Learning – Premier Tuition Centre

How to Get Top Marks in Leaving Cert French

AnneMarie Brosnan — Wed, 11 Sep 2024 20:34:15 +0000

Get Top Marks in Leaving Cert French (Higher Level)

Author: Shane

The key to doing well in the Leaving Cert French exam is to plan your work, practice written opinion pieces weekly and improve your wider vocabulary for both the reading and listening sections of the exam.

A Breakdown of the Marking Scheme

Oral: 25% of total grade

Good pronunciation and practice is the key to success here. Students make the mistake of not addressing key question words asked by the examiner. Weekly practice and dedication is crucial to a getting good grade here. A good oral can make a big difference to the final grade.

Reading: 30% of total grade

Students can make silly mistakes in this section by failing to correctly interpret questions when required. Many students also incorrectly answer the grammar question. Each question is worth 5 marks and the key to doing well here is with weekly practice by continuing to read and expand your knowledge of new vocabulary.

Written: 25% of total grade

Students often really struggle here. Students are asked to give their opinion on stimulus material or to write a short story, email and/or diary entry. Students mistakenly learn sample answers instead of addressing the question being asked which results in a lot of marks being lost. Weekly practice and dedication is essential here. Good writing technique is needed.

Listening: 20% of final grade

Students find this section challenging as they do not practice it enough. Weekly vocabulary building and practice helps students greatly. A good listening section can greatly boost the final grade.

Leaving Cert French Grinds

Ready to ace your Leaving Cert French exam?

Our Leaving Cert French grinds, delivered by a fully qualified teacher AND state examiner, cover all aspects of the syllabus and marking scheme outlined above to give you the best chance of achieving exam success.

Delivered live online though Zoom, these weekly grinds contain a maximum of 5 students per group which ensures that everyone receives individualised attention, feedback and support.

This is particularly important when preparing for the French oral exam and every student is given the opportunity to practice their pronunciation, answer sample questions and participate in mini mock orals.

In addition, students receive personalised feedback on every piece of homework that they submit which allows them to continuously improve their reading, writing, speaking and listening skills and ultimately achieve their academic goals.

Navigating Homework Stress

Premier Tuition — Wed, 17 Jan 2024 06:49:13 +0000

Eliminate Homework Stress for You and Your Child

We’ve all been there.

You’re sitting down to help your child with their homework. The dinner is cooking, the washing machine is running, the TV is on in the next room, and your other children are interrupting from time to time, asking questions or wanting you to do something for them.

It’s overstimulating and overwhelming. For everyone.

The child completing their homework lacks focus. They’re a little bit giddy. They’re doing ok but making some mistakes. Too many of mistakes, you think.

Somewhere, in the back of your mind, a teeny tiny voice (so tiny you may not be aware it’s actually there) is saying things like: “this is bad,” “they should know this,” “they’re falling behind at school.”

Consciously, you’re trying to help your child with their homework but subconsciously, you’re worried for your child. You think they’re falling behind in school and that IT’S YOUR FAULT.

You snap. You didn’t see it coming but you yell. Mayhem ensues, however brief, and now you’re riddled with guilt.

You know you acted rashly. You know you should have been more patient. You remember the times your parents weren’t patient with you and you swore that you’d never be the same with your children. But something just snapped.

What was it?

Understanding Homework Triggers

As parents, we often become triggered by the difficulties our children face when they’re completing their homework. Not necessarily because they’re not doing it well but because:

a) We’re overwhelmed by the environment we’re in and the multiple other distractions that are going on around us.

b) No matter how hard we try to explain something, it’s not sinking in.

c) We’re subconsciously worried that our child is falling behind in school and that this is somehow our fault.

