harrymav

Observation

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Today I observed Jessica’s Year 5 English session. Roza had initially suggested that I observe a Maths session as this is what I typically like to tutor but I requested if there were any English sessions available to observe. I was really keen to observe Jessica’s English session and learn from her as I personally struggle with tutoring english and don’t have very much experience tutoring primary school students.

Jessica was really fantastic in maintaining an encouraging and relaxed environment, despite her student not being very engaged in the session and a little tired (as expected, its first week back and a Monday!). Jessica could sense this in her student and would give encouraging feedback like “you got this” and “you are very creative” and make amendments to her original plan to make the session more fun for the student, such as starting a new story rather than continuing an old one and taking turns in reading a comprehension passage after noticing it was quite long.

Throughout their revision of a story her student had written her leading questions were very clear and helpful in prompting her student when she was confused. She also gave her student great advice to improve her story for the following week by explaining how to translate the images in her head to the reader.

I was really impressed with Jessica’s ability to remain encouraging with her student which allowed the student to eventually warm up and become more involved. Great job Jessica!

Teoni Antonopoulos

Observation

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Hey guys! I got the wonderful opportunity to observe Xander’s maths session.
At the beginning of the session, Xander emphasised the importance of having clear working out. Although there are no fixed rules around working out, mistakes are often made due to unclear writing or not setting out all the steps. It also makes it more difficult to check your own work and for markers to score your work if you haven’t made your thinking clear on the page. As students are often hyperfocused on the final solution and jumping ahead, I think this is a crucial thing to highlight.
The student also didn’t appear confident in his skills. Confidence can help to successfully tackle difficult questions. Xander used reinforcing positive comments throughout the session and often took time to check in with the student to see how he was feeling.
It was really nice to see the good rapport that Xander has with the student which makes the session much more enjoyable and productive.
Thanks for letting me observe such an insightful session!

Derus Kung

Observation

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I observed Teoni’s session with her Year 10 student as they prepared for her upcoming exam.
Teoni effectively quizzed her student on various topics from the syllabus, carefully selecting questions to gauge the student’s understanding. Whenever she identified gaps in the student’s knowledge, she would provide additional questions to ensure she fully understood the content. This teaching approach not only reinforced the material but also demonstrated her own commitment to her student’s learning which was really awesome to see.

Throughout the session, Teoni maintained an encouraging and positive demeanor, which significantly boosted the student’s confidence. Her supportive attitude made it clear that she believed in her student’s capabilities and potential, creating a safe learning environment. Moreover, she dedicated time to share valuable exam tips, discussing strategies for tackling different types of questions that might come up during the exam. I plan to adopt a similar method when preparing my own students for their assessments, as I understand the importance of equipping them with practical skills for exam situations.

Teoni also emphasised the significance of working out problems for specific questions, showing her student how marks were allocated throughout a question. This insight helped the student understand the depth of response required for questions worth a chunk of marks. I found this particularly useful, as it showed the student how to create a structured response that an examiner can read and understand.

Additionally, I appreciated how Teoni built her student’s confidence by acknowledging the method they initially used to solve the problem, even if it was not entirely correct. She then demonstrated a more efficient technique which she ensured the student understood before moving on . Observing this session taught me valuable lessons about preparing students for exams and uplifting their spirits. Great job, Teoni!!!

Lily Powell

Starting Out as a Tutor: Lessons I’ve Learnt

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Since becoming a tutor, there are 3 key lessons I’ve learned that I would pass on to any future tutor.
1. The Importance of Preparation
When I first started, I was nervous before my first few tutoring sessions. Since then, I’ve found that preparation is essential to feeling confident about teaching a session, particularly with new students. Before each session, I plan out activities and review material to ensure the session time is used as productively as possible. However, preparation doesn’t mean planning out every single question because adaptability is equally important. Students may need more time working on one question or task, and as tutors, we need to be able to adapt our lesson plan accordingly.
2. Tutoring is a Continuous Learning Process
An important part of being a good tutor is learning alongside your students. Tutors have to consistently brush up on our knowledge and revisit subject areas from high school and even primary school. Continuous learning also includes learning new ways of teaching, such as new resources, tools, and methods. Also, it is important to learn from other tutors who may have more experience. I have received advice from friends who are experienced tutors, and I would highly recommend this, especially when starting out.
3. Encourage Independent Thinking
Finally, I’ve learned the importance of encouraging independent thinking. While it’s tempting to step in and provide answers, I’ve found that guiding students to think critically and work through problems on their own helps them develop essential skills and builds confidence. As tutors, our role isn’t to give students all the answers but rather, to help students become more self-sufficient and capable of solving problems independently. Sometimes this is a fine line, although observing other tutors is very helpful!
These are the 3 lessons I wish I had known when I was just starting out. Hopefully someone finds them useful!

