The syllabus is an essential tool for Year 11 and Year 12 students, offering a roadmap for what to learn and how to apply it in assessments. It provides a structured framework for students that defines the knowledge that is required to completed exams and assessments. Having a strong understanding of the syllabus allows students to align their study with requirements of their subjects and to succeed academically.

Foremost, a critical component of the syllabus is its division into two areas: the “learn about” and “learn to” sections. The “learn about” section focuses on the content students need to understand for the subject. It provides the foundation of their learning, offering clear guidance on the topics and concepts they will learn about and need to know. This component can be compared to a map, showing the key knowledge areas necessary for mastering each topic.

On the other hand, the “learn to” section, is where students apply what they have learned. This section forms the basis of exam questions, as it focuses on demonstrating understanding and practical application. It typically includes directives such as “analyse”, “evaluate” or “discuss”, which hint at the skills students are expected to develop and have. For example, if a Religion syllabus has taught students about the significance of religious practices (“learn about”), then the “learn to” will mention “evaluates the significance of religious practices”, and exam questions will directly reflect this, requiring evaluation not just recall of practices.

By closely referencing the “learn to” section when studying, students can anticipate the kinds of questions they may face in exams and prepare accordingly. Recognising the connection between the “learn about” and “learn to” will help students see what they are working towards. Therefore, effective students use the syllabus as a checklist, ensuring they understand the content and how to apply to different exam questions.

Ultimately, the syllabus is not just a list of topics and content for students but is a strategic tool for success. By stressing the importance to students about understanding it and how to use it will help students understand where to focus their efforts and how to prepare for exams.

Annie Bulkeley

Throughout the session, Sophie was very effective in engaging and assisting in getting the student to understand the content. The main topic of the lesson was Linear Relationships and Trig. Sophie went over a work booklet that the student brought into the session and reviewed more complex variations of any questions that the student did not understand. Sophie’s ability to keep the session light and relaxing yet still very effective seemed to be a great way to ensure the student was able to continue the session without falling off track, getting bored or being distracted. I was very impressed with her ability to make the student comfortable with the content as the lesson progressed and comfortable asking questions and reviewing any part of the work that she didn’t understand. Throughout each question that they reviewed together, Sophie consistently ensured that the student understood each step that she was taking, making sure to not leave the student with any misunderstanding of any part of the question. Her use of the whiteboard during question reviews also seemed to be effective in the explanation process as seeing the question broken down on a clearer and larger scale helped the student understand each aspect of each question. Overall, I was very impressed with her ability to keep a comforting and relaxed environment while simultaneously ensuring consistent and efficient progression throughout the entire session, allowing the student to better understand each question in both sections that they were reviewing.

Lishai Rubinstein

Procrastination is one of those things we all deal with but struggle to admit. Whether it’s scrolling through tik tok, doing random tasks around the house to waste time, or convincing yourself you’ll “feel more motivated later,” putting things off is way too easy. I struggle with this myself, starting feels like the hardest part, you feel like you’re stuck and can’t move. Over time, though, I’ve picked up a few strategies that make it a bit easier to tackle.

1. Break tasks into smaller pieces:
Big tasks can feel overwhelming, so instead of thinking about finishing the whole thing, focus on the first step. Writing an essay? Start with a quick outline or just jotting down ideas. Once you get going, it’s usually not as bad as it seemed.

2. Use a timer:
The Pomodoro Technique is great for this—work for 25 minutes, then take a 5-minute break. I find that its a manageable chunk of time and helps me to stay focused without burning out. Plus, those short breaks keep things from feeling endless. If 25 minutes feels too long, I will try shorter increments like 10 or 15 minutes to ease into it.

3. Tell someone your plan:
Accountability works wonders. If you tell a friend or family member what you’re working on, it’s harder to back out. Bonus: they might be working on something too, so you can keep each other on track. Even sending a quick “I’m starting now” message can help.

4. Reward yourself:
Sometimes, you just need a reason to finish. Whether it’s grabbing a snack, watching an episode of something, or taking a walk, giving yourself something to look forward to makes the process less painful.

Procrastination doesn’t mean you’re lazy—it’s usually just about feeling stuck. Once you start, it’s easier to keep going. Even a little progress can make a big difference.