Moving Forward

In order to overcome these homework triggers, it’s important to do the following:

a) Create an environment that’s conducive to completing homework. Wait until the dinner is cooked and the chores are done. Do what you must to make sure your other children are looked after and occupied. Aim to create an environment that’s calm, quiet and distraction-free.

b) If the way you explain something is not sitting with your child, try to incorporate visual aids and hands-on materials which can help to make abstract concepts more concrete. See if there are any YouTube videos or online activities that will help your child to see the concept from a different perspective.

c) Manage your own expectations in advance. Take a few seconds to remind yourself that every child is unique. Every child learns differently and in different stages. If your child genuinely cannot do something, that’s ok! They’re not meant to know everything. Identifying potential issues at an early stage is actually a very good thing as it will allow you to take the steps necessary to either get them support or support them yourself.

Next Steps

If you’re concerned in any way about your child’s progress in school, make an appointment to talk to their teacher. Even if your child is falling behind in a certain subject or area, there’s absolutely no reason why these issues cannot be overcome, allowing them to lead a happy and successful life at school.

At Premier Tuition Centre, we understand that each child has unique learning needs. That’s why we offer personalised tuition to primary school pupils in Irish, English, and Maths, including Specialist Dyslexia Tuition with an Orton-Gillingham trained tutor.

Our experienced tutors are dedicated to providing individualised support to help your child overcome challenges and thrive academically.

Learn more about our classes by clicking on the links below.

How To Support Your Child With Maths

Premier Tuition — Fri, 27 Oct 2023 11:03:51 +0000

Overcome Maths Anxiety

I’ve made no secret about the fact that I struggled with Maths since primary school and this is one of the main reasons why I started Premier Tuition Centre.

I first began to experience Maths anxiety when I was in Senior Infants!

Although I was a smart child and was never considered to be a candidate for additional support at school (in fact, I used to help out in these classes when I was in 6^th Class) I silently struggled with Maths for the duration of my time in school, primary and secondary, and developed really bad anxiety towards the subject.

If this sounds like your child, and you want to give them some support before their difficulties worsen, try these 5 tips:

💡 Tip 1

Help your child with their homework every night. It’s not always easy in a busy household but set some quiet time aside so that you can sit with your child each evening. Consistency is key and you might be surprised to find out that the thing they’re struggling with is really easy to solve. For example, when I was in Senior Infants, I panicked when asked to add money. Even though I could add numbers very easily, for some reason it took me a while to understand that adding money was done in the exact same way.

💡 Tip 2

Use lots of concrete materials and hands on activities to help your child develop their problem-solving skills. Every child learns differently. Some children are visual learners while others are tactile/kinesthetic and these children often begin to struggle with Maths when they’re expected to solve problems abstractly (in their heads) before they’re developmentally ready.

💡 Tip 3

Use digital resources to help your child understand new concepts or topics. Parents/caregivers and their children don’t often make for the best teacher-student relationship! Children can get frustrated with their parents and vice versa. Youtube has some great Maths tutorials that might help your child understand a new concept better than if you’re teaching it directly. There are also loads of interactive Maths games available online that make learning and practicing Maths really fun.

💡 Tip 4

Try to incorporate informal Maths activities into your daily routine. This can be easily done through cooking or baking activities but it’s also possible to practice counting, adding and subtracting skills throughout the day. When possible, ask questions like “how much more do I need” or “how much less than…” to help develop their Maths language. Ask your child to help you with the time and get them used to buying items in a shop with money and collecting the change.

💡 Tip 4

Don’t panic if your child doesn’t understand something immediately. Learning takes time and consistency. Putting too much pressure on your child could make the situation worse. If you try these activities and nothing is working, speak to your child’s school and see what they can do to help.

Thinking About Maths Tutoring?

We offer Maths tutoring to primary school pupils from Senior Infants – 6th Class.

Our tutors are fully qualified and experienced but also incredibly kind, patient and supportive.

We use inclusive methodologies to support all learners.

To find out more, click on the link below.

Follow Us On Social Media!

4 Books To Help Secondary School Students With Motivation

Premier Tuition — Fri, 29 Jul 2022 20:34:38 +0000

The summer is a time for secondary school students to relax and unwind but it’s also an important time to brush up on some personal development skills that will enable them to hit the ground running when school starts back in September.