Enya Rose

Observation

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I had the honour of observing Grace’s session with her Year Twelve Business Studies student. She had a great connection with the student and made sure he felt comfortable asking her questions for greater clarification when he was unsure of the content or what was being asked of him. Grace explained the different areas of the syllabus and difficult content extremely well and spoke slowly so the student could write down what she was saying and understand better. She also made sure to ask him questions throughout the session to test his understanding and see if any areas needed further explanation which I thought was a really good idea. Overall a great session to observe!

Daisy Brenac

Meet the Tutors – Mary Diamond

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Harry Mav: Hey Mary, great to speak with you! So, tell us a bit about yourself!

Mary Diamond: Thank you Harry, likewise! Last year I finished a Bachelor of Clinical Science, taking a bit of a gap year at the moment and hoping to get into Medicine next year!

HM: Wow that’s great! And you finished the degree in a very short time right?

MD: Yes it was meant to be a 3 year degree but they have this accelerated thing where you do it in 2 years, it was tough but I’m very glad to have gone through it.

HM: That’s awesome! And you’ve always wanted to get into Medicine?

MD: I’ve always been fascinated by the human body and want to help people! My GAMSAT results were very strong so hopefully all goes well and I can start next year!

HM: That’s incredible, we wish you all the best! And how long have you been tutoring for?

MD: I’ve been tutoring for 3 years now (ever since I finished school), really loving it!! It’s so great to see students’ excitement when they understand something, I’ve particularly enjoyed the older students in their work for Maths, English and Biology with helping them be the best they can be and enjoy the achievements!

HM: So good. And you’re very much a high achiever yourself, I believe you were the School Captain of St Spyridon College when you were there and you got 1st in the state in Music among other things?

MD: That’s right, school was a great time in so many ways and it was wonderful to have such great teachers and mentors. It’s incredible now to be in that position with my students and one day my patients to some extent, looking forward to seeing what the future holds!

Meet the Tutors – Tegwen Philmara

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Harry Mav: Hey Tegwen, thank you for your time today! Let’s start with uni, what are you studying at the moment?

Tegwen Philmara: I’m studying Commerce and Software Engineering at the University of Sydney currently in my 3rd year! Loving it, it’s challenging but rewarding!

HM: It must be! And you’ve always loved maths and the sciences from what I remember back when you were at school?

TP: That’s right! I came to First Ed as a student for Maths and Physics with Pana and John as my tutors, it’s great to be tutoring alongside them now!

HM: So cool. And tell us a bit about your time tutoring at First Education?

TP: I’ve been tutoring for 3 years now, I’ve been fortunate enough to have a wide range of students from Year 1 to Year 12.

HM: That’s awesome! And how has everything been going in that time?

TP: It has been amazing, I just had one of my Year 9 students who I’ve had since Year 7, it’s so fulfilling to see the change in attitude from a student who didn’t like school at all to someone who looks forward to coming and is now asking me questions without any sort of coercion!

HM: That’s why we do it! Where do you see yourself in the future?

TP: I want to work in the corporate world but I see myself ultimately working as a teacher, there’s nothing like the level of fulfilment and contribution you get from helping students learn!

HM: And a fun fact about yourself?

TP: I spent 3 years in Germany as a child and can speak fluent German!

Meet the Tutors – Isabella Naumovski

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Harry Mav: Hey Isabella, great to speak with you! Let’s get right into it, so you used to come to First Ed as a student right?

