Welcome to A.M. Online!

brought to you by EXAMS.IE

The one-stop website for Leaving Cert Applied Maths.

Keep scrolling for more info!

“Everything a student needs, all in one place.”

For one payment of €99, we provide each student with ALL FIFTEEN of the following for the entire school year.
(Membership includes direct student-teacher interaction with features 2, 3 and 14!)
FUTHER INFORMATION

In addition to on-demand videos, the primary other feature of most membership websites is non-interactive notes/slides. 

In contrast, our members gain access to all of our interactive DIGITAL LESSONS, allowing students to learn the subject more effectively.

Each of our lessons highlight the following:

1) KEY POINTS
The most important parts of the lesson.

2) CAUSES OF CONFUSION
Common mistakes that students make.

3) EXAM TIPS
Tips to give students that extra edge on the exam!

FUTHER INFORMATION

Rather than only having a teacher to help you while in school, wouldn’t it be great if you had access to a teacher while you are studying at home as well?

Well, we provide exactly that!

For every school day of the year, our teacher, Dr. Ciarán Kenny, streams live from 4pm.

Members can type a question into Teacher Chat (shown in the bottom right), e.g.

“I just tried this question and have no idea what’s going on, help!”

We will then get to work helping you with that question on TEACHER LIVE!.

FUTHER INFORMATION

Need help outside of Teacher Live! hours? We got your covered!

Regardless of whether it is the weekend, a bank holiday etc., students can continue to get the support that they need.

Using our TEACHER CHAT feature (shown in the bottom right), students can send us questions at any point during the school year. Within 24 hours (typically much sooner!), we will then answer that question with text, images and/or videos when necessary!

FUTHER INFORMATION

In addition to our free past paper video walkthroughs, we also include lots of additional ON-DEMAND VIDEOS with our membership!

For example, each our mock exams not only come with written answers and solutions, but also video walkthroughs!

FUTHER INFORMATION

We also provide what we refer to as KNOWLEDGE CHECKS at the end of every digital lesson.

These quizzes consist of quick-fire questions that give students immediate feedback as to whether that digital lesson “clicked” or not.

If that lesson clicked, students can then proceed to our corresponding practice questions for that lesson. If not, rather than jumping straight into attempting questions that they may not be ready for, students can instead first turn to one of our other features to help with their understanding, e.g. Teacher Live!

FUTHER INFORMATION

The only visual aids that are provided to students in a schoolbook are static images.

In contrast, we provide vibrant ANIMATIONS throughout our digital lessons.

These animations offer a more effective way of visually learning a new concept and of keeping a student engaged.

FUTHER INFORMATION

We provide our members with just as many PRACTICE QUESTIONS as found in a schoolbook.

As in a schoolbook, these questions are of varying difficulty, both at Higher Level and at Ordinary Level, thereby allowing students to build up their understanding towards exam-type questions.

Unlike a schoolbook, as described in our “Layered Solutions” feature below, students can assess their understanding of each question in three different ways: with answers, solutions and walkthroughs!

FUTHER INFORMATION

We provide students with our own MOCK EXAMS that are exclusive to our members.

Our mock exam questions can be sorted both by exam and by topic!

FUTHER INFORMATION

Our MOCK EXAM SOLUTIONS consist of three different methods for students to check their understanding of each question.

1) ANSWERS

These allow students to quickly check if they did the question correctly.

2) SOLUTIONS

These show students what should they write down when answering the question.

3) VIDEO WALKTHROUGHS

These offer explanations as to where the solutions come from.

As always, even in the unlikely event that students still do not understand a particular question,  they can also get additional support on Teacher Live!

FUTHER INFORMATION

Each of our practice questions include LAYERED SOLUTIONS in the form of three different methods for students to check their understanding:

1) ANSWERS
These allow students to quickly check if they did the question correctly.

2) SOLUTIONS
These show students what they should write down when answering the question.

3) WALKTHROUGHS
These explain to students where each solution comes from.

