Hey everyone, today I had the opportunity to observe Alice’s Year 11 Extension Mathematics tutoring session. The topic for this lesson was Discrete Probability.

Alice conducted the session in a clear, structured, and supportive way. She began by outlining the plan for the session and explaining that they would be moving into some Year 12 content, as it is term 4.
They began by revisiting a practice exam paper that her student had completed as homework. She encouraged him to identify and reflect on the areas he found most challenging.

They reviewed these problems, which allowed Alice to pinpoint specific misunderstandings and guide her student through the correct reasoning. This approach helped build his confidence in tackling difficult questions on his own.
After reviewing the homework, Alice introduced the concept of probability distribution. She carefully explained each step of the process, using examples from the textbook to demonstrate how the theory applied to real exam style problems.

Throughout the explanation, she paused frequently to check for understanding, asking her student to explain his thought process before moving on.

This collaborative learning environment helped her student feel comfortable sharing ideas and asking questions.

What stood out most was how supportive and reassuring Alice was throughout the session. She provided positive feedback and calmly re-explained concepts whenever he seemed unsure. Her patience and encouraging manner helped her student feel comfortable with the topic, and more confident to attempt challenging problems on his own.

Overall, Alice’s lesson was well structured, and tailored to her student’s needs. Her balance of clear explanation, guided practice, and emotional support created an effective and encouraging learning environment.

Pamela Casiou