#macrobtutoring

Hey there,

This really depends on a whole bunch of things such as your own personal preference of learning, what subjects you might be taking, how you feel towards different styles of teaching, whether you learn better in a large group or small group of people, and some other things as well.

As with any school, Mac.Rob has a range of all different teachers that each have their own teaching style. Where some students may like a particular teacher’s style of teaching, another may absolutely detest it. So, it’s really about experiencing it and figuring out what’s best for you.

Many Mac.Rob students have tutors or do extra tuition but the reasons for each student will be different. For example, some may have tutors because they don’t find their teacher helpful or some might have a tutor simply to give them a greater edge and different perspective on some concepts.

We can’t really say much more than that but just remember that it is YOUR learning experience and whether or not you have a tutor is completely up to you so try your best to figure out how you learn best and that will ultimately give you the best idea on whether or not to have a tutor.

Hey there,

FAM Member 1: I’m currently taking accounting at macrob and in my experience, our accounting teacher is the only teacher you need. Not just because you can ask him any kind of question at anytime (in class, people shout out questions about what he’s teaching all the time), or that he has a large amount of resources that for most people, is more than enough to study well, but also because his classes are amazingly engaging. I’m not much of a auditory learner since I tend to blank out after listening to lectures for a few minutes but Mr. Page includes relevant anecdotes, cuts out the unimportant stuff and structures his classes well (after years of teaching of course) so I tend to not have to revise so much for this class after learning it just once!

Besides our classes, the subject itself doesn’t really require an additional tutor to help since most of the difficult stuff is bookkeeping (the number stuff) which just requires a lot of personal study and practise. Theory is difficult to grasp - most of it is memorization, and some requires, again, practise to apply to the bookkeeping stuff. If you really need help on any of these things, Mr. Page is always in his office (or walking around the school talking to students). He’s really approachable and explains concepts very thoroughly.

Every student is different however, so I recommend you take a few accounting classes before asking yourself again if you need an accounting tutor. Maybe you want extra resources (more than what Mr. Page already gives??? - he has individual exercise worksheets, booklets for every topic, practise exams, topic quizzes, practise sacs, podcasts, videos on nearly every topic, and I’m probably missing some..), or you feel more comfortable learning in a one-on-one class structure.

Hey,

FAM Member 1: I have a personal language tutor for extra practise for speaking tests. She also provides some resources for other language components but mainly helps with speaking. I have a maths tutor, had a biology tutor, and attend tuition classes for english and chemistry.

FAM Member 2: I have a methods, bio, and chem tutor for my subjects. I also attend holiday lectures quite a bit for these subjects and literature too, some are free and some are paid. I think tuition helps a lot for clarification in these content-based subjects. I have a Japanese language assistant at school.

Hey,

We can’t really tell you who is better but we will list some pros and cons that we can think of for both types of tutors:

Graduate

Pros:

Has experience of getting raw 50!!! And can share study tips.

Able to relate better from a student perspective having recently graduated

Cons:

Not qualified

Less experience teaching

VCAA examiner

Pros:

Is a qualified teacher, probably has lots of experience teaching students of different skill levels

Knows what VCAA is looking for specifically in certain questions

Might have access to better resources

Cons:

Like you said, can be super expensive

May not have relevant VCE student experience to impart

You could always try going with the graduate and see how that goes and how you feel and if you feel as if it’s not the best option for you, you could then see if the VCAA examiner is better in your case. This again may not be the best solution and we really hope that whatever you choose works out for you. Also remember that you shouldn’t feel locked down by any decision you make because over time, needs may change and at the end of the day it’s your education at hand and you have every right to make the decision that’s best for you.

Hey,

FAM Member 1: The most I paid was $50 per hour and that was for one on one tutoring in Chinese SL.

FAM Member 2: If I’m ignoring the period in primary school when I went to James An… the most I’ve paid for (and am still attending) is $60 per week for two hours for methods, or $50 per hour for various junior school tuition classes. Imo, a tutor’s worth shouldn’t be measured by their hourly rate. The best way to see if someone can provide you what you’re looking for - the best materials/ teaching to help you, and suit your learning personally - is to talk to them or try out a class if it’s a tuition. If you’re really needing a tutor, your personal learning should be the most important criteria (in general, of course everyone may have different circumstances). 

Good luck finding a tutor!

Hey there,

Yes you absolutely can! By picking subjects that you are interested in and enjoy, the likelihood that you’ll be more motivated to study is higher and so you’ll be putting more effort into what you do which hopefully is reflected in your scores. I did one ¾ subject in Year 11 (psych) and did well in it even though I didn’t have a tutor. This year I haven’t had a tutor for methods but I think I’ll end up doing well (i hope so anyway!). Of course, if you would feel more comfortable having extra time with a tutor then absolutely go for it. For two of my other subjects I do tutoring and it’s been a massive help. Just know that if your home situation doesn’t allow for getting a tutor, it’s not the end of the world and you can still do exceptionally well. Have faith in yourself, work hard, and remember that you have plenty of teachers and peers to go to for support at school :)

Heyo,

Unless you have no idea what’s going on in class, no one to help you including your teacher, friends, parents, and so on, and you don’t know where to start learning or revising the subject for final exams - no it’s not recommended. Instead of spending one or two hours + money with basically someone who could alternatively be your maths teacher, you’ll be best off revising content via extended response questions in chapters and starting practise exams.

Most tutors/tuitions are already beginning practice exams/ revision so if you wanted to learn stuff, best to go to revision classes/lectures (e.g. during the hols).

If you want some personal input, look no further than your maths teachers who have been involved in VCE for years, or even the students who took ¾ methods last year. Certainly there’s an imperfect method, and that’s just mindlessly taking practise exams over and over. Taking one practise exam after learning the content fully, learning from your mistakes, knowing how to stay calm under timed-conditions is much better than blowing through 20 exams without taking time to understand what you’re doing. It’s those one or two marks that push your ranking down so learn what mistakes you make often to avoid them. Perhaps keep a mistakes book for easier revision. Or study alongside other friends so you guys can keep each other on the same page. Get in with those who have tutors so they can give out nice advice. Ask around for other advice in preparing for final exams.

However, if you’re looking for another perspective outside of macrob then go ahead and find a tutor or maybe even attend revision classes. It really depends on what your needs are and what you think will help you best. Maths is one of those subjects that requires a lot of practice and understanding in applications - so work on strengthening your foundations and build from then on.

Hey,

It is definitely possible to do well in Methods without tuition. There have been multiple people who have been able to do really well without a tutor. If you are having trouble grasping the concepts in Methods, your first step would be to email/contact your Maths teacher for help outside class (1-on-1). Maths Help usually runs during Tuesday lunchtimes, so if you are having difficulty, that is another alternative option.

If you’re not struggling with content as much and would just like some more practice on application questions, the first step would be to get as many as resources as possible from the Library/Maths portal. Once you’ve worked on a few questions, you might have a few questions which you can ask your teacher for help on. If you are in need of more resources, feel free to once again ask your teacher and I’m sure they’ll be more than happy to help you out.

Even if not your own teacher, there are plenty of other maths teachers who would be happy to help you out so don’t be afraid to just approach them and see how you go. Remember that even touching base with friends and those in other classes taking the same subject as you can be super helpful.

Best of luck,