Blog Archives - Page 2 of 2 - BrightSparkz Tutors

Tutor Of The Month: Erin Miller

25th July 2017/0 Comments/in Blog/by BrightSparkz Tutors

Erin is our July 2017 Tutor of the Month!

Erin matriculated from St Andrews School for Girls in 2014 with excellent results all-round, and is currently in her 3rd year of a BA Psychology degree at the University of Pretoria. She is truly passionate about education and would like to teach special needs children once she qualifies. Erin joined BrightSparkz Tutors in 2016 and has gone over and above to prove herself as both an incredibly reliable, focussed and enthusiastic tutor and Concession Facilitator. She is always willing to help, even at short notice, and is constantly going the extra mile for her learners and clients. Erin has worked with more than seven of our clients (tutoring and exam concession clients) over the past year. All of her clients have been immediately willing to provide wonderful feedback and phenomenal testimonies for Erin as an outstanding tutor, as well as a mentor to their children. Erin – thank you for being exceptional! We are so proud to have you as part of our dynamic team!

Erin’s clients have the following to say about her:

“As always the facilitators were punctual and very professional. Once again a pleasant experience liaising with all!”

“My concession facilitators were very friendly, kind and professional. They made me comfortable and calm when I was anxious about tests and exams. Your team is perfect!”

To get your own amazing tutor, click here.

Tutor Of The Month: Genna Moss

30th June 2017/0 Comments/in Blog/by BrightSparkz Tutors

Genna is our June 2017 Tutor of the Month!

Genna is currently in her third year of a Bachelor of Science majoring in Geology and Chemistry at UCT and matriculated from Wynberg Girls’ High School in 2013, having received 4 distinctions in Maths, Biology, Geography and Life Orientation. While still in high school she worked as a peer tutor and has been tutoring for BrightSparkz since 2016. She has been assisting quite a few of our learners since starting with us, two of whom are sponsored learners, and has had several short term or once off learners in the past, who all loved working with her. Genna is always on the ball and super friendly towards the BrightSparkz team and the families she tutors, and we can always count on her to assist a learner in need. When she is not tutoring or studying, she is out on the trails, taking part in mountain biking challenges, or in the water, working towards completing her advanced open diving course.

Genna’s clients have the following to say about her:

”BINGO!!! Genna was a hit. My daughter worked hard for the test but she also says she really enjoyed her lesson with Genna very much … and scored 86% WOOHOO!”

“You can see she understands what she is talking about and is very excited about the subject. She didn’t just learn the content parrot fashion and instead came to teach it to me.”

”The match was great. She is bubbly but firm and he liked the fact that she wasn’t there to try to make a friend. She had a job to do, did it very well and got down to business very quickly.”

“Genna had called me prior to meeting us and I had the opportunity to discuss some of my concerns and she took this info and planned the lesson and gave me feedback after the lesson on what my son needs. This is the first time a tutor has been forthcoming with any information / feedback, so well done!”

”Genna is awesome and her and my son have connected nicely.”

To get your own amazing tutor, click here.

Tutor Of The Month: Mark Bessinger

7th June 2017/0 Comments/in Blog/by BrightSparkz Tutors

Mark is our May 2017 Tutor of the Month!

Mark matriculated in 2011 with outstanding results, including 2 distinctions. He is currently a 6^th year Mechanical Engineering student at the University of Pretoria, and after having been awarded a bursary, he plans to work for Eskom once he has completed his studies. He is one of our highly recommended tutors, having worked with many learners. Mark has a passion for teaching and it is still something he considers as a possible career, having thoroughly enjoyed his experience in tutoring so far.

His advice for students is to “work hard and work smart while keeping a positive attitude”.

To get your own amazing tutor, click here.

The Brains Behind BrightSparkz

24th January 2017/0 Comments/in Blog/by Dominique Oebell

“Purpose is the reason you journey. Passion is the fire that lights your way.”

It’s been 10 years since the humble beginnings of a few flyer handouts and informal tutor recruitment. As we celebrate our decade milestone, the brains behind BrightSparkz get personal – sharing some insights into running a business, their various challenges and achievements, as well as a snippet of what we can expect from BrightSparkz in the future.