Therefore, unlike a schoolbook, not only do we provide the answers at the back of a schoolbook, not only do we provide the solutions found in a teacher’s handbook, but we also include walkthroughs, i.e. what a teacher would say if they explained the solution to you.

Can you imagine having answers, solutions and walkthroughs to every single exercise question in your schoolbook? Well, we provide exactly that!

FUTHER INFORMATION

We make no assumptions about a student’s understanding of maths, what they have done so far in their maths subject, whether they are doing Higher Level or Ordinary Level maths etc.

Instead, any time we feel that some students may first require a quick introduction to a particular maths topic in order to understand a concept in Applied Maths, we provide that L.C. MATHS MATERIAL content in a tab at the start of the corresponding digital lesson.

This content also provides a teaser as to what students can expect to find on L.C. Maths, our Leaving Cert Maths website!

FUTHER INFORMATION

Not only do we not assume anything about a student’s understanding of Leaving Cert Maths, we also make no assumptions about what each student recollects about Junior Cycle Maths!

Instead, any time an Applied Maths concept requires knowledge of a Junior Cycle Maths topic, we also provide that J.C. MATHS MATERIAL in a tab at the start of the corresponding digital lesson.

FUTHER INFORMATION

In 6th year, applied maths students write a report on a topic associated with Applied Maths. This project is worth 20% of a student’s final grade, with the Leaving Cert examination worth the remaining 80%.

Don’t worry! This project requires submitting a report of at most 900 words and is considered to be an easy way to collect marks!

We provide several SAMPLE PROJECTS so that students can see exactly what is expected from their projects, in addition to tips and tricks that are specific to this year’s project.

FUTHER INFORMATION

For our 6th year members, we provide assistance during their final period of EXAM REVISION by livestreaming non-stop from 9am to 9pm during both of the two days prior to the Leaving Cert Applied Maths exam (a total of 24 hours!)

If any member needs support during this last bit of revision, they can hop on to Teacher Chat and ask us for help, e.g.

“I tried this past paper question but keep getting an incorrect answer. What am I doing wrong?”

As always, we will then answer that question then and there on Teacher Live!

FUTHER INFORMATION

We provide concise REVISION SHEETS that allow students to quickly confirm that they understand all of the essentials for every topic.

As with our digital lessons, each sheet comprises a collection of the most important points of each topic in three different categories.

1) KEY POINTS
The most important parts of the topic.

2) CAUSES OF CONFUSION
Common mistakes that students make.

3) EXAM TIPS
Tips to give students that extra edge on the exam!

An example of such a revision sheet is provided for free below!

€99 is the total price for all of the above for the entire school year!

The majority of other membership websites are significantly more expensive and focus primarily on just two features: videos and notes/slides.

In particular, such memberships typically include little (if any) direct student-teacher interaction.

In contrast, we offer such interactions with a qualified teacher every school day via our Teacher Live! and Teacher Chat features, in addition to offering many other features that are unique to our website.

How do I know if a membership is right for me?

We give every new member 24 hours to check out all of our resources and features and, in the unlikely event that you don’t like what we offer, you can ask for a full refund – no questions asked!

Can I still join if school term has already started?

YES!

Students are free to become a member at any point during the year.

Of course, the earlier you join, the more time you will have to make use of our resources.

The sooner, the better!

What devices can I use for my membership?

All of our resources have been optimised to work across all of the usual devices – computers, tablets and smartphones!

For more information, check out our Frequently Asked Questions page.

“Students can get instant video support from a qualified teacher every school day using our Teacher Live! feature.”

Taught in small groups, and includes a FREE membership!

We offer a course consisting of 30 weekly classes spread throughout the school year.

1) Small Class Sizes

Classes are taught in small groups of a maximum of eight students.

2) Live & Recorded

Each of our live classes will be recorded so that they may be rewatched on-demand.

3) Includes a FREE Membership

This effectively makes our classes less than €7 each!!!
Our custom-made Knowledge Check quizzes also allow us to keep track of your progress throughout the year!

