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The Importance of One-on-one Tutoring

September 12th, 2011

There is a huge difference between what a student gets out of a classroom and how a student benefits from one-on-one tutoring sessions. A school teacher has to cater his lesson to a group of students, from many different backgrounds, learning styles and interests. While our teachers do phenomenally well at one of the toughest jobs, a student that receives one-on-one tutoring, catered to their needs, makes leaps and bounds academically.

First, they can gain a tutor that relates to who they are. This is important. Many students have a difficult time studying subjects that to them, are irrelevant. Having a tutor that they can relate to helps students understand: if their tutor feels the need to know it, maybe they should know it also. A musical student? Perhaps the tutor has a music background and understands why mathematics is still important for someone in that field.

One-on-one tutoring also allows for the lesson to be catered to a student’s particular learning style. Some students are visual learners, who need charts and diagrams of the concepts to really grasp them. Others need repetition to help them retain the information. Some students benefit from more example problems and the ability to ask questions throughout the practice. One-on-one tutoring really helps a student grasp the subject in a way that is most beneficial to them.
Lastly, a tutor can really get to know their student. Who they are as a person, their interests, families and events going on in their lives, all affect their academics. We get to know their aspirations, other stresses they are dealing with and who they are outside of the classroom.

There is no substitute for a good teacher. However, the benefits of one-on-one tutoring are invaluable for a student’s academic achievement.

Wrapping up the school year on a positive note

April 26th, 2011

As the school year begins to draw to a close, students are hard-pressed to improve their grades. It’s certainly not too late to do so, but raising a grade significantly at this point is difficult and requires a lot of hard work. If students are committed to bucking down in their classes, dramatic improvement can be made in a short period of time. It’s crucial that students take thorough notes throughout the entire school year in order for them to effectively study for final exams. If notes have not been consistent during the year, a great way to review for finals is to go back through each of the earlier chapters in the textbook, making a brief outline for each one. Students need to balance the learning of new material in the last month or so of school with comprehensive reviews of the prior subjects.

One of the main subjects that poses a problem for students learning at the last minute is precalculus. When broken down into small doses, precalculus is somewhat palatable. A few formulas to memorize here and there don’t seem like too much to wrap your mind around. But when thrown into a cumulative final on all of the year’s work, a comprehensive understanding of the material is more important than rote memorization. At Study Hut, we teach students how to problem solve when presented with different types of exam questions. For example, trigonometric functions often overwhelm students—six trig functions, inverse trig functions, graphing trig functions, properties of trig functions. The list goes on and on… However, all trig functions can be related to the most important two: sine and cosine. By knowing the basic graphs and properties of sine and cosine, every student is capable of deriving all other trigonometric properties and identities.

Think about problem solving at a comprehensive level. By knowing the basics, each student can logically work his or her way through even the toughest of problems. Best of luck!

West LA feelin’ the Hut

March 29th, 2011

This blog goes out to all the Hut peeps and all the potential Hut peeps that live in West LA and surrounding areas. At Study Hut, we’ve been shocked at how many new parents and students have been calling our brand new El Segundo office from towns other than El Segundo. Specifically, Westchester, Playa del Rey, West LA proper, and Hawthorne have been feeling the Hut. The buzz has been awesome on the internet, where many current clients and new clients alike have been clicking on www.studyhut.com to learn more about our services, and to set up tutoring appointments in El Segundo.

Just this morning, we signed up two new students. The first is a young man in the 5th grade from Eucalyptus Elementary in Hawthorne. I spoke to his mother on the phone, and he needed a tutor to help him with math concepts, and also with science tutoring. The second new student needed help with advanced algebra at Westchester High School. The mother really liked that our tutors are young and local, and she liked that many of us have degrees from Loyola Marymount University.

I am officially announcing our first blog promotion. The first parent or student from St. Bernard High School in Playa del Rey to call the El Segundo Study Hut for tutoring (310-648-8526) will get two free hour-long tutoring sessions. We can tutor almost any subject, and we are looking to spread some positive vibes at St. Bernard, since two of our best students ever used to drive all the way to our Manhattan Beach location back in the day. Best of luck to everyone!

