Mastering STEM Courses: Essential Tips
Whether you are in high school, or university, chances are you’ve likely taken at least one course in the field of STEM. In fact, STEM courses constitute the majority of the tutoring services that we provide to our students. We’ve worked with students in courses such as life sciences, physics, chemistry, and mathematics at multiple different levels of high school and university. Whether you are looking for affordable STEM tutoring services such as life science or chemistry tutoring, or just want some guidance in studying for your science courses, you are at the right place!
Active Learning is Key
Active learning is the process by which you are thoughtful engaging with the material, as opposed to passively reading the textbook. The best way to excel in STEM courses is to focus on understanding the concepts, rather than simply memorizing them. This way, when faced with different variations of the same question you will be able to utilize your understanding to solve the problem creatively and effectively. One of the best ways to study actively is to teach it to a friend, ideally someone who has no prior knowledge of the subject. By forcing yourself to explain a complex topic in simple terms, you start to recognize gaps in your own understanding. This gives you the chance to go back and re-learn those areas to refine your understanding and deepen your grasp of the subject. For more tips on active studying, check out one of our other blog posts here.
2. Seek help early
STEM courses typically build on previous knowledge, which means it is important to reach out for help as soon as you become stuck. This can prevent gaps in your understanding from widening, and make it easier to grasp more advanced concepts later on. The best place to start is by reaching out to your teachers, as they are most familiar with the curriculum of the course and can offer you meaningful advice based on your progress. Other ways of finding help can also come in the form of finding resources online such as YouTube videos that explain the concepts further. Sometimes, hearing a concept explained in a different way can be quite helpful at understanding the topic.
3. Practice, practice, practice
Performing well in STEM is a skill, which requires regular practice to master. Set aside time every day to do some practice to make sure that the concepts are fresh in your mind and there are no gaps in your understanding. Start with easy questions first to build up your foundation and confidence. From there, dive into some of the more advanced questions to test the limits of your understanding. Whenever you are stuck, reach out for help or find resources online to support your understanding. Problem sets from class, examples from lectures, quizzes found online, or questions that you’ve created yourself are all great sources of practice that you should do on a consistent basis to get a tighter grasp of the subject.
4. Maximize your potential with Large Tutoring
Working with a tutor is a fantastic way to improve your understanding, boost your confidence, and obtain the support you need to excel in your courses! Here at Large Tutoring, we have a team of highly professional tutors who are at the top of their game and ready to help you succeed through personal tutoring sessions. We offer a wide range of STEM tutoring services including high school and university tutoring for all courses in STEM. We offer science tutoring online AND in person (depending on your location), whichever works best for you we will try to accommodate!
We hope this article helped! Please do not hesitate to reach out to us for support if you are ever struggling with a course. We are here to help.
