Why should you be taking tuition for O Level Chemistry?
“I’ve been there.”
Having struggled with chemistry in high school, I was lucky enough to get into a top tier university and live the ‘university dream’. It didn’t take long to realise that maybe it wasn’t for me, and after 2 years of torturous lectures and labs, it took its toll on my mental health. My point is this: if your child is struggling in chemistry, they aren’t necessarily stupid or lazy. High school chemistries are inadequate preparation for degree level chemistry lectures at universities. In many countries (including Singapore), students must score well in O Levels to earn a place in a local polytechnic or university. This means that the vast majority of high schoolteachers are covering the syllabus in O Levels. And if you’ve ever sat the standardised test, I’m sure you’ll agree that it’s no mean feat – let alone memorising hundreds of reactions and definitions for exams.
Here are some little anecdotes about my experiences with chemistry tuition:
1) My tutor was never afraid to ask me ‘Why?’. This is so important because often when we learn something new, we merely work on automatic pilot. We know what action will lead to what reaction but our knowledge lacks depth. Asking your child WHY they learned this particular formula or why a reaction occurs at a certain condition can unlock deeper understanding which they can then apply to future problems. 2) Chemistry requires logical thinking and problem solving skills. When you’re faced with an unknown in an examination, the best chance of guessing the correct answer is often through logically working your way towards it. This requires practice and drills to be able to do this quickly under time pressure. 3) Chemistry demands good communication skills. Chemistry really isn’t like maths – there’s no ‘right’ way of doing problems (although check if your teacher has provided examiners notes) The only ‘correct’ answer is what you can convince your marker is correct or not . Communicating well in chemistry means having a strong vocabulary and understanding how different terminology are used in different contexts.
4) Better understanding of chemical bonding and structure
The majority of chemistry tuition I attended was focused on helping me understand basic concepts such as:
i) Bonding and intermolecular forces
ii) How molecules react with each other (stoichiometry, lab safety & equipment usage). iii) Calculations such as molar mass calculations, gas volumes and finding empirical formulae from experimental data.
I was never taught about processing chemicals or what they were used for. This is where chemistry tuition comes in. Chemistry tutors can help students understand how different processes work and why we do them to get certain products. As a result, the student will have a better idea of what is going on when he/she reads about chemical processes – an invaluable skill!
5) Test taking skills. The ability to take tests quickly and accurately was my most important takeaway from weekly chemistry tuition sessions. I noticed that my tutors at Einstein would often keep one or two questions aside to test me on, expecting me to solve them quickly in the short amount of time.