Amy Stockwell (Johannesburg)
“I completed a BSc. Physiotherapy degree before moving from Cape Town to Johannesburg at the end of 2006 to do my year of community service, while also planning the expansion of our Cape Town tutoring business to Gauteng. In 2009 I completed a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management through the Wits Business School, and quickly realised that business was my passion. In 2011, I stopped practicing physiotherapy, got married and started dedicating all my time to BrightSparkz Tutors. Our family grew in May 2015 when we were blessed with our baby boy, so my time is currently best spent on being a mom and supportive wife to my husband, who is a competitive cyclist and mountain biker. When I get time of my own, I enjoy running 10km and 21km races.”

Dominique Oebell (Cape Town)
“I completed a BSc. Physiotherapy at UCT in 2006, and worked part-time as a physiotherapist while we were establishing BrightSparkz Tutors. In 2013, I obtained a Post-Graduate Diploma in Business Administration at the UCT Graduate School of Business, and while it was initially Physiotherapy that developed a lot of empathy in me and a passion to make a difference, I believe that its entrepreneurship and education that can really improve people’s lives. In my free time I love spending time at the beach, walking my dogs, and reading books that inspire me to be a better person. My faith life is also really important to me, and that keeps me centered when things get stressful!”

Q1: Where did you get the idea from to start a tutoring company and what took it from an idea to an actual business? (What was your greatest motivation to get started?)

I started tutoring in primary school and continued into my university years. In third year I was unable to take on more learners, but still tried to help to find suitable tutors for parents who contacted me. This is where the idea was born. After some research, we realised that there wasn’t much out there in terms of home based one-on-one tutoring, and that parents really needed this type of service. AS

Q2: What would you say to people who aren’t fired up about what they’re doing or studying?

I would advise them to not settle on that career (although sometimes it is wise to learn what you can from a field and to use it to your advantage in a transition period), and to keep exposing themselves to different job environments or fields, to discover what makes them tick. Once they have discovered this, to start meeting people and growing their network of individuals who operate in these fields or environments. This is a great way to learn more about a field, but also to be made aware of new job or business opportunities that arise within those fields. DO

Q3: What advice would you give people who have or are thinking about starting a business?

Starting a business is the easy part. Maintaining it and “finishing” well is the hard part! Knowing why you want to start a business is key. Many experts in a field assume the logical next step is to start their own company but what they don’t realise is that the skills that make them a great employee are not the same skills that will make them a great entrepreneur. They start with great enthusiasm, with ideas of being their own boss and having their own time, only to realise that often the initial investment of time and energy (and money) can be much greater than expected.

Knowing what your customers needs are, as well as how many players are already in the market, is also critical. It doesn’t matter how well you bake bread – if no one is needing home-baked bread, or there are already 5 people baking bread in your community, your business will fail (unless you can provide something that no one else is, that your customers are needing, of course!). DO

Q4: The world has changed a lot in the last 10 years, particularly in the area of technology. What is BS doing to leverage the technology we have available to us to better serve and educate learners?

It definitely has! BrightSparkz started using a very manual system until we knew exactly what our needs were, and had our first custom system built in 2011. This is something we are in the process of upgrading, and have also been developing a mobile responsive system that we are currently rolling out with our tutors, and will extend to clients later in the year.

We also introduced BrightSparkz Mobile Maths and Science in 2014, which is a platform that allows learners to access user friendly resources via their PC, tablet, or smartphone. The program caters for both CAPS and IEB learners, by dividing the Maths, Physical Science, and Natural Sciences curricula into comprehensive sections. It’s a great tool to help children and their tutor work through and consolidate the Maths and / or Science syllabus for the year, especially in preparation for tests and exams.

One of our missions is to automate as much as we can without taking away the personal touch from our service, as this is something that is still extremely important to us. AS

Q5: Do you think the gradual move to online education and self-education is a positive one? Is BS responding to this transition is any way?