While not all specifically written for teenagers, the four books below will help young adults to develop lifelong skills such as focus, motivation, discipline and self-confidence.

Learning these qualities, skills and attributes at a young age is crucial to leading a happy, productive and successful life as an adult.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens
By Sean Covey

Written by the son of author Stephen Covey who wrote The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, this book takes those principles and rewrites them for teenagers. It uses real-life stories from teenagers around the world who overcame obstacles to succeed as well as step-by-step guides to shifting paradigms, creating action plans and more. This book can be used by teenagers in many areas of their life, not just school.

The Power of Habit
By Charles Duhigg

In this book, Charles Duhigg examines why habits exist and what we can do to change them. Although this book was not specifically written for young adults, it can be used by teenagers to learn how to become more productive, achieve more success in their lives and make the most of the positive habits they already have.

Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff and it’s all Small Stuff
By Richard Carlson

This book is all about living our lives in a less stressful way. It teaches us how to let go of little problems so they don’t grow into bigger issues. In this book, Richard Carlson examines the strategies we can use to have a more fulfilled life and it would be particularly useful for young adults who experience increased stress or anxiety as exam season approaches.

Work Simply
By Carson Tate

Carson Tate wrote this book to help people understand and embrace their productivity style. As a productivity expert, she teaches readers how to understand their productivity style as well as the style of those around them. As exam season approaches, this book would be particularly useful in helping teenagers to become more productive in a way that is unique and meaningful to them.

Study Skills Seminar

If you’d like your teen to develop focus, motivation and discipline ahead of the new school year, our next Study Skills Seminar is happening on Saturday, September 24th.

Over the course of 1 day, secondary school students from 3rd year to Leaving Cert will learn everything they need to know in order to achieve the highest grades they’re capable of achieving.

This includes:

Online study tools that will enable them to study smarter, not harder
Study techniques that suit each individual learning style
How to develop focus & motivation
Organisational and time-management skills
Strategies to cultivate confidence and a positive study mindset

For more information or to enrol, click on the link below.

Dyslexia: How to Support your Child

AnneMarie Brosnan — Sun, 09 Jan 2022 16:49:54 +0000

3 Easy Ways to Support Your Child with Dyslexia

Did you know that dyslexia affects 10% of the population?

Indicators of dyslexia can vary from age to age but some of most common signs present as:

✅ difficulties with learning the connection between letters and sounds

✅ difficulty repeating multisyllabic words

✅ confusion with small words

✅ poor concentration

If your child has dyslexia, here are some ways that you can support them:

1. Read to your child. Children with dyslexia often develop a dislike of reading because they find it so challenging. Make the experience enjoyable by reading to them. This means that they get to experience the benefits of reading but none of the stress or anxiety that often goes with it.

2. Children with dyslexia often have low self-esteem because they recognise that they learn differently to their peers. Talk to your child about this in a positive way. Help them to develop their talents and focus on the things that they do well. Actively promote positive thinking by regularly using phrases such as “you can do it” or “you are good/smart enough”, “you are intelligent”.

3. Get familiar with assistive technology which can help your child achieve their full potential. Text-to-Speech software can be used to support academic learning while apps like Audible have hundreds of fiction and non-fiction books available to download at the click of a button.

Get an experienced tutor who has worked with children with dyslexia before. Children with dyslexia should be taught in a direct, explicit and multi-sensory way that is often quite different to traditional approaches.

"Children with dyslexia should be taught using direct, explicit and multi-sensory approaches" - AnneMarie

Specialist Dyslexia Tutors

If you’d like to learn more about our specialist dyslexia tutors, get in touch with us today.

Tuition is available to primary school pupils from Senior Infants to 6th Class live online through Zoom or at our tuition centre in Castletroy, Limerick.

