Singapore Haze: Keeping Tuition at Home

On a hazy day, live online tuition lets your child attend the lesson from home. There is no tuition journey to arrange, and the child can still ask questions and follow the teacher's on-screen explanation. Parents can plan the day's other activities using Singapore's current air-quality advice.

At DeepThink, our tutors teach fully online throughout the year. A hazy week uses the classroom format students already know. The teaching stays live, with the teacher explaining methods, listening to answers and helping each student with the steps they find difficult.

Getting ready involves two things: checking the day's haze advice and preparing a comfortable place to learn. The air-quality guidance helps with decisions about going outdoors; the lesson setup helps the child hear, see and take part in class at home.

Which haze reading should parents use?

NEA's guide to planning outdoor activities during haze distinguishes between plans for the next few hours and plans for tomorrow. Use the latest 1-hour PM2.5 reading for outdoor activities coming up soon. Use the 24-hour PSI forecast and its health advisory for the next day's outdoor plans.

Check which reading you are looking at before applying the advice. PM2.5 bands and PSI categories use different numbers. For the latest readings and guidance, use NEA's haze information or the myENV app.

A screenshot forwarded earlier in the day may no longer be current. Open the official information again when you are making the decision, especially if the family's plans have changed. Keep the advisory beside the reading so you can see what it means for the activity you are considering.

What does the haze advice say about children?

The Ministry of Health's haze health advisory gives children different advice from healthy adults as the air quality worsens. The following is a summary of the children's row in its 24-hour PSI table:

The table covers outdoor activity. For a lesson at home, pay attention to how your child feels and the air in the study room. Follow any individual advice their doctor has given them.

For online tuition, the lesson itself stays at home. Parents can make decisions about school journeys, outdoor play and other activities separately, following the advice relevant to each. There is no additional journey to a tuition centre before or after class.

Prepare the study room as well as the device

Staying home for tuition makes the study room important. NEA's practical guidance for managing indoor air during haze advises closing doors and windows when outdoor air quality becomes unacceptable, then reopening them when conditions improve. This helps reduce haze particles entering the home while allowing ventilation when the outdoor air is better.

The guidance also covers filtration-based portable air purifiers and selecting equipment suitable for the room. It notes that heat, carbon dioxide and other pollutants can build up in an enclosed space. Read the advice on ventilation as well as filtration, and follow the instructions for the equipment you use. Fans help with air circulation and cooling; filtration equipment removes particles.

Once the room is comfortable, arrange the desk for the lesson. Place the device on a stable surface, with room for any notes or rough work the child wants to make. The student should be able to read the screen and hear the teacher without repeatedly moving the device.

If the room is shared with someone working or another child studying, test the sound before class. Headphones may help the student hear the discussion clearly. Check that the microphone picks up the child's voice from their normal sitting position, so they can answer a question without leaning across the desk.

Have the lesson materials ready

An online lesson is easier to start when the materials and device are already in their usual places. Have the lesson open, the writing materials ready and any questions the student wants to ask beside them. A younger child may need a parent's help with these preparations before teaching starts.

Check the camera and sound together. Position the camera so our tutors can see the student's face, with enough light for the child to be visible. The screen should be easy to read from the seat where the student will write. Preparing the desk this way keeps the child comfortable while moving between listening, speaking and working on a question.

A clear view of the screen helps the child follow a calculation, a diagram or a correction as it is discussed. Keep the device at a readable distance and avoid placing anything in front of the screen. The child should be able to follow the written steps from their normal sitting position.

For an older student, getting ready can become a routine they handle themselves. Before the first lesson, practise opening the class and checking the microphone. During a hazy week, those familiar steps give the child a straightforward start while the family deals with any changes to other plans.

What the live lesson looks like

DeepThink's live online classes are capped at 4, and students keep their webcams on. Our tutors can see each child and speak with them. Teaching happens on Zoom through screen sharing or a digital whiteboard, with the whole group joining online.

Screen sharing lets students follow the teacher's on-screen working. A shared whiteboard also lets students contribute writing of their own. The teacher can discuss a calculation while the relevant steps remain visible to the group.

For example, consider a student solving 2x + 5 = 17. If they write 2x = 22, the tutor can ask what operation will undo the addition of 5. The child works through subtracting 5 from both sides, reaching 2x = 12, then x = 6. A related question lets the teacher check whether the child can now use that method independently.

Seeing the working together gives the group something specific to discuss. A student can ask about a particular line, and the teacher can refer to that line while explaining it. The live conversation and the on-screen writing are both available from home.

The DeepThink platform is used to assign homework and extra practice outside class. It is separate from the live Zoom lesson. Our online maths tuition page explains the programme.

Fit the lesson into the rest of the day

When other plans change because of haze, keep the tuition start time and preparation simple. A meal, a break after school and a few minutes to get the desk ready can remain part of the child's usual afternoon. The family can spend the time before class at home, and the student is already home when the lesson ends.

Parents who would otherwise accompany, drop off or collect a child also have one less journey to organise. For a younger student, helping them get ready remains useful. Once class begins, our tutors lead the teaching and questions.

Avoid filling every available minute with more work simply because the child is indoors. If there is practice to complete, give it a clear place in the week and keep the task specific. A few questions on the method taught in class have a purpose the student can understand; adding an open-ended instruction to “do more maths” is harder to begin.

If the family needs help arranging the device or preparing materials, speak with our team before the lesson. That gives everyone time to get ready, and lets the child start class knowing where their work is and how to join the discussion.

If your child feels unwell

MOH's haze guidance advises people who are unwell, especially children and those with chronic heart or lung conditions, to seek medical advice. Follow any individual advice your child's doctor has given them.

A child who feels too unwell to concentrate needs time to recover. If they will miss class, inform the tutor before the scheduled start time. A lesson recording is guaranteed for an absence only when the tutor is informed in advance, so the child can revisit the teaching when ready to learn.

For a child who feels well and is ready to learn, the class can continue at home in the format they know. The family checks the day's haze advice and prepares the study space; our tutors handle the explanations, questions and checks of working. Contact us if you need help preparing for a lesson.