Entertaining educator talks tutoring
By Suwitcha Chaiyong
Photos by Varuth Hirunyatheb
Did you know
Bob and his wife Nattasinee recently released a book called Koo Mue Kon Ha Porn Sa Wan Look (Child Talent’s Search).
Apart from being a newscaster on Channel 3, a TV host and an event MC, Nattee Kosolpisit (Bob) is well known to Thai students as a famous mathematics tutor and the owner of the www.clickforclever.com tutoring website.
The website is popular because of its fun and informative videos in various different subjects, presented by young tutors.
Bob began working as a math tutor when he was still a freshman at Chulalongkorn’s Faculty of Engineering. Before setting up his website, Bob ran the Me-iQ tutoring school. As he was planning to open new branches of his school, he found that online videos could provide the same teaching quality in a way that students access easily.
Student Weekly met up with the 35-year-old Bob to chat about his tutoring career, his advice for students and his free tutoring sessions at the upcoming Click For U Season 4 event.
Student Weekly: Were you always good at math?
Bob: I became good at math in high school when a guidance counsellor told me to take extra classes at a tutoring school. I also took a lot of math tests and became a school representative in many competitions.
I like math because it doesn’t require a lot of reading. I like to figure out solutions to each problem. It’s challenging.
Student Weekly: What do you like about being a tutor?
Bob: I have fun teaching young people. My first work as a tutor was teaching 20 juniors at my school, Nawaminthrachinuthit Triamudomsuksanomklao. The students told me that they understood math and could do their tests because of me. Those comments made me feel proud. I’m happy to give adolescents opportunities to achieve their goals. That’s what makes me want to continue teaching.
Student Weekly: Do you have any particular advice for students who want to be good at math?
Bob: Pay attention in class. I used to sit at the front of the class and answer questions from the teachers. If I couldn’t answer a question, I asked for explanations. If you have trouble understanding the teacher, you should go through your text books before attending class.
To understand math, you must have the basic knowledge that you learn in primary school. If you have hard time to understanding your current lessons, go back and try to understand the basics again.
Student Weekly: How do you find tutors who can provide fun and informative lessons?
Bob: I aim to have young tutors because they can understand teenagers better than older teachers. Our tutors watch the same TV shows as our students, and they speak the same language. Aside from being young, our tutors must be good at imparting knowledge to students. We don’t want somebody who knows a lot but who can’t communicate well.
I have experience in both education and show business, so our classes combine information and entertainment. We also use new technology and multimedia to make our lessons fun and interesting.
Student Weekly: Can you tell us about your free tutoring sessions at the upcoming Click for U Season 4?
Bob: Click for U aims to help students who can’t afford our online classes. I want all student have equal access to education. Students who can’t make it to the sessions can still learn with our free videos.
Click for U is like a tutoring talk show. The tutors entertain the participants and as they lecture. We want students feel that learning is fun. There will also be musical performances at the end of each session.
Student Weekly: Do you have anything special lined up for season 4?
Bob: There will be a test called Scan Future. It was created to help students choose the subjects that would suit them best if they go to university. A lot of students waste time at university because they don’t really know what they want to do. The Scan Future test gives results based on a student’s personality, behaviour and interests.
Student Weekly: Do you have any other message for students in general?
Bob: Students who do well in university exams will have more opportunities for future careers. Pay attention to your studies and work hard. There will be a lot of useful free tutoring sessions, so please attend them if you can. You will always feel proud if you pass your exams.
To attend Click for U Season 4, students must register online at www.clickforclever.com.
The sessions will take place at the following times and places:
November 29 at Central Plaza Khon Kaen, Khon Kaen
December 6 at Central Plaza Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai
December 13 at Central Plaza Chaengwattana, Bangkok
December 20 at Central Plaza Hat Yai, Songkhla
Vocabulary
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guidance (n): help and advice that is given to somebody, especially by somebody who is older and more experienced
solution (n): the answer to a problem, a puzzle, etc.
adolescent (n): a young person who is developing into an adult
current (adj): happening now; of the present time
basics (n): the most important and necessary facts, skills, ideas, etc. from which other things develop
informative (adj): giving useful information
impart (v): to pass information, knowledge, etc. to other people
multimedia (adj): using several different ways of giving informationIdiom
speak the same language: to be able to communicate easily with another person because you share similar opinions and experience