2023/24 CALENDAR

To join our weekly classes, simply click on your preferred timeslot!
More information about our weekly classes can be found using the button below!

We believe that there are five key elements associated with effective online classes:

1) Qualifications: Are all of the classes given by qualified, experienced teachers?

2) Class Size: Are the class sizes significantly smaller than in a free public school (≤ 12)?

3) Price: Are the classes significantly cheaper than one-to-one grinds (≤ €12)?

4) Benefits: Are more than 75% of our membership features included with the classes?

5) Support: Can I get additional instant video help from my class teacher every school day?

Although we consider these five qualities to be the bare minimum as to what should be expected from online classes, you may be surprised to find that the majority of other popular educational support websites only satisfy one of these requirements!

A.M. ONLINE

✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

VS.

Dublin Academy

✘ ✘ ✘ ✘

Institute of Education

✘ ✘ ✘ ✘

Ashfield College

✘ ✘ ✘ ✘

Regular prices compared in the above. 2) is answered no if a maximum class size is not stated on the class details page. Information correct as of 30th June 2023.
What is the structure of each class?
Our classes are typically broken into the following five stages.
1) RETENTION

The first 5 – 10 minutes are spent checking if each student recalls and still understands the material from the previous week’s class.

This is of particular importance if the material of the current class directly relies on a deep understanding of the material from the previous class.

2) NEW CONCEPTS

The teacher then introduces and explains the new concept(s).

Throughout this stage, the teacher will be frequently checking each student’s understanding by asking them questions.

3) KNOWLEDGE CHECK

Before jumping into practice questions, the class will then spend 5 minutes going through one of our own custom-made “Knowledge Checks”.

These quizzes consist of quick-fire questions which give the teacher immediate feedback as to whether the new material has “clicked” or not.

Based on the results of this quiz, the teacher may also decide to briefly return to stage 2 again above before proceeding to stage 4 below.

4) PRACTICE QUESTIONS

The teacher will then check each student’s understanding of the material by assigning some practice questions. This is typically done in three parts:

a) The teacher alone will go through the solutions to some questions.

b) The teacher & students will then go through the solutions to some questions together. The teacher will ask one student how to do the first step of a question, then another how to do the next step etc.

c) The students will then go through a question or two in full by themselves. The teacher will continuously ask students how they are getting on and will encourage them to ask for help if they get stuck.

5) REFLECTION

In the last five minutes, the class as a whole will discuss how confident they feel in this new material.

The teacher will also provide additional practice questions for students to attempt in their own time.

Students will also be reminded that, if they get stuck attempting any of these questions, they can ask for immediate help on Teacher Live! or Teacher Chat while that issue is fresh in their mind rather than waiting until the next class.

This structure is very flexible and may differ in certain classes depending on the material that is being discussed.
Can I still join if school term has already started?

Absolutely!

However, as we keep our class sizes small, we may not have any timeslots remaining once terms starts.

The sooner, the better!

What if the timeslots do not suit me?

We offer the ability to create an additional timeslot for a group of students to be given at a time that suits that group.

Therefore, if many of your classmates/friends feel that they would benefit from having such classes, let us know at [email protected] and we’ll create that timeslot for your group!

For more information, check out our Frequently Asked Questions page.

“Reducing class sizes from 22 students to 15 students was found to increase student achievement by an amount equivalent to about 3 additional months of schooling…”

– Student Teacher Achievement Ratio (STAR) study (details)

Designed to target your weakest areas.

As our one-to-one grinds are only €35 each, they are priced similarly to group grinds elsewhere!

1) Flexible

The student decides when the grind should take place and what we should discuss.

2) Live & Recorded

Each of our live grinds will be recorded so that they may be rewatched on-demand.

3) No Commitments

Our grinds can be booked one at a time.
Each of our students also receive their own personalised webpage that includes the recordings of each grind in addition to questions to practice with. [Example]
If you’re interested in booking one of our grinds, click an available timeslot in the following calendar:
If you’d first like more details about how these grinds work, click the button below!