You Are Not the Subjects You Study

March 28th, 2011

As a parent, you know that your child is a complex individual, full of surprises. You know their dreams and aspirations, their fears and dislikes, what influences and what motivates them. You know that though they may grow bored at school, frustrated with teachers or affected by their peers, that if someone could find the key to tap into your child’s potential they would shine as brightly as they do in your eyes. It is this uniqueness that we try to cultivate. There are a few special ingredients that make Study Hut such a sweet place to learn and one of them is that we recognize each student’s individuality. Tutors are paired students that allow us to foster genuine connections and have a real positive influence. That’s why we enjoy being tutors. While many of our tutors can teach multiple subjects, Study Hut takes the time to place students according to their personality and ambitions. Seeing our students strive for the same goals we’ve have sought to attain inspires us and we pass this inspiration onto our students.
A real understanding of who your child is also helps us tutor more effectively. Biology becomes a basketball team, physics becomes skate boarding and statistics becomes the probability the Lakers will win the championship (100%, of course!) Students are no longer just another face in a sea of students but part of the Study Hut family. Every child learns differently, and relates differently. Parents know this for their children; tutors should know this for their students. We don’t just teach a child, we teach your child.

Tutoring: Helping Kids Fulfill Their Potential

March 21st, 2011

Education reform is a hot topic in politics and our communities. With documentaries like Waiting for Superman and powerful people taking a stance in education, people are starting to realize that things need to change. Successful schools have proven that outstanding teachers, extra time spent on education and high expectations for all students are key to academic achievement. At Study Hut, our tutors put these educational goals into action have seen exceptional results in our students.

Why is it so important to have high expectations for students? High expectations show students that we believe that they are capable of achieving their full potential. This turns into motivation for students to prove to us and to themselves that they can do well in school. I often hear fellow tutors saying “you are going to do an awesome job on your test tomorrow!” Students leave knowing their tutors expect them to perform well. When students at Study Hut are as excited to come in and tell us about an A on a test as much as we are, we know we are doing our job.

Excellent tutors at the Hut also add to students’ academic success. Students come to us because they need clarity, review and a fresh approach to teaching. If it takes a funny song to remember Spanish Vocabulary, we’ll make one up and sing it with our students. If history isn’t making sense, we will relate it to something relevant in a student’s life to show them the importance of a historical event. Thinking outside the box and connecting with students is a common method we share with schools in our community. The South Bay School Districts all have a mission to “strive for academic excellence by forming partnerships with the community.” Study Hut enjoys working with schools and students to be part of this partnership in promoting confidence and academic success in our schools.

The new tutor experience

March 15th, 2011

I’ve only been a tutor at Study Hut for two weeks, but I am most impressed with my students who are well-organized. What does a well-organized student do? They fill out their agendas with all their homework and upcoming tests/quizzes. They fully take advantage of their planners. They bring in all their books and homework worksheets to the tutoring session (those that do not have the correct materials, just end up wasting time by having to call someone to bring the book or having the tutor waste time figuring what the student has to do). The well-organized students are able to get more from their tutoring session because they have a plan for what to do before they even show up to study hut. They know what classes they have homework in and are able to assess their weakest subjects so that we can spend the session working on that subject.

One of my most organized students is Tim, a junior, from Mira Costa High. Tim mainly comes for help in Geometry and Chemistry. While he may not know how to do the problems at first glance, after an explanation of the concept behind the problems, he is able to work out similar problems by himself. One of the main reasons why Tim is able to do this is because he writes down all his work on paper. I constantly stress to my students to show all their work because if they get the wrong answer, they can go back and pinpoint exactly where they made a mistake. This enables the student to make a mental note of the mistake they made and not make it again in the future. Tim also comes to each session with an attack plan on what to do during the session and he always knows whether he has an upcoming quiz or test.

In all, to stay ahead of the game that is school, one needs to be organized by making full use of the planner and to show all relevant work when doing homework!

Making Learning Fun!

March 14th, 2011

Today’s students are expected to have a much more comprehensive understanding of their subject matter, especially in mathematics and science.

It’s not enough to know what the components of DNA are anymore. High school Biology students are expected to how the different building blocks fit together and why. For a lot of students, the sheer volume of information flying at them daily is more than overwhelming.

Study Hut helps students navigate these murky waters by providing the kind of thorough and interactive support that allows students to take control of their own learning.

