.sg

I met them in person before at a workshop they organized. They are a bunch of young people trying to enhance the education scene in Singapore.

• Nancy (98581101)

She is probably the last offline agent in Singapore (she doesn’t maintain a website at all). She knows her tutors. So she can match you with a good tutor.

• Jason (81137872)

He is the only agent I know who takes time to know the student’s personality before recommending a tutor. But for his service, you have to pay the agent fee (the usual case is the tutor pays the agent fee).

However, the best is to speak to the tutor directly. You can find some tutors listed on Gumtree.sg. Another tutor I recommend is Mr Goh who has written extensively on O and A Levels (See here).

That’s it. I hope this post can help you find a good tutor for your child. If your child happens to be take A Levels math, you can always contact me at 96338360.

 

best,

Fangjun

As a full time tutor, I liaise with more than 15 tuition agencies. Also, I work closely with parents to help my students achieve better results. This position between these two sides gives me a unique perspective into how parents can better approach a tuition agent for tutors. Hope you know about how to get your tutor now.

Disclaimer: I receive no referral fees from any of the agents mentioned above.

Comparing the FJ rule with the quotient rule

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Hi, Good morning,

Shall we start right away?

To compare, let’s apply the quotient rule to our example first.

If you may recall, using the FJ rule can reach the answer with one fewer step. Time is critical in exam. So don’t underestimate how much having just one fewer step can help you.

Next, let’s have a closer look to understand the other benefit:

The one step saving comes from the factorization because the FJ rule does it automatically for you.

Besides that, you now no longer need to care who minus who. The minus sign comes from the power of the bottom term and this has been factored in the FJ rule formula. So with FJ rule, you don’t need to worry for the mistake of putting the terms in the wrong order. Hence, lower chance of careless mistake.

This is not all. In my next post on H2 math, I will show how the FJ rule is a better rule than the product rule in product differentiation. All because of the built-in factorisation of the FJ rule.

So, stay tuned!

Introducing the FJ rule

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Hi,

In H2 math, differentiation is one of the cornerstones that every student must master. After discarding the quotient rule in my previous post, let’s fill the void with an enhanced product rule. For now, just call it the FJ rule first.

I will first introduce how the rule looks, then how it works, followed by an example and a comparison with the conventional product rule and quotient rule.

1. Introducing the FJ rule:As I underlined, it looks exactly the product rule we have known since O Levels A Maths, except for the powers. This makes it easier to remember.It works like this:
   • Copy exactly the two original terms down, but with their powers each minus 1;
   • Then the power m times the derivative of the first term f(x) times the second term g(x);
   • Plus the power n times the derivative of the second term g(x) times the first term f(x);
   • These two add together to times the original terms (with power down by 1).

 

2. One working example

You can further factorise this, but it’s enough to show how to apply the FJ rule. Comment if you find it difficult to understand.

In this example, I took 3 steps to reach the answer. In my next post on H2 math, I will apply the conventional product rule and quotient rule to this same example to show that this FJ rule indeed reduces the number of steps and the chances of careless mistakes.

You may try it yourself with different rules now. If not, stay tuned for the next post.

 

best,

FJ

Forget the quotient rule!

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As the first blog entry on H2 maths, let’s start with something simple: quotient rule and product rule. After my sharing, you will see the reason why you should discard the quotient rule.

This is the standard quotient rule:

 

• The bottom times the derivative of the top
• minus
• The top times the derivative of the bottom
• All over
• The bottom squared

The problem students have is the “minus” and to a smaller extent, the “squared“. And the formula is ugly!

Now let’s have a look at our prettier friend, the product rule:

If you notice, the numerator of the quotient rule looks similar to the product rule, except for the minus sign.

So this is what I propose: a hybrid rule combining the two rules together:

With this, you can do away with the ugly quotient rule formula and treat every case using the product rule. This avoids the frequent mistake of forgetting the minus sign in the quotient rule. In addition, you need not memorise which derivative comes first to minus the other derivative.

More importantly, in my next post on H2 math, I will show how treating quotient as products can substantially save time and at the same time, reduce the chances of careless mistakes.

best,