The most effective way for a student to learn from a teacher is one-to-one.

Even so, all of the websites that we have previously mentioned have one thing in common – not a single one of them offers one-to-one tuition.

Such websites are therefore openly admitting that they do not offer the most effective means for their own students to learn.

The reason? One-to-one classes and grinds are not as profitable as group classes and grinds.

The education of students is therefore not their primary motivation.

In addition, offering such one-to-one tuition would further highlight how expensive their group classes and grinds are in comparison.

We, however, will always offer the tuition that results in the greatest improvements, regardless of whether that makes financial sense or not.

A.M. ONLINE

€35 each

VS.

Dublin Academy

Not offered

Institute of Education

Not offered

Ashfield College

Not offered

Information correct as of 30th June 2023.
What is the cost of each grind?

Our one-to-one grinds cost €35 each.

How do I book more than one grind?

Easy!

After clicking the timeslot for your first grind, you will redirected to our checkout page where you will once again see the calendar above.

From there, each additional timeslot that you choose will be added to your basket so that you may book all of your grinds at once!

How do I access the recordings and practice questions?

Each of our grinds students receive their own (password-protected) personalised webpage in which the recordings of all of their grinds are conveniently located. [Example]

For more information, check out our Frequently Asked Questions page.

“Our one-to-one grinds are comparable in price to many group grinds elsewhere.”

Below, you will find a sample of messages sent to us by some of our previous students.
“Hi, just wanted to say thank you so much.
Got the H1 in Applied Maths thanks to you!”
– Student #1 (Source)
“Hi I just wanted to email and let you know I got a H1 in ap maths!!!
Having picked it up last November with your notes I never could have imagined getting a H1 but thanks to your help I somehow achieved that so thank you so much!!!”
– Student #2 (Source)
“I want to thank you for helping me get a H1 in my leaving cert Applied maths exam!
I did not understand difference equations as we only had one class a week and the book was very confusing, but thanfully you taught it very very in depth.
I appreciate your Website and the work you do, thank you Mr. Kenny.”
– Student #3 (Source)
The above messages were sent to us voluntarily. We never ask students to leave us reviews as we consider this to be disingenuous.

In addition to fake reviews (see below), the following are unfortunately also very common in Irish educational support:

1) Incentivised Reviews: Many websites ask students to leave reviews with the promise of receiving future discounts, entries to prize draws etc. in return.

2) Deleted Reviews: Many of our students have stated that the negative reviews that they (or their parents) have left on social media pages, Trustpilot etc. for other websites have been removed without explanation.

In fact, based on the information provided by those students, such tactics appear to be not only commonplace but in fact the norm.

We therefore strongly discourage anyone from choosing their educational support based purely on online reviews, testimonials etc.

How do I spot fake reviews?

Below, we have placed fake or misleading reviews into four categories.

1) PHOTO/VIDEO REVIEWS

On the homepage of many websites, you will find photos or videos of the students and parents themselves, often together with their parent’s review.

These photos and videos often include young children, e.g. Junior Cycle students (or even younger).

These are typically either paid-for reviews or people associated with the employees.

Parents are unlikely to sacrifice the privacy of their children purely because they liked a service that they paid for, especially when they can just write a review.

Instead, they need to be heavily incentivised to do so, either through cash or heavily discounted (or even free) grinds for the year.

2) 5 STAR REVIEWS

Fake 5 star reviews are typically overly-detailed compared to genuine 5 star reviews.
(Typically, only negative genuine reviews are very detailed.)

Again, such detailed reviews are often paid-for reviews, incentivised reviews or are left by friends and family members of the employees (or by the employees themselves).

3) 3-4 STAR REVIEWS

If students receive very good, but overpriced, support, you would expect to find many average reviews like the following:

“My daughter found the grinds helpful; however, I still thought that they were very expensive compared to other options.”

If you can’t find many reviews like this for what are clearly expensive websites, that should be an immediate red flag.