Isabella Naumovski: That’s right, I still remember coming as a student with Jasmina and Harry Jnr. Pretty cool to be here now tutoring with them!

HM: I can imagine! And you’ve really thrown yourself into the tutoring I believe!

IN: Yes indeed, I’ve absolutely loved it and been doing it pretty much 7 days per week! It has been so rewarding to be inspiring my students and helping them feel comfortable with their work from school.

HM: That’s awesome! And what subjects and year levels have you been tutoring?

IN: I’ve had students from Kindy to Year 12, each student provides a different challenge and requires their own style of tutoring but being a part of each student’s learning journey is great in its own way!

HM: Beautiful. And what are you studying?

IN: I’m studying Nursing, it’s my other great passion. It’s not entirely different from tutoring, it’s another role which requires care, can be quite difficult but still very rewarding! I’ve been studying for the GAMSAT as well and am hoping to get into postgrad medicine after I finish the nursing degree.

HM: Wow you would make the best doctor, your patients would be lucky to have you as your students are now! And outside of your more professional life what do you do for fun?

IN: There isn’t a lot of time left over but I love to read! I’ve just finished November 9 which has been a really great read, it’s a thriller with comedy and romance, it has it all! Otherwise I love going to the beach and hanging out with friends and family.

Meet the Tutors – Katherine Petsoglou

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Harry Mav: Hi Katherine, thank you for your time today! So tell us a bit about yourself, what are you up to in life?

Katherine Petsoglou: Pleasure! I’m in my fourth year of Commerce / Law at UNSW, tutoring, and living the dream!

HM: Always so positive, love it! And how are your studies?

KP: I’m finding the work challenging but enjoyable, I’m becoming more and more attracted to the law side of things! It’s hard to know where my career will take me but I want to look into either human rights law or corporate law going forward.

HM: Very interesting and relevant given the tragedies going on around the world. And you’ve been tutoring for a while now I believe?

KP: Yep I’ve been tutoring for 4 years now, I absolutely love it!! I’ve been focusing on students from Kindergarten to Year 10 in both Maths and English, it has been particularly great to see students progress over multiple years and to watch them develop both academically and as young people!

HM: Incredible! It’s beautiful too because not many educators get to be so directly involved over such a broad period of time. What have you found to be your favourite aspect of the tutoring?

KP: I just love that moment where the student realises they can do something that they didn’t realise was possible, that aha moment! I had it in my tutoring when I was a student and it’s an honour and a privilege to be there to facilitate that in my students.

HM: Amazing! And what do you do when you’re not tutoring or at uni?

KP: There isn’t too much of this time but I love to hang with family and friends!

Meet the Tutors – Anna Burch

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Harry Mav: Hey Anna, wonderful to be doing this! So tell us, for how long have you been tutoring?

Anna Burch: Likewise Harry! I’ve been tutoring Maths for 12 years now, it has been a beloved part of my life for a long time now!

HM: That’s awesome! And from where did this love for maths and tutoring come from?

AB: I think if I track it back it’s my dad, he studied Maths at Cambridge and helped me to love it from a young age, I’ve always wanted to do the same for others!

HM: Cambridge, wow! And you were head girl back then in high school right? And since then you’ve got a few degrees if I’m not mistaken?

AB: Yes indeed! After school I did a Bachelor of Psychology and Commerce, I always loved the stats when no one else did (I should have known something was up from then)! Then I worked in corporate finance for a few years, then I’ve been at a marketing company since while currently studying teaching in secondary maths.

HM: You’ve been busy! And you’ve been with First Education for 5 years or so right?

AB: Yep it has been awesome! I’ve loved the opportunity to work with like minded people and to help students love maths as I do!

HM: Ah that’s beautiful! And where do you see yourself in 5 years?

AB: Well in hopefully less than 5 years I really want to go to Ghana to help out with my sponsor child over there that we have with St Nicholas Academy! More long term though I see myself teaching maths somewhere up in the Northern Beaches (I love being near the beach). Then settling down, having a family and all the fun, hopefully still tutoring and sharing my love of maths with others!