Help your Child to Master Fractions

AnneMarie Brosnan — Tue, 27 Jul 2021 19:02:25 +0000

Fractions, Decimals and Percentages are concepts that primary school children regularly struggle with. This is predominately because children do not fully understand the basics associated with these mathematical concepts. As a result, children find it difficult to keep up when more complicated concepts are introduced at school, often leading to low academic attainment and a deterioration of confidence.

From August 16th – August 20th, 2021, we are running a Maths course for children entering 6th Class in September 2021. This course will take place in our tuition centre in Castletroy, Limerick.

The focus of this course is on fractions. If children do not have a good understanding of fractions, they will struggle to develop an understanding of decimals, percentages and related problem solving questions.

Over the course of 5 classes, we will teach your child the fundamental knowledge and skills required to develop a mastery of fractions. Potential topics include:

Equivalent fractions
Adding and subtracting fractions
Multiplication of fractions
Mixed number operations
Problem solving with fractions

Each of these topics will be taught using a variety of multi-sensory, activity based approaches which make the experience both meaningful and enjoyable!

The fee for this course is €129 and classes will run daily from 10am-11am.

Due to Covid-19 restrictions, places are limited so early booking is essential.

To join the waitlist, please click on this link.

To keep update on our course offerings, with exclusive access to discounts and special offers, make sure you’re following us on Facebook and Instagram.

Understanding Phonological Awareness and how best to support your child

AnneMarie Brosnan — Thu, 22 Apr 2021 16:00:27 +0000

What is phonological awareness?

Phonological awareness is the ability to recognise sounds in spoken language. It is the foundation to learning to read. Phonological awareness is an auditory skill – activities that develop phonological awareness can be practiced with your eyes closed.

Most children do not need to be taught phonological awareness skills. However, children who do not develop phonological awareness need direct, explicit instruction.

What about phonemic awareness?

Phonemic awareness is a subset of phonological awareness. It is the last skill to develop within phonological awareness. It is the ability to identify and manipulate the smallest units of sound (phonemes) in spoken words. For example, being able to hear /m/ and /a/ and /p/ in the word “map” requires phonemic awareness. Significantly, according to David Kilpatrick, 30-40% of children need to be taught this skill.

How can I develop my child’s phonological awareness skills at home?

The phonological awareness activities that you practice with your child should be appropriate for their level. They should gradually increase in complexity and at a pace suitable for them – you don’t want to overwhelm them!

Begin by exposing your child to songs and poems that rhyme. Recite your favourite nursery rhymes, watch rhyming songs on YouTube or sing and dance the Hokey Pokey with them. This is a fantastic way to help develop your child’s phonological awareness skills at home because it’s fun and enjoyable.

Progress by marching or clapping the words of a sentence (I – like – Ice – Cream) and then clapping or marching the syllables of a word (El – e – phant). As your child develops these skills, you can move onto more complex activities, such as:

Identifying rhyming words (“Do these words rhyme? / What word rhymes with ____?”)
Identifying the first, last and middle sound they hear in words, in that order
Blending individual sounds into words (“What does /m/ /a/ /p/ say?”)
Segmenting words into sounds

Once they have mastered these skills, the last step is learning to add, subtract, and substitute sounds to make new words.

If you have any questions about what you have just read, our would like more information about the type of literacy tuition that we provide, please contact us.

5 Practical Ways To Help Your Child With Their Maths Homework

AnneMarie Brosnan — Sat, 17 Oct 2020 20:50:54 +0000

Completing Maths homework can be a little traumatising for both parents and kids! This is often because learning styles differ between parents and their children and over-familiarity means that neither are afraid of letting their frustrations show every now and again! If you or your child have been struggling with Maths homework lately, you’ve come to the right place. Check out the practical tips below and see if they make a difference.

