Jaslyn says
I specialize in teaching Mathematics and Physics as I have passion and aptitude in these 2 subjects. I believe that by teaching what I am best at, it will be most beneficial to my students.
I have decided to become a full-time tutor because I enjoy sharing my knowledge with my students and coaching them to achieve good results. Personally, I believe that every student has the potential to do well in Mathematics. Often, students labeled themselves negatively as I am bad at Maths or I just cant do Maths. However, I do not believe that this is true. In fact, most of them lost their interest in Maths because they have been disappointed by their poor grades. From my experience, when my students grades improved, they became more motivated to learn and even took initiative to do extra practice. There is a particular boy who scored F9 for his E Maths and Science(Phys/Chem) for his Sec 4 mid-year exams. His mother engaged me to teach him and he managed to improve his grades from F9 to A2 at his N levels and he continued to get distinctions for these 2 subjects at O levels. In fact, he graduated to do a diploma in Engineering in Poly which was a surprise to his family because he used to hate Maths and Physics. One of my greatest job satisfactions is to see this change in attitude in my students coupled with the improvement in their grades.
On the first session of tuition, I will commuicate with my students to find out the difficulties they are facing, their current grades and what they expect to achieve. Then I will plan the pace of my tuition. A typical tuition session will begin with an explanation of the topic/concept to be covered, and follow by a step-by-step guidance through the problem solving process of various types of questions associated with the topic/concept. Depending on how well the students have grasped the concepts covered, I will assigned different kinds of questions as homework. For those who still have not achieved a good level of understanding on the topic/concept, I will give them more questions that test them on the basics. For those who already know the basics and are seeking to achieve more, I will let them attempt more challenging questions that can stimulate their thinking. In addition, I regularly ask for feedback from my students on my teaching so that I can improve the way I conduct my tuition lessons and to cater better to their needs.
I am patient with my students and I am willing to explain the concepts till they understand it. The only thing I ask for from my students is to the willingness to learn. If they do not have the commitment to work hard to brush up on their results, their grades will not show much improvements as it takes two hands to clap. I am also dedicated to my job. If the students require extra lessons during exam periods, I will try to my best to accommodate them. In fact, if my students have any difficulties or want to clarify any doubts outside tuition time, they can contact me via sms or email.
Currently, I am planning of starting small group tuition at my place. I am targeting Sec 3 and 4 students who are weak in their E Maths/ A Maths and need extra help. Each class will comprise of only 2 -4 students so that I am able to give them more attention and personalised help. Students are welcome to form their own groups to start a class. The times stated under the group tuition list are just guidelines. It can be adjusted provided that they do not affect my current tuition. During the June holidays, more intensive lessons can be provided for the Sec 4 students to prepare for O levels upon request.
StarTutor's Review
Jacelyn comes across as to her students as a friend. She believes if she can bring herself to the level of a friend to her students, they will slowly see her as a mentor and will come forward to accept her and allow her to guide them through their studies. She feels that by being able to bond with her students, even the most shy or resistant student will be able to trust her. As she has been tutoring for quite some time, she has learnt to understand the different characteristics of each student.
Jacelyn finds different ways to motivate her students. If she finds a topic that is weak, she finds ways which suit each student and will give them more practice. Always on the look-out for tell-tale signs like when students say they understand after her explanations but actually they may not understand. She tries to re-phrase the questions so they get to explain to her. She will also surf websites for ways to help her students, send the links to the students and allow them to explore on their own.
Jacelyn believes in building good foundations. If a student does not understand the concepts from the beginning, it is of no use to give them advanced questions. Daily practice and constant drilling is very important. If the student understands the concept, there will be confidence and subsequently, results will be good. If a student is always making mistakes, she builds up their confidence and keeps them trying until they are confident.
Jacelyn has good experiences with her students and their parents. She once had a student who takes a long time to get work done and always goes to the toilet. She gave her feedback to the parent, which in turn gave her some ideas of what their child was like. They managed to sit down and turn the session into a fruitful experience. This shows that parents and teacher should work hand in hand to help students!
- Interviewed by StarTutor (Belle, Gabby, Elvin), 05 June 2008
1999 GCE A (
Hwa Chong Junior College)
Economics (B3), Mathematics (A), Further Mathematics (B), Physics (A), General Paper (B3)
1997 GCE O (
Nanyang Girls' High School)
English Language (B3), Geography (A1), Mathematics (A1), Additional Mathematics (A1), Physics (A2), Chemistry (A1), Higher Chinese (A1), Higher Chinese (A1), Chinese Literature (A1)
Other Qualifications
Graduated from National University of Singapore, Master of Engineering, CAP 4.25/5
Bachelor of Engineering (Electrical Engineering), 2nd Class Upper Honours, NUS
A Level (Hwa Chong Junior College), General Paper (B3), Maths (A), F Maths (B), Physics (A), Economics (B)
O Level (Nanyang Girls High School), English (B3), Chinese (A1), Higher Chinese (A1), E Maths (A1), A Maths (A1), Chemistry (A1), Physics (A2), Biology (A1), Geography (A1), Chinese Literature (A1)
PSLE (Bukit View Primary School), English (A), Chinese (A*), Maths (A*), Science (A*)
AWARDS AND SCHOLARSHIP
2004-2006 EDB-NUS scholarship
2003-2004 NUS Deans list
1994-1997 MOE Edusave scholarship
Commitment Level
I can start immediately and will be able to do it until the end of 2011.