Allegra Pezzullo

Ashley is an experienced tutor who is great with teaching and translating complex ideas and methods to capable students. Ashley began the session by firstly going over the homework questions the student got wrong. Formally explaining the methods and steps to complete these questions in a clear and formal manner. After Both tutor and student then moved onto hard and more complex worded problem questions where Ashley started slow doing the questions with the student and slowly moving towards the student completing these questions independently. This ultimately improved their students confidence when completing questions simulating an exam style response when doing the questions with no help. Furthermore, the session then moved to more algebra style questions which involved complex worded problems of re arranging subjects and solving for X. The student felt more comfortable with this section and thus moved swiftly through these questions. This was a great lesson improving the students skills and approach to answering complex financial maths questions in addition to basic algebra. As they ended the session on an online quiz which tested the students knowledge of these previous topics they just went over.

Jordan

Repetition and revision are important components to effective learning, especially in tutoring as it can promote understanding, reinforce memory and boost students confidence. It is shown across the research that when students engage with new ideas or concepts, they need to rehearse it or learn it multiple times before mastering them. For students, repetition allows the foundational knowledge that has been acquired to be consolidated, while revision provides an avenue to affirm and build upon that foundation.

Repetition can create strong neural pathways for recall, allowing information to transition from short-term to long-term memory. For example, a primary aged student practising their times tables regularly will find it much easier recall them during problem-solving questions. Likewise, a high school student regularly reviewing themes along with quotes for a text they are studying at school will help them deepen their understanding of the given text. This continuous process is particularly important in school when students move across year levels, as each year group heavily relies on a solid foundational knowledge.

Revision complements repetition by establishing refinement, knowledge building and reflection. It enables students to assess their understanding and identify any gaps in their learning. Revision activities that I myself have used in tutoring can include summarising content, creating mind maps or exam style questions. In addition, tailoring revision to the needs of a student is super important as it allows them to focus on weaker areas to maximise benefit for improvement.

As a tutor, showing the importance of repetition and revision to students can help them improve greatly and in fact allow them to see the value of tutoring. This can involve bringing sessions from the end of term forward and setting up one of the sessions as a revision session, testing the student on their knowledge for an upcoming assessment through either verbal recall or through practice revision tests. As well as this, presenting the content to students in different ways will help reinforce concepts to students and cater to the different learning styles for students such as visual aids, practical examples or verbal discussions. In todays world, students may undervalue repetition and revision. Hence, tutors should emphasise revision and repetition techniques as students will learn to implement them.

Annie Bulkeley

Today, I had the opportunity to observe a Year 12 Standard English session focused on comprehension skills. What I thought was super valuable was the way Jana gave her student the opportunity to give their own response first which she then would write notes and provide detailed feedback. The session began with a past paper question, using a timed strategy to gauge an understanding of the students time management skills. After the response was completed, together, they went line by line through the response which clarified certain phrases and neatened certain expressions.

The student practiced framing their responses using direct quotations and key human experiences, which not only helped build stronger arguments but also reinforced the idea that a good response is always rooted in specific details and a centralised idea/human experiences that is derived from the rubric.

Reassurance was also key in ensuring the Year 12 did not lose confidence which is critical in such an early stage of learning new skills. Jana’s feedback was consistently constructive, providing specific praise for parts of the response that were well thought out, even if other areas needed further refinement. By acknowledging and reminding the student of their strengths, Jana helped build confidence in their abilities, reinforcing the idea that they are capable and time constraints may have rushed the response. Rather than just focusing solely on areas that needed improvement, she also celebrated the student’s successes, no matter how small. This simultaneous balance of praise and constructive feedback prohibited the student from feeling like they were not capable and kept them motivated to continue refining their skills.

Concluding the session, it was clear how valuable these small, focused strategies are in helping students refine their comprehension skills and directly attacking and integrating the rubric into their response. By working line by line, providing reassurance and practicing time management, the student was better equipped to tackle any comprehension question that might arise. It was a clear reminder that tutoring develops, empowers and equips students with the tools they need to critically and thoughtfully engage with each comprehension text, no matter the style or form.