Maths Homework Tips

Remember that every child learns differently. Some are visual learners while others are auditory or kinaesthetic learners (learners who work best by working with their hands/completing hands-on activities). If your child does not understand something that you are trying to explain, be patient and try to find a different way to approach the problem – see points below.
Youtube is a great educational tool. Remember that the way kids are taught these days might be different to the way you were taught at school. If in doubt, check Youtube out! You are sure to find some great video tutorials that will go through specific sums and Maths concepts using a coherent, child friendly, step-by-step approach.
If a child is struggling with a particular concept in their Maths homework, try to introduce some concrete materials to help them visualise the problem a little better. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy – pasta shells can work for problems involving any of the operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division) while chocolate bars or sweets can be great to help explain fractions!
Drawing pictures is also a great way to help kids visualise a certain problem. Again, the pictures don’t have to bee too fancy. Rough sketches are fine.
Learning new Maths skills can actually be really fun with all of the wonderful online resources available these days. Topmarks is a great site for interactive online Maths games. Use these games to help consolidate learning. Your child will have lots of fun too!

Have you any tried-and-tested tips for helping kids with their Maths homework? Let us know in the comments section below! If you are still struggling with Maths homework and would like to see how our Primary School Grinds can help, get in touch today.

Silly Questions Word Game

AnneMarie Brosnan — Sat, 26 Sep 2020 13:29:16 +0000

Silly Questions is a really fun game that you can play at home or at school to teach specific phonic patterns. The idea for this game is from the “Progression in Phonics” book, or the more updated “Letters and Sounds” book, that are used in the UK. The best thing about this game is that it can be used by teachers as part of a whole class activity, in pairs and individually. For parents, the game can also be played at home to reinforce new letter-sounds that your child might be learning at school. Here’s how to play:

Download the free printable that we’ve provide for CVC words and CVCC/CCVE words: Silly Questions CVC Words Silly Questions CVCC & CCVC Words
These printables can be left as is or you can customise them to suit your child’s learning needs, i.e the words can be changed to match what they are learning at school
Cut the sentences and ‘yes’ and ‘no’ answers into strips
If working with an individual child, the child will read the sentence aloud and match it with a yes or no answer.
If working with an entire class, ask the children to read the sentence aloud and to hold up a yes or no answer (thumbs up and thumbs down can be used to save on paper if required!)
If working with pairs, display a question on the board and ask them to decide if it warrants a yes or no answer using flashcards. Ask the children to show their flashcards and select a pair to read the question aloud.

If you want to change it up a bit, or if your child is particularly interested in computer games, this activity can also be played online here.

Learning – Premier Tuition Centre

How to Get Top Marks in Leaving Cert French

Get Top Marks in Leaving Cert French (Higher Level)

Author: Shane

A Breakdown of the Marking Scheme

Leaving Cert French Grinds

Ready to ace your Leaving Cert French exam?

Navigating Homework Stress

Eliminate Homework Stress for You and Your Child

Understanding Homework Triggers

Moving Forward

Next Steps

How To Support Your Child With Maths

Overcome Maths Anxiety

If this sounds like your child, and you want to give them some support before their difficulties worsen, try these 5 tips:

💡 Tip 1

💡 Tip 2

💡 Tip 3

💡 Tip 4

💡 Tip 4

Thinking About Maths Tutoring?

Follow Us On Social Media!

4 Books To Help Secondary School Students With Motivation

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective TeensBy Sean Covey

The Power of HabitBy Charles Duhigg

Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff and it’s all Small StuffBy Richard Carlson

Work SimplyBy Carson Tate

Study Skills Seminar

Dyslexia: How to Support your Child

3 Easy Ways to Support Your Child with Dyslexia

If your child has dyslexia, here are some ways that you can support them:

"Children with dyslexia should be taught using direct, explicit and multi-sensory approaches" - AnneMarie

Specialist Dyslexia Tutors

Help your Child to Master Fractions

Understanding Phonological Awareness and how best to support your child

What is phonological awareness?

What about phonemic awareness?

How can I develop my child’s phonological awareness skills at home?

5 Practical Ways To Help Your Child With Their Maths Homework

Maths Homework Tips

Silly Questions Word Game

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens
By Sean Covey

The Power of Habit
By Charles Duhigg

Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff and it’s all Small Stuff
By Richard Carlson

Work Simply
By Carson Tate