There are pro’s and con’s to every change in society, but we have never before had access to so much information as we do in the digital era, and that opens up opportunities for learning to many more people. One can learn anything without traditional limitations of space, time, and money. That said, there is still incredible value in face-to-face time with a tutor/teacher/facilitator, and there seems to be a higher level of accountability in face-to-face or blending learning environments. I think the challenge for online education service providers still lies in how to motivate individuals effectively, specifically children and teenagers.

We are currently positioning ourselves in such a way that we are able to grow with the changes that are changing the landscape of extra-curricular educational services. Online tutoring via Skype is something we already offer, as well as additional tools such as online whiteboards and learning platforms are just a few of our tech plans for future. However, we believe strongly in a blended learning approach, and will always incorporate the human element into our service offerings regardless of how the tech landscape changes, as we believe this is still what our customers are wanting. DO

Q6: What have been some of the greatest challenges, and greatest achievements over the past 10 years?

Persevering with this business has probably been the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life! There have been so many times when I’ve wanted to throw in the towel and trade it in for a job! But after a good cry and a pep-talk from my family, I determine what needs to change and I keep at it. Being able to celebrate our 10-year anniversary is a huge milestone for us! We have learnt many lessons and have experienced many setbacks, yet I’m proud of the excellent service standards we maintain and of our current team of staff who work really hard to attain this. We’ve had many challenges in the areas of staffing, navigating company restructuring, and in getting our business processes up to speed with competitors who use more sophisticated technology. In some areas, we’ve had to work really hard to catch up and although we have not yet “arrived”, our hard work is paying off and we’ve been able to secure contracts with larger educational institutions, publishers and even film production companies. DO

Q7: How is BS trying to intentionally deal with the challenges faced by South African learners?

One of our primary goals is to eventually make tutoring accessible to as many South African learners as possible, regardless of their socioeconomic backgrounds. Part of our planning this year is to officially launch our corporate sponsorship program, in order to extend our reach in this regard. We have previously worked with numerous foundations who assist in identifying learners showing potential and who would otherwise not be able to afford assistance. This is something we are extremely excited and passionate about, and look forward to partnering with organizations who value education as the key to the future, as much as we do. AS

“No one can be sure of what changes, big or small, lie ahead. One thing is certain, our journey is not over.”

Interested in one-on-one tutoring in the comfort of your own home? We can make that happen for you! Feel free to get in touch with us here.

Written By: Ashleigh de Jager, BrightSparkz Blog Writer

We’ve Got Talent! The 2014 BrightSparkz Top Tutor Awards

24th March 2015/0 Comments/in Blog/by Dominique Oebell

Tutor Tips: How to Sharpen Your Mind

18th November 2014/1 Comment/in Blog/by Dominique Oebell

Keeping the mind focused and attuned to what you are supposed to be focused on can be challenging! This is especially applicable for those of us who have busy schedules and who are in the middle of exams. Knowing the trivialities of distraction and procrastination; here is a list of ways to help you sharpen your mind.

Stay Active – Research shows that the more active you are; the better you are at retaining information and the less likely you are to suffer from memory loss as you get older. This doesn’t mean that you need to be at the gym every day. Instead, consider taking a daily walk or a different route to work or school in order to keep your mind and body active and engaged.

Break Things Up! – It is easier to memorize larger topics in parts. Once you are used to remembering smaller sections of information, you can start processing bigger chunks as you go along. This way you will get used to retaining more information each time.

Keep Things Organized – It’s difficult to remember things if your surroundings are disorganised. Take the time to organise your studies and study environment because the brain will then be able to sort what you study in a similar way as to how you organized it in the physical space

Visualize – Some studies suggest that it helps to visualize what it is you want to remember. The brain works by creating visuals of things. For example, when you read the word “dog” your brain doesn’t conjure up an image of the letters d-o-g, but rather the word invokes images of what a dog is. Rather than trying to get your brain to remember random symbols, attach the meaning of those symbols to visual cues and concepts that are easier to remember.

Use Associations – The brain works by building a large network of associations. That’s why there are certain words, phrases, and images that automatically make us link and remember certain things. If you want to remember someone’s name (especially in history), it’s good to build a memory association around it. That way all you have to do is remember the association, and the name should pop up along with it.

