Additional Mathematics or A Math is an upper secondary school subject that can be taken from secondary three onwards. Considered to be the most advance and difficult mathematics subject available at that level of education, A Math challenges students’ logical sequence processing as well as their ability to comprehend and apply complex math formulas to questions.
The subject is well sought after by students looking to improve their competency of mathematics. It is also worth noting that due to the subject’s close affiliation with the ever popular triple science curriculum and its relevance to junior college education, it is often the top students who pursue this subject. However, this means a high level of competition amongst peers coupled with a curriculum that is severely challenging. Consequently, weaker students naturally fall behind their peers and require additional teaching resources. Often times, this comes in the form of sec 3 A math tuition classes. In this article, we explore the benefits of starting such classes from the onset and how they can help weaker students to keep up with their peers.
Math tuition classes are much more than mere additional time spent for students to master the subject. Rather, unlike in a big class setting, students are given more dedicated time and attention. This is manifested in the form of tutors being able to customise their teaching style to help optimise the learning of a particular student. For example, certain students learn best when exploring theories and formulas in full first. Meanwhile, others progress faster by attempting sub-topic questions along the way. Whatever the preference is, good tutors are able to employ a flexible teaching methodology in order to best cater to their student’s needs.
Secondly, with more time per individual, tutors are free to answer questions in depth while also encouraging students to explore a topic beyond that of the given model answers in school. This is a powerful mechanism that should not be underestimated; the exploration of a topic forces students to think on their feet and to fully comprehend the theory before moving on. This is especially important in the early topics of Additional Mathematics as mastery of these lessons would empower students to get a strong start to advance chapters in the subject.
Lastly, tutors help beyond merely correcting their students’ answers. Instead, they have the largest impact when they develop the logical thinking capabilities of their chargers. This is an absolutely critical skill for students when they attempt application based questions or when the move beyond secondary school. At which point, they would be facing even tougher to master theorems and would need a strong foundation of critical thinking skills in order to tackle mathematics at these levels.
