Mathslover says
I believe every child is talented in their own way.
As the saying goes 'Slow and steady wins the race', I do not attempt to accelerate progress incessantly while disregarding the negative effects on the student. A test's objective is to find out how much the student already knows at a certain stage of the learning process. If a student revises for a test, he may appear bright on paper, but continue to be confused over certain aspects of the subject. This confusion will not be picked up by the teacher, as it is not apparent from the test results. As a result of that, no further help is rendered to the student, causing him to remain confused. On the other hand, if the student appears for a test unprepared, he'll be able to give the teacher a true idea of what he already knows (knowledge stored in long term memory) and the teacher will be in a better position to render any assistance where necessary.
Mathematics is a subject where understanding and application presides over pure memory work. It is intertwined in everyday life, from counting out change to determining the best way to share a cake, we use mathematics daily. I seek to help students understand that the learning time is not restricted to school hours or the hours spent with me. Neither are the learning tools restricted to books and worksheets. I teach using games, tricks, role play, and plenty of day-to-day examples. With the parent's permission, I sometimes plan age appropriate outings for my students, for them to see mathematics at work in the world we live in.
My ultimate aim for any student is to ignite their passion for mathematics, in order that they can help themselves in the long run. I do not believe that a tutor is for life, rather I hope all my students can emerge from under my wings as independent learners, with sufficient interest in the subject matter to pursue their own readings.
Having had over 100 students spanning the last 8 years (2002 - 2011), my students themselves are the best testimony to my teaching method.
I once taught a P6 girl who barely knew anything beyond the P2 syllabus. Using a series of games, experiments with toys, plenty of real life examples, explanations in her mother tongue, and peppering the lesson with encouragement and praise, she has managed to catch up the work over just 8 months, and proceed to pass PSLE with a C grade in math.
I have another student whom I remembered clearly because the tuition setting was very informal. The student was an ardent player of the game MapleStory, and I knew him through the game. We would go on virtual adventures together. He approached me one day complaining about the lack of time to his O levels, and his 'dismal grade' for prelims. I then agreed to help where math is concerned. Speaking through virtual chat can be challenging when it comes to topics like geometry and calculus, then we will have plenty of fun drawing symbols on MSN handwriting chat. I never met up with the student in real life until after his O levels, when he proudly declared his success in the game world MapleStory, and dedicated some virtual items to me. Today, he has a diploma in maritime engineering and works for the Navy.
Last year, I have a P6 student who is dyslexic and has mild ADHD. Unlike his peers, he doesn't use the calculator at all because he was 'too lazy to press the buttons'. When it comes to problem sums that require more than 3 steps, he'll forget what he has done, and seem to get stuck in the infinite loop of going through steps 1 to 3 over and over again. To help him overcome this problem, I encourage him to write down statements for every single step he has done (vs writing down just the calculations, as is required by schools). Despite the lengthy explanations I require for each step, and the time taken to count everything by hand, he has amazed me that he could finish the entire Paper 2 (P6 CA1) within the stipulated time, and obtained 12 more marks than his P5 SA2! He has since gone on to obtain a B for PSLE and is now in the N(A) stream.
StarTutor's Review
A tremendously experienced tutor, Teo Lian Choon has accumulated more then 8 years of teaching experience and has a history of tutoring over a hundred students. She is a graduate from NTU with a Bachelor of Accountancy and is currently living her passion for teaching by working as a full-time tuition teacher.
Her expertise lies in the field of Mathematics, specifically focusing on Upper Primary and Secondary level Math. Being a very good motivator, Teo Lian Choon is able to galvanize and instill confidence in weaker pupils to grant them the innate belief and assurance that they can succeed in solving difficult questions as well as not to feel discouraged when they commit errors but instead to learn from these mistakes.
Teo Lian Choon also employs several innovative teaching methods. She uses custom made worksheets with questions extracted and amended from past examination papers. These worksheets are designed in a unique way to simulate a series of "games" to arouse student's interest in the subject. This serves to enliven the lesson and also gradually quicken the student's pace in learning.
Utilizing her vast amount of experience, and creative teaching style, Teo Lian Choon is capable of arousing student's interest in Mathematics and spur them on to actively self-study and attain better results. She believes that with enough effort, patience and guidance, achieving A grades is not impossible, hence her astute track record in improving all of her student's results. For students particularly weak in Mathematics, she would be a splendid choice as a tutor.
- Interviewed by StarTutor (Jerry and Arthur), 19 March 2011
2000 GCE O (
Nanyang Girls' High School)
English Language (B3), Mathematics (A1), Additional Mathematics (A2), Physics (B3), Chemistry (A2), Higher Chinese Language (B4), Chinese Literature (B3)
Commitment Level
I will be away from Singapore for a period of 12 to 16 weeks in year 2014 (exact date unconfirmed). This must be clearly conveyed to students who will be taking their national exams in 2014 (P4, S2E or S3N in 2012) before a working relationship is established between us.
With the exception of CNY eve and the first 3 days of CNY, all lessons on public holidays as well as school holidays proceed as per normal, unless cancelled or rescheduled by the student.
I can start as soon as I have accepted an assignment.
From experience, some students will make last minute requests for many extra lessons. I do not guarantee they will always be fulfilled as I have many students and hence a packed timetable. This is especially so for national exams.
Students may choose to start next year's syllabus during the Dec holidays. However, there will be no lessons on the first week of Jan. This is to allow all existing students to sort out their new timetables and rearrange tuition schedule as needed.
*UPDATE 9th May 2012* Due to many students cancelling lessons last minute (some even cancel only when I arrive at their doorstep), I need to request that all new students follow a 12-hour cancellation policy. Lessons can be cancelled more than 12 hours before its commencement, or replaced subject to available time slot. If a lesson is not cancelled more than 12 hours before its commencement time, for any reason, it shall be deemed as a regular lesson and payment must be made for it.