Use Mnemonics – This involves using phrases like Never Eat Silk Worms to remember the order of compass directions; N (North) E (East) S (SOUTH) and W (West). Mnemonics provide clues about what you’re trying to remember. If you have to remember a list of random items, it may be easier to establish a mnemonic in order to keep it organized and help you remember the first letter of each item on that list.

Rehearse and Rephrase – Rehearsing what you need to remember is a great way to commit it to memory. This will add repetition; and tutors, this is especially helpful for younger learners! Rephrase large sections of information into a short story or rhyme to help your learners remember information in a fun way.
Use Gestures – When you use or make gestures such as tapping, clapping, snapping, and others in conjunction with what you’re trying to remember, it commits this information to your muscle memory.

Say it Loud – Saying what you want to remember aloud helps you to remember things better and to recall it later. People have an aural memory when hearing what is spoken. This engages a different part of your brain, which can be beneficial to the process of recalling what it is you need.

Lastly, stay hydrated and feed your brain – Water, water, water! And remember the food you eat has a direct effect on your brain, which is why it’s essential to eat foods that contain the proper antioxidants for brain health.

Written by Kristin Naude of BrightSparkz Tutors – English and Maths Tutor

Why should you choose BrightSparkz?

2nd October 2014/0 Comments/in Blog/by Dominique Oebell

There are many companies with very professional and helpful tutors. So why should you choose BrightSparkz?

Many learners struggle to find a method of studying that works for them. This is one reason why it is important to find the most suitable tutor for each learner’s individual needs. Our tutors take each learner’s unique background, personality, and goals into consideration, in order to structure effective tutoring sessions. Some of our key methods include identifying the ‘gaps’ and filling in the basics of the subject that may have been missed in earlier years whilst still taking a fun and purposeful approach to the subject in order to promote a positive attitude towards it. Maths and Science tutor, Hloni, says her secret weapon is to “make lessons fun so that you and the learner are enjoying the content you are covering.”

Katleho admits he “wasn’t particularly thrilled with the idea” of getting a tutor but that it is “way better than I thought.” He says, “I don’t know where BrightSparkz are getting their tutors, but they are somehow able to make schoolwork enjoyable”.

Through years of experience in home tuition, we have discovered that one-on-one lessons with a passionate, knowledgeable, and patient tutor, brings back new interest into ‘boring’ subjects, creates opportunities to ask questions freely, and positively changes attitudes towards learning. As English, Afrikaans and Xhosa tutor, Ulricke, says, “Every problem or challenge will always be accompanied with a learning opportunity.”

Western Cape Education Department Aims High

17th September 2014/0 Comments/in Blog/by Dominique Oebell

The Western Cape Education Department is hopeful about increasing its level of matric passes this year, aiming for a pass rate of at least 75%. Helen Zille and her education MEC, Debbie Schafer, say it is important to look at the retention rate of Grade 10 pupils in order to arrive at the ‘real’ matric pass rate. The province’s retention rate for Grade 10 to 12 has improved from 53.1% in 2009 to 63.5% in 2014. Last year 85.1% of pupils in the Western Cape attained their national senior certificate.

The province is aiming to reach a target of 43 000 passes this year as compared to the 40 558 in 2013. At this point, just below 50 000 full-time pupils are registered to write their final exams. “The Western Cape education department will continue to assist learners in the remaining 42 days with intensive support to schools,” says Zille.

Additionally, the Western Cape is hoping to maintain a target of 40% of pupils achieving access to education at a tertiary level. The South African government says they are committed to increasing the numbers of honours graduates to more than 75 000, masters’ graduates to more than 17 000, and doctoral graduates to more than 5 000, by the end of 2014. Unfortunately, the challenge in fully meeting these targets “is that the production of these skills is threatened by an ageing lecturing workforce at higher education institutions,” says Zuma. “One fifth of academics will retire within a decade, and many of these are professors”. This means the most experienced of academics “will be leaving higher education”. South Africa needs to produce more graduates entering the education field and so we need to make academia more “exciting for our youth”.

Written by Kristin Naude
BrightSparkz specialist tutor – Maths Literacy, English, History and Biology