UK Universities photographic competition

Congratulations to all the entrants

Results:

1st Place: Molly Carter

2nd Place: Tom Price

3rd Place: Scott Martin Hutcheson

Business update - Photos, food and running.

January is drawing to a close and finally, although still cold, we begin to see the days lengthen as we head towards spring. This is an exciting time for Tutorlink as we take several gambles at once.

We have launched the UK universities photographic competition, hosted on our facebook page www.facebook.com/tutorlink to enter just post your photo on our wall. The theme is ‘reach your potential’ and entry is completely free. Anyone can then vote simply by, “liking” the photo. The top prize is £100 and last time I looked we only had 3 entrants, so get posting now.

Secondly we have secured advertising in Waitrose Food Illustrated throughout March so look out for us there.

And finally we have recently shaken on a deal with Imperial College London to take on the sponsorship of the cross-country and athletics teams and the newly named “Tutorlink Hyde Park Relays”. We are very proud to be sponsoring the largest student relay race in Europe promoting a healthy body and a healthy mind.

All in all, not bad for a month where badgers are still hibernating.

Best wishes,

Ed

Director

www.tutorlink.org.uk

Why become a teacher?

Why become a teacher? - from Mr. Chips our undercover teacher.

Sorry for the long gap between blogs, it has been a hectic few months. Rather than comment on the massive number of topical debates surrounding teaching at the moment, I thought I’d make an appeal on behalf of the profession.

Teaching is one of the few professions where you really can shape the lives of people. If most university students were to take an honest look at their educational path, many would find inspiration for their specialism from one particular teacher. This of course can work both ways, with some disliked subjects caused by a poor teacher.

For many people teaching is a profession for those who have failed in some other walk of life, or who cannot get a job elsewhere. I could not disagree more strongly with this silly argument. Neither (or so it seems) do any of the major political parties think that teachers are simply failures in their specialism. Large training bursaries are still available for teachers, especially in those areas where specialists are rare (Maths, ICT, Science and Music). There are also plans afoot to cancel student debts for those who choose the teaching profession. When one considers the current financial climate, this is a clear indication that all political parties believe in the importance of attracting the brightest and most talented graduates into teaching. If this were not the case then surely any government would just let the riff raff float into the profession. The education which you received is something which is being improved constantly, despite the doomsayers who write in newspapers. Ofsted have changed their criteria now such that schools previously rated as outstanding are now considered good. In order to succeed in providing the best possible education for the nation’s children, the best teachers need to be attracted. This is far more than mere degree classification or the university that you have studied that, indeed most university students would probably attest to their lecturers being quite poor teachers despite their formidable intelligence.

If you are thinking of becoming a teacher, let’s talk about the realities of the job. Firstly the holidays – 13 weeks of them every year, is what most people think of as the main perk of teaching, although I will warn you that you do deserve these holidays! There is also the joy of teaching. This is quite a vague concept, but you as tutors gain more than a bit of spare cash and a nice entry for your CV. There are times when teaching can be incredibly frustrating, but that is a common denominator in most jobs, whereas teaching has the selling point that most days you’ll have an interaction with a student that leaves you feeling on top of the world which no other job can offer. It’s also a job where there are vacancies all around the country, so you are not tied down to a particular area or region. Most importantly every day is completely different, and I find this leaves you feeling tired, but with a buzzing energy which I have never experienced before in a job, and from this perspective teaching is without parallel as a profession and I recommend it to you!

If you are thinking of applying to become a teacher, I suggest you try to find a bit of work experience in a school over the summer, a week is often a good tester to see how you feel about the school environment from a teacher’s perspective. You can then apply to PGCE courses and other routes into teaching through the GTTR (Graduate Teacher Training Registry) which is exactly the same process as UCAS so make sure you have a personal statement ready!

www.tutorlink.org.uk

How's business?

I have been standing somewhat taller this week since discovering an article in the London student rating tutoring with us as the best part-time job: 5/5 for pay, 4/5 for career enhancement, 4/5 for flexibility of hours and 5/5 for fun. Ref: page 19, http://content.yudu.com/Library/A1ikox/Issue5LondonStudentN/resources/index.htm?referrerUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.yudu.com%2Fitem%2Fdetails%2F102153%2FIssue-5-London-Student--Nov-16th-2009-%3Frefid%3D4384

I was buzzing with adrenaline on finding out that the company that I had put so much of my time, money and effort into had been recognised for the service that it offers. In a time where graduate unemployment is rocketing and where graduates are caught in the catch 22 of not having work experience so they can’t get work to get work experience to get work... With us, undergraduates and graduates can get work experience and can earn money befitting of their ability, whilst developing the skills of themselves and others.

