Hi everyone! I observed Sam and his student Edric reviewing his previous assessment. Sam explained the errors that were made and provided similar questions to review and extend Edric’s knowledge. It was great that Sam allowed enough time for Edric to problem-solve questions independently before providing hints to guide his thinking. This process is useful for helping Edric to engage his existing knowledge and reinforce concepts even when he was not able to obtain the final answer independently. With more difficult questions, Sam provided a full written solution and verbal explanation to ensure that the student was able to learn within his zone of proximal development. For some questions, Sam explored the differences between the way that Edric and himself solved the problem, and was encouraging of Edric’s thinking. It was impressive that Edric was sometimes able to suggest a more efficient way of solving questions – a testament to Sam’s teaching and Edric’s flexible thinking.

A key takeaway from this session was the way Sam encouraged Edric to think independently and the way he worked alongside Edric rather than ahead of him. I find that often during my own sessions, students will “give up” and wait for me to provide the solution or next step without actively problem-solving. However, persistance is essential for achieving higher marks, especially in the senior curricula when solutions are not always directly evident. In my future sessions, I will aim to prolong the time before I give students the next step to encourage students’ independent thinking.

Another great session, thanks for letting me observe!

Derus Kung