During my observation of Anthea’s Year 1 English and Maths lesson, I was really impressed by the way she created a fun, engaging and supportive learning environment. The student had brought in some toys, and Anthea cleverly used them as part of the maths lesson. Instead of treating the toys as a distraction, she transformed them into learning tools, using them to help explain ones, tens and hundreds. This made the concept of place value much more visual and hands-on, which is especially helpful for younger students who are still developing their understanding of abstract numbers.

Anthea did a great job of keeping the student involved throughout the lesson. By using objects the student already liked, she made the learning feel familiar and exciting rather than intimidating. The student was able to physically group and count the toys, which helped reinforce the difference between ones, tens and hundreds in a practical way.

In English, Anthea worked through nouns, proper nouns, verbs and adjectives. She explained these clearly and used examples that were easy for a Year 1 student to understand. I noticed that she encouraged the student to think of their own examples, rather than simply giving them all the answers. This helped build the student’s confidence and independence.

What stood out most was Anthea’s patience and adaptability. She responded to the student’s interests while still keeping the lesson focused and purposeful. As a tutor, I learnt that effective teaching is not just about following a worksheet or lesson plan. It is about noticing what engages a student and using that as a bridge into learning. Anthea showed me that when students feel comfortable, curious and involved, they are much more likely to participate and understand new concepts. (student didn’t want a photo)

Mary Diamond