The outlook seems bright; the number of our facebook fans is currently lying at 796, our twitter followers now number 232 and the number of tutor profiles on the site just hit 170. Not bad figures for about six weeks of trading.

We have a need for more tutors with enhanced CRB checks and so from now until Christmas we are offering six months free subscription to those who come to us with an enhanced CRB check that is less than three months old from another company of to those who purchase a CRB check through us. (Currently £41.50 for those who live in Scotland and £55.60 for those who live in the rest of the UK)

As always we really value your feedback so if there is anything that you would like to share with us please just drop us an e-mail to ed@tutorlink.org.uk

Best wishes,

Ed

Director Tutorlink.org.uk Ltd

Tutorlink.org.uk Ltd. University of Leeds Union, Lifton Place, Leeds. LS2 9JT

Registered company number: 06978456

Creating www.tutorlink.org.uk

Hi Everyone,

Now that our new website has finally launched I thought I'd give you a little insight into how we have got to where we are today. Tutorlink started in 2006 when, at a slight loose end during a long summer holiday, I spotted the gap in the market and decided to go for it. Students were working for demeaning wages and the prices of private tuition had soared to ridiculous heights.

The first tutorlink was naive to put it mildly; heavy on the paperwork and slow to connect tutors. It did however spread from London to Leeds as Leo joined the team in 2007.

In 2008 however, we decided that it was time for a re-think and a re-fresh so we shut down our operations and started planning the tutorlink of today. We fell in with some not so good developers and lost a year to them. Then early this year we found some new developers whose portfolio included work for the "dragon" Deborah Meaden and we were back on track.

After an intense development period of caffeine fueled late nights along with all the other elements to launching a company such as legal documents and marketing etc... we finally managed to launch just under a month later than intended.

As with any new site there will be a few teething issues but we hope that it will revolutionize this industry and make life a great deal simpler for both those who want to teach and those who want to learn.

We are really keen to keep you happy so if there is anything that isn't working or that you don't understand or you think we could do better please let us know at either leo@tutorlink.org.uk or ed@tutorlink.org.uk You can tell us about the good stuff too if you like ; )

Feel free to add posts to our facebook page or by this blog if you want to give any public feedback.

Good luck with your futures,

Ed

Director

Tutorlink.org.uk Limited

Underachieving Schools - by Mr Chips

Another week of A Level results, another week of comment surrounding league tables, the ‘dumbing down’ of exams, and widespread strategies and promised for education review and reform. The Tories have already stated a desire to reform league tables in order to give greater weighting to higher grades and more ‘worthwhile’ subjects. With regards to underachievement in this series of blogs, the news could not be more worrying. Recently we also have heard our society denounced as ‘broken’ from the opposition bench, with youth culture being slammed. Contrariwise we are now told that students who study ‘worthless’ subjects may have their results devalued when considering the achievements of other schools. I will return to the patronizing attitude toward modern day students in a later blog, with comment on the inevitable reaction to continuing success.

The focus this week is on underachieving schools. This again is a very vague definition, but is regularly thrown into journalistic pieces, especially at this time of year. A school which is deemed to be ‘underachieving’ must be considered objectively, we wouldn’t believe a ‘mild day’ to be in anyway the same when reported in the weather forecast in the UK and Australia, yet we consider underachieving schools to be as bad as each other regardless of location and resources. In recent years we have seen a growth of ‘specialist colleges’ whether they are in Science or Performing Arts etc. These schools therefore must have different targets to reach, but on an overall scale, these strong departments may mask weaker areas within the school. The league tables do not reflect the pupils and environs which the school has to adapt to. Inner city schools traditionally have to deal with students who are regularly exposed to gang culture, drug abuse and binge drinking, as well as many students who are not as bright as some in more affluent areas. Students may also not receive as much support at home, which will also affect their progress. This links in well with my previous blog on underachieving students who are less able. In many cases, the challenge of helping these less able students to reach their potential is far more taxing for an educator than simply feeding a bright students hunger for knowledge. I very much doubt that even the complex ‘progress tables’ for schools (only behind Duckworth-Lewis and the scoring for the Heptathlon in complexity) includes this when determining the rankings. Consequently many schools and, in reality, many educators are tarred with the reputation of being poor. This leads to an Ouroboros situation, where in schools desperate for enthusiastic, committed teachers, you have teachers who are apathetic, and feel undervalued in their jobs. On a level which many people could empathize with, consider the disappointment many would experience when someone fails to appreciate the effort put into a present or something similar. If one scales this emotional response when bearing in mind that people move houses to avoid your teaching, this is quite a body blow for someone in a profession which requires commitment and passion in the face of many challenges within the classroom.

