#01 How do I choose a Tutor? - Assessments

Paul, guest · [00:25]So the Kip McGrath Education System is all about a positive reinforcement learning environment for the children, so that they are constantly achieving at the right capabilities at the right level. So they're growing themselves after each lesson, they should walk out saying, I have learned something new, and then you've achieved the true goals of what Kip McGrath stands for.

Presenter, host · [00:48]Okay, so they aim to complement the work that's being done at school as well?

Paul, guest · [00:52]Yes and no. The reason why I say yes is because if we go and fix the foundations for a child, we might not be doing current work. However, automatically when you go and fix the foundations, the current work will start improving.

Presenter, host · [01:06]Okay, and for Shawnee, how long has Kip McGrath been in existence?

Vishani, guest · [01:10]Kip McGrath has been in existence for forty years with an international reputation as the trusted and innovative education center for South Africa. Campogra is basically an extra lessons provider. What we specifically provide is English, Afrikaans, and maths tuition, and we really focus on the reading, the spelling, and the comprehension, and look where students are having their difficulty and work on their weak areas, and we look at whether they need remediation or enrichment. So some students come in just purely for enrichment purposes, and some students need the remediation.

Presenter, host · [01:45]Have you found a lot of the time that children are coming in, they can't read properly, even at an advanced age? Because I know that that's always been one of the thing we see in the press that we hear a lot about from other people. Kids just can't read.

Vishani, guest · [01:59]So yes, there are reading problems, and students come in, and then we do a reading test where we look at the raw data and then transfer that into an reading age, and we compare to their chronological actual age, and then place them on a program based on their reading capabilities. And part of the reading program is looking at the basics, the foundation, the phonics, the The pronunciation, the vowel blends, the consonant blends, and so on.

Presenter, host · [02:26]Because reading, I mean, is the core for everything, for understanding, for even if it's maths.

Paul, guest · [02:32]Correct. So we find a lot of primary school kids that come in, maybe grade four, grade five, are struggling with maths. But when we finish the baseline assessment, we establish that they're not able to read the word problems, and we then put them on the reading program, and their maths improves.

Vishani, guest · [03:42]I think firstly, we really get to know the child one-on-one, and we discuss their concerns at the very go- very set, and thereafter, we then reassess constantly, and we use computers and written work to help their learning development in three different learning styles. So whether it's audio, visual, or kinesthetic, we make sure that we use written work, because that is exactly how they will be tested or assessed. And organization of maths and English on paper is critically important, and then we do computer work, because nothing falls through the gaps with technology, and computers just reassess, and we are dealing with the selfie generation, so we need to keep it motivating and stimulating at all times.

Presenter, host · [04:22]So you have specialized programs?

Vishani, guest · [04:25]Yes, we have specialized programs that have been adapted for South Africa.

Presenter, host · [04:29]And children, I mean, do they all work at the same pace, or does each child work at their own pace, Paul?

Paul, guest · [04:34]So not at all. There is a very strong feeling for kids having an individualized lesson, and that's something that's very important to the way we work. And that particular child that could be sitting there at a grade ten level, operating at a grade eight maths or whatever it might be, is not competing against the child sitting right next to him, who's probably doing grade nine work, and they have no idea what each other's work is. So they are absolutely working for themselves and able to cope with that work because they are achieving it all the time. And then more importantly, we don't make our classes bigger than six children.

Presenter, host · [05:10]Well, what is the, the sort of upper level of how many kids there should actually be in a class? It's always been an interesting thing for me.

Paul, guest · [05:17]So there are many, many ideas here with, obviously, if you're going to do remedial intervention, the fewer kids, the better, but not too small, because one-on-one becomes what I refer to as the oh-yeah method. The teacher eventually does all the work in the class, and you say, oh, yeah, I've got it, and they don't know how to work it for themselves. So I will just say you need to find three or four kids in the class at least. We cap it at six, but our average is about four, 4.2, in fact.

Presenter, host · [05:45]Okay. Now, what actually differentiates Kip McGrath from other education centers specifically? I mean, if you could just say, these are the reasons why we are this good.

Vishani, guest · [05:56]I think our programs are specialized and we enable children to progress at their own pace. So it's very, very tailored to the needs of the child and they don't just learn the theory, they actually do drill work, which is practice, practice, practice, whether it's on the computer or whether it's in their books. It's about practicing their drill work and making sure that they're in a safe, motivating and stimulating environment. So with all those three factors, you know, making sure their confidence is being built from one level to another. So I think one of the biggest stand out factors for me at Kip McGrath is building the students' confidence levels, starting off with something simple and then moving on gradually really builds their confidence levels and then they feel, yeah, I can do this.

Presenter, host · [06:36]And, when the person comes in for an assessment, what are the ramifications of that? I mean, are you obliged to keep coming? How much does it cost?

Paul, guest · [06:46]The assessment that we do is entirely free of charge. There's no obligation on the parent's side. Really, the, the core goal of the assessment is that the parent and the student both know what they're in for, the commitment that they need to make. As a tutor, we can definitely help that child at whichever level they're at, but the idea is you've got to help them that they'd want to come back because they've learned something new. So depending on how bad the remediation is, and bad is probably not the right word, but sometimes you need a few extra hours, and the parent needs to understand that. So the assessment is part of the decision-making process. However, at the end of the day, you need to make a informed decision about which center is going to work for you and how many hours you need.