Dilemma regarding work load with additional classes outside of school.

[Adequace]

I'm currently Year 10 taking two 1/2 subjects, one of them being CSL that I do outside of school but I still have to choose the normal amount of subjects at school which is fine.

The problem is that my parents want me to take 1/2 methods classes outside of school at Glenwaverly on Sundays for 2 hours once per week. I chose not to because I know I wont be able to handle the workload come exam time since I still compete and train in athletics and possibly not doing as well as I could of in my other 1/2 subjects.

If I choose to take those classes will they offer me a significant 'advantage' when I do methods in year 12? I'll be getting a tutor next year for methods regardless so maybe he can accelerate me instead of taking those classes?

I should mention that at my school Year 10 maths is just mainstream maths which is pretty basic, if I choose not to go to the methods classes, are there websites that I can self-teach myself advanced Year 10 maths?

[Orb]

I'm currently Year 10 taking two 1/2 subjects, one of them being CSL that I do outside of school but I still have to choose the normal amount of subjects at school which is fine.

The problem is that my parents want me to take 1/2 methods classes outside of school at Glenwaverly on Sundays for 2 hours once per week. I chose not to because I know I wont be able to handle the workload come exam time since I still compete and train in athletics and possibly not doing as well as I could of in my other 1/2 subjects.

If I choose to take those classes will they offer me a significant 'advantage' when I do methods in year 12? I'll be getting a tutor next year for methods regardless so maybe he can accelerate me instead of taking those classes?

I should mention that at my school Year 10 maths is just mainstream maths which is pretty basic, if I choose not to go to the methods classes, are there websites that I can self-teach myself advanced Year 10 maths?

From my experience in Year 10 (I did Methods 1/2 and CSL 1/2), while MM1/2 is very important as a sort of foundation for 3/4, you are by no means screwed for 3/4 if you didn't take an extra tutor or left 1/2 alone and neglected it.

As long as you put in your hours in MM1/2 and ensure that you have a fairly solid grasp of most chapters, by working hard in 3/4 you can easily get a 40+ score, leading into the high 40s.

Those classes won't offer you a 'significant' advantage, but then again the term significant is relative. What's more important is what students do in those classes and what you may do in those classes compared with what you do at home.

Eg. from a purely mathematical basis assuming 100% efficiency,
 If I went to those classes and studied methods there --> 2 hours a week of extra knowledge
If I stayed at home and played computer games/watched anime --> 0 hours a week of extra knowledge.

x40 school weeks, --> 80 hours of extra knowledge. This is easily the difference between a 35 and a 40, or a 45 and a 50.

From a website/resource point of view, Khan Academy + Vtextbook are quite good!
Make your decisions based on how you think you'll work at home, not what your parents want you to do (very hard if you have asian parents, but they'll understand)

[keltingmeith]

Eg. from a purely mathematical basis assuming 100% efficiency,
 If I went to those classes and studied methods there --> 2 hours a week of extra knowledge
If I stayed at home and played computer games/watched anime --> 0 hours a week of extra knowledge.

x40 school weeks, --> 80 hours of extra knowledge. This is easily the difference between a 35 and a 40, or a 45 and a 50.

This is, in all honesty, too mechanically thought of. Remember, you are not a machine, you are a human being who needs rest, relaxation and to take care of their body. Honestly, you'd be much better off spending those 2 hours taking a bit of a breather and doing light reading than a rigorous class.

Aside from that, let's look at this objectively:
1. The study design is changing for 2016.
2. We don't know all the changes that will be happening, yet.

Whilst we have an idea, and VCAA have given us a "what to do differently" in the meantime, it is very possible that some of the things you learn will be outright useless by the time you actually get to year 11. I'd say don't do the Sunday class, instead spending the time relaxing or just watching vTextbook/Khan Academy videos.