“To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.”, a famous quote made by Winston Churchill, a former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Even though this quote was made several decades ago, it is, in fact, still highly applicable in today’s world.
Everyone experiences different phases and seasons in their lives. For students, transitions such as changing from one institution to another, or promoting from lower to upper secondary might seem trivial milestones in life in others’ eyes. However, these small transitions can possibly make huge impacts in their lives. This includes routines, stress, time management.
Even so, change is indeed inevitable. Stepping out of your comfort zones to adapt to new environments definitely requires time and courage, and we understand the struggle. Nevertheless, it is only through tough times that allow you to unleash your inner potential and discover a new side of yourself, enabling you to become a tougher person ultimately.
To all our upper secondary students out there, are you still struggling to adapt to your upper secondary school routines? Are you feeling overwhelmed by the content and workload? If you’re still feeling lost, confused and overwhelmed, keep reading and help is on your way shortly!
The transition from lower to upper secondary is undeniably one of the steepest turning points students face in their education journey. Common challenges faced by upper secondary students are having the need to adapt to new environments with new classmates and new teachers with new teaching methods, new subjects to study like Additional Mathematics (A Math), Social Studies and Pure Sciences, and new responsibilities such as CCA leader or a Student Council committee member.
A year older means a year wiser, it also means having the power to decide more things on your own. Uncle Ben from Spider-Man’s phenomenal quote “With great power comes great responsibility” is closely relevant here. From having to choose your subject combinations, to signing up for leadership positions, to managing your time carefully, it is admittedly a challenging task. The power of being able to manage your life on your own sounds very liberating, but it can also become a disaster if any areas of your life become neglected or mismanaged. It really does come with great responsibilities.
Before your problems turn into a snowball effect, let us break down the potential problems you are facing and list out the possible ways to resolve them effectively.
Being placed in a foreign classroom can make you feel really awkward and uncomfortable. If you’re still unfamiliar with your classmates, the very first step to take is to gather the courage to take the first step to get to know them better. It can be as nerve-wracking as entering a brand new school, but the steps to follow are still similar and are equally effective! With a stronger rapport formed between you and your classmates, your classroom’s learning environment would naturally become much more conducive than before, given that everyone is comfortable asking questions and helping one another. Forming strong friendships in school can allow you to look forward to school, regardless of the challenges you might face.
In addition, time management is an indispensable skill to adopt in upper secondary. It is recommended to have a journal or a calendar notebook to note down your plans and your study timetable. By doing so, it significantly alleviates your stress level as it helps you to organise your plans better!
However, if you still find yourself facing difficulties bridging the gap between lower and upper secondary, it is time to seek help. Understanding a subject or even a topic is just like constructing buildings – both must be built with a strong foundation to remain firm and stable. In order to build strong fundamentals, students must pay attention in class, be consistent in their homework and do revision regularly. Besides doing the aforementioned steps, many students often neglect the step of identifying common or repeated mistakes made. It is crucial to identify your own mistakes and correct them immediately before moving on to the next topic. For instance, if you are lacking in basic algebraic skills or say, differentiation in A Math, more emphasis must be placed on this subject by highlighting key mistakes and doing extra practices to build a stronger foundation. On the other hand for Science subjects, skills such as understanding and practicing chemical formulae are important.
When a strong foundation is not built meticulously at the initial stage, the building would eventually have structural defects due to the poor-quality construction, resulting in the collapse of the building itself. Likewise, if correction is not made at the initial stage, your own “building” of learning and growth would also collapse as more weighted topics are being added to your “building”. Evidently, it is extremely important to seek help the moment you discover a flaw in your “building” of understanding.
If you happen to struggle with A Math in upper secondary, fret not, we are here to help! At New Dawn Learning Studio, we offer top-notch A Math tuition, and are one of the very few Secondary school math tuition centres in Singapore that tap on a unique teaching approach to guide students, and even inspire students to gain interest in the subject.
First and foremost, students should understand the importance of A Math. A Math is designed to allow students to think out of the box and apply advanced applications of Math in real life and in professional fields, which is why there are application questions in Math. Despite the various challenges faced by students, students are able to make connections between topics and methods, thereby having a better understanding of real life applications involving A Math calculations. Furthermore, if you are aiming to enter Junior College (JC) after graduating from secondary school, it is even more important to have a strong foundation in A Math, since H2 Math at JC level requires an in-depth understanding of Math by using formulas taught in A Math in secondary school.
Seeing the importance of A Math, it is important to have constant practice as you race against time to prepare for your O-Level examinations. With New Dawn Learning Studio’s A Math tuition in Singapore, it will enrich your understanding through additional practices and clarifications of doubts, hence instilling confidence in students. As teachers hardly have the time to address individual concerns, an A Math tutor can certainly make a huge difference in your A Math journey, especially at New Dawn Learning Studio.
At New Dawn Learning Studio, A Math tuition is taught by Mr Daniel. Mr Daniel adopts a hybrid of both 1-to-1 and classroom styled learning, allowing all types of students to learn at their own pace. His teaching style is unique and is able to handle all types of learning styles, which effectively caters to the needs of every single student. Mr Daniel’s A Math tuition involves the teaching of fundamentals of each topic, followed by offering several mathematical solutions to solve a typical Math question. After ensuring each student understands the topic, Mr Daniel would leave sufficient time for students to try out some questions before moving on. He even approaches every student to answer their questions, ensuring each student is given the necessary attention required to help them understand and bring out their best potential.
Mr Daniel teaches each topic systematically, ensuring students have a good grasp of the necessary skill sets to solve all types of A Math questions, effectively instilling confidence in students to prepare for the O-Level examinations.
What sets New Dawn Learning Studio apart from the other A Math tuition centres in Singapore is the ample materials provided for students. Our A Math materials range from sample booklets, files to help students organise, to formula sheets for each topic. These materials are highly effective in helping students to consolidate their learning after each lesson, and help students to organise their notes efficiently especially with the overwhelming workload in school. Due to the high enforcement by New Dawn Learning Studio’s A Math tuition, students have more time to explore the subject and therefore, gain interest in the subject.
Remember, when the going gets tough, the tough gets going. Anything is possible, and we are beyond willing to extend a helping hand. The time is now, join our A Math tuition in Singapore today, our New Dawn family is ever-ready to welcome and help you! Find out more at our main web page.