“Give a man fish, and you’ll feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you’ll feed him for a lifetime.” ~ Chinese Proverb

More than just providing what students need from day to day, our tutors teach their students both the skills to be self-sufficient and the confidence essential to managing those unavoidable high-stress situations.

We also help them develop study techniques that take advantage of their already sizeable knowledge base and learning strengths.

You like comic books? Let’s connect your vocabulary words to Marvel characters.

You like the ocean? Let’s relate that back to what you’re learning in Chemistry.

What makes the Study Hut Family Awesome

March 7th, 2011

As a parent, you care about the success of your child. If you read any of our posts you will hear about the children that have found inspiration as part of the Study Hut family to live to their fullest potential. What you may not know is that we hire tutors not only because they are from some of the top universities, Columbia, UC Davis, UCLA, USC and UC Berkeley, but we also hire our tutors because of the unique, worldly perspectives they bring to our students. Our tutors are highly sought after medical school candidates. They are people who have traveled all around the world, living in places like Ecuador, Costa Rica, Japan, France, Spain, The Netherlands and West Africa. They are accomplished musicians, teachers, entrepreneurs, environmentalists and engineers. They have not only succeeded in the top educational institutes our country has to offer, but have brought these lessons to fruition through the country and throughout the world.

Many tutoring places offer a number two pencil, practice tests and flash cards. Study Hut offers the inspiration needed to fuel students’ dreams over and beyond the high school classroom. Our tutors still have the memories of college and high school fresh in their minds. We understand where your student is coming from. We understand that learning is an objective that requires us to live both inside and outside a textbook. We understand what they need to be their best. Why do students still come to Study Hut when they aren’t in a tutoring session? Why do you see students smiling when you walk into Study hut? Why do students decide that they want to be here? It’s because we offer more students more than just learning we offer them success.

The Common Denominator

March 7th, 2011

Everyone who comes in for tutoring at the Hut has the same goal: to do better academically. Of course, methods and results can vary drastically from person to person. So, a major question that everyone should ask themselves as they walk in here is this: “What can I do to make the most out of my Study Hut experience?”

Now, some people might think that the smartest students are automatically the ones who will do best. I am here to tell you, this is not the case. Natural intelligence is rare. The one common quality, or “common denominator” for you math fans out there, is attitude. All of the students who show the most improvement all have that in common: a great attitude. It doesn’t matter if you’re Albert Einstein; if you come in here with no interest in working, no desire to improve, and no excitement for the material, odds are you won’t make much progress. The students whose scores improve the most are the one’s who come in with the goal of doing BETTER. They may not understand the material well, or even at all, but they want that to change and are prepared to work for it. Some of our students come in knowing EXACTLY what they want to work on, have done the appropriate preparation, and eagerly accept the tutor’s help. Other students come in mumbling, having no prep work done, and couldn’t care less if they learn the material. I’ll give you one guess as to who has the more rewarding experience.

Attitude is what it comes down to. The one’s that want to learn, and are excited about learning are usually to one’s to excel. And they’re ALWAYS the one’s to appreciate the Hut the most.

What a new Hut takes

March 1st, 2011

Life at the Hut has been awfully exciting this week, especially for Rob and SP. Today, March 1, 2011, marks the first official day at Study Hut Tutoring in El Segundo. We are extremely excited about our new office, but with this excitement comes responsibility and a very long task list. We have been working long hours to get the walls and floors looking pretty, make the plants grow, and get some furniture in the shop. Then comes the hard part – finding the best local tutors available. Study Hut is all about, “We’ve had your teachers, and we’ve sat in your classrooms.” And we aren’t abandoning this principle as we grow and experience more success. Rather, we are embracing the reasons for our success, and adding value by improving the services we provide.

At Study Hut, we aim to provide the best possible one-on-one tutoring experience possible. Our team aims to diversify in terms of subject strengths, meaning that we like having a math tutor “expert,” a science tutor “expert,” an English tutor “expert, and so on. With this approach, we are able to cover all necessary subjects, and make sure that we are able to help our students in all subjects across the board.

Another of our huge challenges is finding an awesome SAT tutor. Study Hut prides itself on offering the best SAT tutoring available. We use the premier software in our industry to maximize each student’s efforts, and we only hire successful, intelligent SAT tutors.