In order to balance this argument, I have no issue with parents wanting the best education for their children, that is their right, and in many ways their duty if they are capable of it. Another right, is that of students to an education, and to learn. I am not an advocate of innumerable universities and degrees being awarded like swimming badges, however I strongly feel that as long as they are capable, education should be available to all until the age of 18. Why should a student who is keen on a subject considered ‘worthless’ by a politician in Westminster, have their educational life euthanized because schools are aiming for higher places in the league tables. Education is a gift bestowed only once in many peoples lives, and to have the gift rescinded is appalling. I truly believe that the very best should receive the best chance they can to make the most of their talent. This however should not be to the detriment of less able students who wish to make the most of themselves, and acquire skills and abilities (such as learning how to learn) which will aid them to make a positive start in adult life and avoid the slippery path which is all to easy to slide down. By ensuring this and not placing their educators under siege with league tables and damning reports, we can break the glass ceiling that all too many underprivileged students are trapped beneath, and given time this will improve the nation as a whole. An interesting and somewhat radical example of this is the ‘El Sistema’ scheme in Venezuela. Faced with many social issues (mostly centred around prostitution and drugs) the government of Venezuela created a system in which from a very early age, all children within the country would be exposed to music, usually by learning an instrument. Founded in 1975, this project has already produced one of the world’s best youth orchestras, and one of the world’s finest conductors in Gustavo Dudamel. Music education is something which is considered to be very elitist in this country and extremely exclusive. In Venezuela, it is still ensured that the cream rises to the top and talent is fulfilled, but also every child has something to concentrate their energies and time (through ensembles etc) into, and also with their friends, thus reducing the opportunity for them to go off the rails. I don’t bring this up to advocate some monstrous socialist revolution (however the results of El Sistema are beyond belief) but to highlight the importance when ranking schools of the process of education rather than simply the result. This should be given great importance in future ranking of schools and assessment of students’ educational life, rather than simply berating subjects, schools and educators based on results and prejudices.

Less able kids - By Mr. Chips

How do we view underachievement in less able students? How do we even define what underachievement means for these kids? Within the classroom or tutoring environment, these kids usually create a ‘marmite response’ in educators. Many (especially younger teachers who still feel more attached to their subject rather than education) feel that these students are hard work, and frustrating, as you may have to repeat principles many times to ensure comprehension. In contrast, some educators revel in the opportunity to make a real difference in students who otherwise would be a lost cause within their subject area. It is important in the case of students who are not as capable in the subject area you choose to teach to realize that this does not mean they are incapable in all areas. It is our job to expand our own teaching horizons to encompass other skills to help these students attain the success that their ability allows. There are many strategies to aid this, ranging from old favourites such as the mnemonic through to integrating your subject with more creative pursuits or using IT as a tool to aid learning. There is also a place, even as a tutor on a one to one level, to use practical techniques to aid comprehension, as many students who seem less able in a traditional classroom environment may however simply be kinaesthetic learners, who will quickly absorb information and principles if presented to them in a novel fashion.

Drawing on a sporting parallel again, any sports fan will appreciate the frustration of watching a sportsman underachieve. A popular mantra in many sports is also that of “a great player does not make a great coach” based on the principle that for someone who found their skill completely simple and natural, it is difficult to appreciate the struggle someone less skilled may be going though at points in their career. We must remember this as educators, and also consider that for all the frustration naturally felt when we have a student who is continually struggling, the student will be feeling far more frustrated and even embarrassed by their struggles and underachievement. It is important therefore to support these students and channel our frustration into helping the student (and ourselves as teachers) achieve. We must try to do this in the most sensitive way possible for the student in question. In most cases the strategy to avoid most is to use any variant on the phrase “this is simple” and demonstrating to the student how simple it is for you. Even in the most humdrum situation such as trying to thread a needle or trying to find the end of sellotape, most people will suffer from acute irritation when someone else then finds the same task simple. If we scale this situation up to a whole classroom situation, it is easy to understand less able students becoming disruptive within this environment as they aim to deflect the attention away from their deficiencies.

How does this relate to underachievement? Well I believe for students who are less able it is important to first enable achievement, then once you are in a situation where you are able to help them learn, then this is the time to judge goals and targets for the student. From this point forward it is important to keep supporting the student, and make the learning process as easy as possible. By ensuring this, you will avoid the idea of a constant struggle in your subject, a concept that appeals to very few, regardless of ability!