4) 1-2 STAR REVIEWS

On most review platforms (social media, Trustpilot etc.), it is quite trivial to delete (or hide) negative reviews.

There will always be a small proportion of parents who expect miracles from grinds or classes and who will react negatively in their review if they do not receive that miracle.

A complete lack of negative reviews is therefore a bigger red flag than the presence of a small number of negative reviews.

If you’re confident that you’ve found a fake or paid-for review, you should not trust any of the reviews for that website.
Are some websites acting illegally?

As we are not a legal entity, we do not intend to offer legal opinions. 

However, for the reader’s interest, we have provided some of the relevant regulations below in regards to fake reviews specifically.

We recommend that the reader comes to their own conclusions only after seeking professional legal advice.

1) EU DIRECTIVE 2005/29/EC (link)

“…falsely claiming or creating the impression that the trader is not acting for purposes relating to his trade, business, craft or profession, or falsely representing oneself as a consumer”

2) CONSUMER PROTECTION ACT 2007 (43) (link)

“A commercial practice is misleading if it would be likely to cause the average consumer to be deceived or misled in relation to any matter set out in subsection (3) [see link above] and to make a transactional decision that the average consumer would not otherwise make.

3) ASAI CODE OF PRACTICE (4) (link)

“A marketing communication should not mislead, or be likely to mislead, by inaccuracy, ambiguity, exaggeration, omission or otherwise.”

“Endorsements by fictitious or historical characters should not be presented as though they are genuine testimonials.”

How do I make a complaint?

If you are a consumer, be it a previous customer or a potential customer, that believes that a service provided by any website is being offered under false pretences, you can make a complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority of Ireland (ASAI) here.

Likewise, if you have been offered entry into a prize draw etc. for leaving a review, or if your negative review has been removed without explanation, we also encourage you to issue a complaint using the link above.

If you are a previous customer who also wishes to receive compensation based on false pretences, we suggest that you also seek professional legal advice.

If you believe that your identity has been used to create such false pretences, we again suggest seeking professional legal advice.

For more information, check out our Frequently Asked Questions page.

Trust is a very important component of educational support.”

It can be difficult to choose the most beneficial educational support out of the large number of available options.
As such, we have described below a variety of what we believe are important details to consider when making that choice. 

QUESTIONS MATTER!

Choosing the correct educational support website can be difficult.
For some of the previously mentioned websites, we have therefore listed a selection of questions that we believe it’s important that students and parents know the answers to. 
We strongly encourage anyone considering these websites, or similar websites (including us!), to first to get these question answered.
Dublin Academy

“For the same price of your large group grinds of unknown size, I can instead get one-to-one grinds from a variety of highly respected, well-reviewed teachers.

As these grinds are one-to-one, I will have the teacher’s full attention and we can therefore directly target my weaknesses.

Unlike your teachers, these teachers have also stated that I can message them between grinds if I get stuck and they will respond via text and/or video.

Also, unlike group grinds, we can go through the exact material that I am going through in school, even if my school teacher jumps ahead in my schoolbook. 

Do your teachers believe that it is in my best interest to turn down these one-to-one grinds, and why?”

“For significantly less than your pre-recorded on-demand ‘grinds’, I can instead get small group grinds from a variety of highly respected, well-reviewed teachers.

As these grinds are live, I can ask questions and get direct feedback on my progress.

These teachers have also stated that I can message them between grinds if I get stuck and they will respond via text and/or video.

These live grinds will also be recorded and can be rewatched on-demand.

Do your teachers believe that it is in my best interest to turn down these small group grinds and instead buy your more expensive pre-recorded videos, and why?”

“You are the only website that I could find that does not allow students to rewatch classes afterwards on-demand.

Considering your very high prices, why do you not include such a basic feature?

“How many students were in each of your classes last year?

“Have any of your students ever raised concerns about your class sizes?

“Have any of your teachers ever raised concerns about your class sizes?

“Have any of your teachers previously taught in a private school with small class sizes?

