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View Full Version : Has anyone tried Sylvan Learning Center or another tutoring center?



jess_g
04-27-2010, 12:13 PM
My ds is behind in math and the school will not even admit that he is behind. He is in 4th grade and sort of learning his times tables (finaly!) and does not know anything about division yet. I am geting kind of worried that if he is behind now he will be realy be behind next year when he starts middle school.

I am wondering if anyone has any experience with tutoring over the summer. Has anyone used Sylvan Learning Center or Kumon or another tutoring center? Did it help? And how expensive was it? I would love to teach him myslef but I am not sure if I could do a good enough job and since he is already struggling I think a tutoring center would be a good choice for him.

Thanks,

Jessica.

egoldber
04-27-2010, 12:19 PM
I know people who have used and like Kumon. But I have no idea how much it is.

There are also "math camps" that you could look into. I know kids who have done these and really enjoyed them although the one I know of seems to be local.

You could also buy some workbooks or an inexpensive curriculum and take a DIY approach. We like Singapore Math. It's about $40 for a textbook/workbook combo for a year.

There are also many teachers who tutor on the side in the summer. You could ask around at his school to see if someone is interested.

khalloc
04-27-2010, 12:26 PM
My brother did Sylvan Learning Center back when he was maybe in 4,5,6 grades. I forget exactly. It was in the 80's! But he really made an improvement. I believe he did it for reading and math. He was so disorganized and couldn't tell you what he read, etc...and afterwards he was much more on top of things. He's older than I am, so my recollection of it is probably not sharp. But I think my parents were happy with the results.

brittone2
04-27-2010, 12:26 PM
We use singapore for homeschooling and like it. I know they introduce the concepts of multiplication in the Primary 1B textbook/workbook. IIRC they have "placement" tests available online...Singapore is fairly challenging so the grade level of those books may not line up with your child's current grade level if they've never used Singapore.

There are also some math song CDs that have songs w/ multiplication and division tables, and lots of great games. One game (a little spendy) I can think of is this:
http://www.livelylessons.com/Nobleknights.html

I know quite a few people on the HSing forums at MDC like this one...no personal experience though. Amazon often has some cool educational/math games too (Learning Resources makes some fun products)

egoldber
04-27-2010, 12:29 PM
Oh to practice times tables, a great on-line game is Timez Attack.

www.bigbrainz.com

There is a version you can pay for, but we just used the free version. My older DD loves it.

Another computer game is Math Missions, but she does not like that one as much.

Singapore spirals a bit, so they intro multiplication early, but I think the bulk of it is in 2B and 3A. We did 3A and 3B with older DD the summer before third grade and it was very helpful to her IMO. She did not do all of it, just worked on whatever she thought was fun.

brittone2
04-27-2010, 12:31 PM
Oh to practice times tables, a great on-line game is Timez Attack.

www.bigbrainz.com (http://www.bigbrainz.com)

There is a version you can pay for, but we just used the free version. My older DD loves it.

Another computer game is Math Missions, but she does not like that one as much.

Singapore spirals a bit, so they intro multiplication early, but I think the bulk of it is in 2B and 3A. We did 3A and 3B with older DD the summer before third grade and it was very helpful to her IMO. She did not do all of it, just worked on whatever she thought was fun.

Yeah, the 1B is definitely just a little toe dip into it LOL. We haven't moved to 2A yet (need to order but waiting for after our move...) so I can't comment on the other levels very well. Thanks for explaining :)

egoldber
04-27-2010, 01:07 PM
On further thought, since he's a 4th grader, I'd be a little cautious about using books "labeled" with an earlier grade, since they may turn him off.

If you go to Amazon and search on "multiplication book" you'll find tons of books and workbooks aimed at teaching this skill.

jenmcadams
04-27-2010, 01:08 PM
We have a couple of friends who have used Sylvan and really feel like it helped, but I think it's pretty expensive. Depending on how much help he needs, you might be able to do it yourself with an online site, books (we like Singapore), and just supplement with a tutor.

schrocat
04-27-2010, 01:24 PM
The school I went to used the textbooks now marketed as Singapore Math when I was growing up. I had alot of fun learning math in "elementary" school.

I've heard good things about Kumon too. My friends' 5 year olds who will be going into kindergarten in the fall at the same time as my DS are doing division and writing essays thanks to the Kumon program. My 4 year old taught himself to add, subtract and divide but he's nowhere near doing division or writing essays!

jamesmom
04-27-2010, 01:31 PM
Another vote for Kumon and Singapore Math. This is for a first grader though.

boltfam
04-27-2010, 02:58 PM
Before the arrival of DS two years ago, I tutored at Sylvan Learning Center for about 6 months. They have a very well-organized program and all the students I worked with made huge improvements. There were a lot of pleased parents. I honestly have no idea what the cost is, but I think it depends on how often your DC would attend. If he's not too far behind, you could probably just do a couple of days a week.

I was a 5th grade teacher for 2 years prior to working at Sylvan, and all of the tutors there are either current teachers or people with teaching degrees. If your DC likes structure, I would highly recommend Sylvan.

mamicka
04-27-2010, 03:04 PM
Oh to practice times tables, a great on-line game is Timez Attack.

www.bigbrainz.com (http://www.bigbrainz.com)

There is a version you can pay for, but we just used the free version. My older DD loves it.



:yeahthat: My kids love this game. We also only use the free version.

Babywhite
04-27-2010, 03:44 PM
I was a Director of Education at Sylvan for several years. While it is expensive, it works.

I highly recommend it. :)