If so, do they believe that your learning environment is better, and why?

“Have you ever enticed students or parents to leave reviews based off of a prize draw, future discounts etc.?

“Have you ever deleted reviews purely because they were negative?

“In my opinion, you are (knowingly) attempting to entice students away from choosing what are objectively better alternatives at the same price.

In other words, the very students that you claim to be helping would do better in their exams if your company did not exist and they instead got their help elsewhere.

Do you have any comment on this opinion?

Institute of Education

“For the same price of your large group grinds of unknown size, I can instead get one-to-one grinds from a variety of highly respected, well-reviewed teachers.

As these grinds are one-to-one, I will have the teacher’s full attention and we can therefore directly target my weaknesses.

Unlike your teachers, these teachers have also stated that I can message them between grinds if I get stuck and they will respond via text and/or video.

Also, unlike group grinds, we can go through the exact material that I am going through in school, even if my school teacher jumps ahead in my schoolbook. 

Do your teachers believe that it is in my best interest to turn down these one-to-one grinds, and why?”

“For significantly less than your pre-recorded on-demand ‘grinds’, I can instead get small group grinds from a variety of highly respected, well-reviewed teachers.

As these grinds are live, I can ask questions and get direct feedback on my progress.

These teachers have also stated that I can message them between grinds if I get stuck and they will respond via text and/or video.

These live grinds will also be recorded and can be rewatched on-demand.

Do your teachers believe that it is in my best interest to turn down these small group grinds and instead buy your more expensive pre-recorded videos, and why?”

“How many students were in each of your classes last year?

“Have any of your students ever raised concerns about your class sizes?

“Have any of your teachers ever raised concerns about your class sizes?

“Have any of your teachers previously taught in a private school with small class sizes?

If so, do they believe that your learning environment is better, and why?

“Have you ever enticed students or parents to leave reviews based off of a prize draw, future discounts etc.?

“Have you ever deleted reviews purely because they were negative?

“In my opinion, you are (knowingly) attempting to entice students away from choosing what are objectively better alternatives at the same price.

In other words, the very students that you claim to be helping would do better in their exams if your company did not exist and they instead got their help elsewhere.

Do you have any comment on this opinion?

Ashfield College

“For the same price of your large group grinds of unknown size, I can instead get one-to-one grinds from a variety of highly respected, well-reviewed teachers.

As these grinds are one-to-one, I will have the teacher’s full attention and we can therefore directly target my weaknesses.

Unlike your teachers, these teachers have also stated that I can message them between grinds if I get stuck and they will respond via text and/or video.

Also, unlike group grinds, we can go through the exact material that I am going through in school, even if my school teacher jumps ahead in my schoolbook. 

Do your teachers believe that it is in my best interest to turn down these one-to-one grinds, and why?”

“For the same price of your online group grinds of unknown size, I can instead get one-to-one grinds from a variety of highly respected, well-reviewed teachers.

As these grinds are one-to-one, I will have the teacher’s full attention and we can therefore directly target my weaknesses.

Unlike your teachers, these teachers have also stated that I can message them between grinds if I get stuck and they will respond via text and/or video.

Also, unlike group grinds, we can go through the exact material that I am going through in school, even if my school teacher jumps ahead in my schoolbook. 

Do your teachers believe that it is in my best interest to turn down these one-to-one grinds, and why?”

“How many students were in each of your online classes last year?

“Have you ever enticed students or parents to leave reviews based off of a prize draw, future discounts etc.?

“Have you ever deleted reviews purely because they were negative?

“In my opinion, you are (knowingly) attempting to entice students away from choosing what are objectively better alternatives at the same price.

In other words, the very students that you claim to be helping would do better in their exams if your company did not exist and they instead got their help elsewhere.

Do you have any comment on this opinion?

Information correct as of 30th June 2023.

ACADEMIES & INSTITUTIONS

There are several “schools” whose very existence seems counter-intuitive.
They charge very large fees to attend classes that are very large in size.
In other words, the most expensive options also appear to be the worst options.
Below, we address how they manage to exist and why they should indeed be avoided.
How do I create my own?

All it takes is two steps!

STEP 1

Take the largest drawback of public schools
(large class sizes),
take the largest drawback of private schools
(large fees),
and smash those drawbacks together!
PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Price: FREE
Class Size: LARGE

+

PRIVATE SCHOOLS

Price: LARGE
Class Size: SMALL

=

YOUR “SCHOOL”

Price: LARGE
Class Size: LARGE

STEP 2

Using that big business brain of yours, think of ways to make things even worse for students, e.g.:
YOUR “SCHOOL”

Price: LARGE
Class Size: LARGE

YOUR “SCHOOL”

Price: LARGE
Class Size: VERY LARGE

CONGRATULATIONS!

You are now charging students large fees for a learning environment that is not only worse than a private school, but also worse than a free public school.
We’re so very proud of you.
BONUS TIP #1

There’s no need to hire the best teachers you can find.

In fact, such teachers would laugh at your class sizes and reject the job before the interview process.

Instead, be sure to hire teachers that won’t develop any conscience about your school’s terrible learning environments.

BONUS TIP #2

To stand out, we recommend including fancy words like “academy”, “institution” etc. in your school’s name.

You don’t want people to think that you’re “just some school that has large class sizes”.

Aren't college classes large?
They certainly are, especially in 1st year!
However, there are two very important differences between large classes in schools and large classes in college.

1) No Options

Attending such classes is your only option.
There is only one lecturer. That lecturer writes the final exam.
To prepare for that exam, you have no option but to attend those large-sized classes.
For school final exams, however, that is not the case.
You have complete freedom in choosing your class size, who provides the support etc.
If you have the option of not attending large classes, you should always take that option.
There is zero benefit to students learning in such an environment.

2) Responsibilities

School teachers have a lot more responsibilities than college lecturers.
College students are considered independent learners. For example, they are expected to know if they are ready for their final exam or not.
School students, on the other hand, are not. This is why mock exams exist in schools but not in colleges.
It is instead the responsibility of the teacher to track a student’s progress, offer advice etc.
If you instead ask a lecturer if you are ready for the final exam or not, their reply will likely be:
“Maybe, maybe not. Who are you exactly?”
This is just one example of the many responsibilities that teachers simply cannot satisfy if their classes are very large in size.
How do they even exist?!
As mentioned, the very existence of such “schools” seems counter-intuitive.
For the same price as one-to-one classes with many respected & well-reviewed teachers, they instead offer large classes of unknown size.
How have some parents and students been convinced that the latter option is in their best interest?
There are a variety of 1) factors and 2) tactics at play, one of each of which is described below.

1) “The Cascade Effect”

Academies & Institutions…

A) …charge larges fees for terrible learning environments (large class sizes etc.)
so that they may…

B) …attract high achievers that want that extra edge and who assume that “expensive = better”
so that they may…

C) …enrol students who are already high achievers
so that they may…

D) …market those high achievers as if their high grades are due to their terrible learning environments
so that they may…

A) …charge larges fees for terrible learning environments (large class sizes etc.)
etc.
In summary, the most expensive options will always have high achievers purely because they are a rip-off, regardless of the quality of their classes.

2) Price Anchoring

GROUP GRINDS
Price: €25 each 

“€25 for a group grind? Are you insane?”

“I’d be an idiot to buy this!”

vs.

GROUP GRINDS
Price: €35 each
BUY ONE COURSE, GET A SECOND HALF PRICE!!!

“Wow, look at that saving!”

“I’d be an idiot NOT to buy this!”

or

GROUP GRINDS
GET YOUR FIRST GRIND FOR FREE!!!
(€35 each thereafter)

“Wow, free is my favourite price!”

“I’d be an idiot NOT to buy this!”

This of course only scratches the surface.
There are various other factors (large target audience etc.) and tactics (decoy pricing etc.) that we encourage you to research in your own time.

THINGS TO AVOID!

1) “HYBRID” CLASSES:
As a cost-cutting measure, some “schools” have begun the practice of placing their in-person and online students into the same very large classroom.
These classes are given by “schools” who consider profits to be of more importance than student engagement.
2) UNLIMITED CLASS SIZES:
Many “schools” do not state their maximum class sizes in advance, often because there is no maximum.
Such classes typically involve little (if any) personal student/teacher interaction and offer little benefit compared with watching recorded videos.
Something else to avoid...
3) “600+ Points” Tutors

There are many websites charging large fees for grinds with “600+ points” tutors, “young & energetic” tutors etc.

These are nothing but marketing buzzword terms used to disguise the fact that that company is paying their tutors so little that they cannot find teachers willing to work for them.

Certainly, along with teachers, these tutors will know their subject knowledge. However, subject knowledge is only one of the eight teaching standards.

In short, understanding the material does not imply that you are good at explaining that material to others.

For example, teachers use different strategies to teach a topic to each student, depending on their ability.

Unqualified tutors who got a H1, on the other hand, only know of one strategy: the strategy for high achievers that their teacher used on them in class.

They will then attempt to use that same strategy in their own grinds, i.e. the very strategy that students who need grinds don’t understand

Yes, there are some good tutors who are better than some bad teachers. However, they will not be better than good teachers.

The only benefit to getting support from unqualified tutors is that they should be significantly cheaper than teachers (a maximum of €5 for small group grinds and €30 for one-to-one grinds).

If you are paying significantly more than this, you should instead be getting your support from those who are qualified in the specific strategies needed to make things “click” for you, regardless of your ability.

“The educational wellbeing of a student should never be a financial burden on their parents or guardians.”

Below, you’ll find a small sample of some of the responses from students that have received help from us on Teacher Chat.
That is great thanks so much!! This site is so helpful, thank you for being so quick.Really appreciate it. 🙂That makes much more sense. your a life saver.That is perfect, thank you so much.Yes that worked, thank you so much for your help.Ok thank you, I was never told about that before.Thank you so much!Ahhh I see!! Thank you so much for your help! It is really appreciated.Oh, I understand now.great! thank you Mr Kenny!Ah yes, I see it nowOhhhhhI understandAhhh thank you for pointing that out!Ohhh okay I get that nowah yes that makes senseOkay thank you very much for your helpOhh okay I’ll try that thanks for helping meI understand now thank you.Cool cool thank you so much!Ohhh I see!Thank you!thank you!Okay thank you so much!thank you. I got the answer 🙂Yes that makes sense now, I’ll try that thank you!Thank you very much mr kennyThats perfect! Thank you for all your help.Thanks for the help. 🙂Thank you for the advice again. Have a good night Thanks for your help.Ok thanks so much that makes much mroe sense!Aaah nice one! Thank you very muchperfect thank you for your helpAll done Thank you for your help!!Ooo thank you for the tip!! I will be sure to remember that 🙂yes I see where I went wrong thanks so muchThanks very much. 😀Okay, thats great, thank you so much!oh I see where I’ve gone wrong now!!brilliant thanksok thats great! thank you so much for all of your help it is really appreciatedI get it now, thank you.

YOUR TEACHER

Dr. Ciarán Kenny, BSc (Hons), PGCE, PhD

I am an online educator with teaching and lecturing experience in maths, physics, applied maths, science and medicine both in Ireland and abroad.

Towards the end of my PhD in theoretical astrophysics, I began working on this website in order to provide students with the best Junior Cycle Maths resources possible, all in one place, and at the lowest possible price.

https://www.ciarankenny.com

Need help with maths?

Maths is the only Leaving Cert subject that offers additional bonus points. As such, it is typically the one subject that students strive to excel in.
We therefore created a similar website, L.C. Maths, for those students that wish to maximise their grade in Leaving Cert Maths.
https://www.lcmaths.ie/
Come check it out!

L.C. MATHS