Jessica Ciappara

Today I observed Lucia’s maths session. One of the things that I noticed specifically about her session was the way in which she engaged with her student. She started off the session by asking how the student’s weekend/past week had been which I find is always a great way to start the session. This creates a small bit of contact at the start of the session to ensure the student is comfortable each week and to get to know each other separate from tutoring. She then shifted the conversation naturally into what the past week of school had involved. Since the student had recently finished his exams, she was working out what they should work on next together to ensure he gets the most out of his sessions. They began working through some textbook questions and Lucia was highly engaged with the student throughout the session. She explained each step of thinking as they worked through the more difficult questions when the student was struggling to ensure that the student fully understood the purpose behind each step of working out. However, instead of outright telling the student what the required steps were when he was struggling, she asked leading questions which prompted the student in the right direction whilst still allowing him to problem solve and come to the solution on their own. I believe this is highly important because it allows the student to draw deeper connections between things they have learnt in the past and relate it to a new scenario. This is essential in maths since new questions require a new route of thinking. She also sufficiently broke up the session with small anecdotes from either herself or asking the student questions that related to a problem they were working on. This is beneficial in multiple ways. Firstly, they can build a stronger connection which can help the student to feel more comfortable in the session and feeling able to make mistakes or ask for help. Secondly, short breaks (i.e. around 1 min) allow short brain breaks which can allow the student to focus more when they are doing their work. Overall, this was a great session to observe and was impressed by the way in which she kept the student engaged for the full hour.

Riva Burkett

Today, I had the pleasure of observing Kristina’s lesson, where she tutored a Year 6 student in English and Maths.
The session began with a spelling exercise on the mini whiteboard. Kristina chose challenging words that tested the student’s knowledge, and for any incorrect responses, she broke down each word. By dissecting the word into its components, she ensured the student thoroughly understood the correct form and the reasoning behind it.

After this, they moved on to writing. They began by reviewing the student’s homework from the previous week. Kristina asked the student to read through the story she had written and identify any spelling or grammatical errors. Once the student had completed this, Kristina carefully checked the work herself. She then provided detailed explanations for each identified spelling mistake.
Next, they moved on to Maths, focusing on data and statistics. They began by reviewing the student’s homework from the previous week. Kristina then provided similar questions to reinforce and deepen the student’s understanding. The lesson focused on mean, median, and mode. Kristina made excellent use of the mini whiteboard to clearly demonstrate the working out for each problem. Additionally, she took a student-centred approach by regularly checking in on the student’s confidence and understanding. Questions like, “Do you want to move on to a different topic?” or “Are you still struggling with the current content?” helped Kristina understand the student’s comfort level and progress. The student decided that she needed to continue working on mean, median, and mode, but at a more advanced level. Kristina responded by introducing higher-level questions that challenged the student’s abilities. This encouraged a more comprehensive understanding of the topic.

I was particularly impressed with how Kristina maintained a positive and adaptive learning environment, ensuring the session was both extremely productive and engaging for the student.

Lily Powell

Today, I had the opportunity to observe Annaliese during her tutoring session. Her student had recently completed her exams, so they began the session with a casual conversation about the week, how the exam went, and how the student felt about their performance. This initial chat not only helped set a relaxed tone but also allowed Annaliese to gain insights into the student’s perspective on their strengths and areas for improvement, for next term.

The session transitioned to revising graphs and algebra, which the student had identified as challenging topics. I was impressed by how Annaliese approached these areas. She tailored her explanations to address specific difficulties, ensuring the student could engage with the concepts at a comfortable pace. Her ability to simplify complex ideas and encourage active participation stood out. For example, she used visual aids and step-by-step breakdowns for graphing problems, making the material more accessible and less intimidating.

Annaliese focussed on building confidence. By revisiting challenging topics, and going through some questions the student could remember from er exam. This approach highlighted the importance of connecting and reflecting post exam. Annaliese created a supportive environment where the student felt heard and encouraged, even when grappling with difficult material. Amazing session!!

Shyla Gloster

Tutoring homework is an essential part of learning because it helps students make the most of their sessions and grow their confidence. It’s not about piling on more work; it’s about giving students the chance to practise, reflect, and feel more in control of their learning.

When a student works on homework after a tutoring session, it helps them remember what they’ve just learned. Sometimes, during a session, everything makes sense, but without practice, it can slip away. Homework allows students to revisit those ideas and practise solving problems on their own. Over time, this kind of repetition helps tricky concepts become second nature, making students feel more confident in their abilities.

Homework also teaches independence. In tutoring sessions, there’s always someone there to guide the student. But when they tackle homework, they’re on their own. This gives them the opportunity to figure things out for themselves, building problem-solving skills and a sense of achievement. Even if they don’t get everything right, the effort matters because it shows them they can keep trying and improving.

For tutors, homework is like a roadmap. It shows where a student might still be struggling or where they’re excelling. If a particular task was challenging, it highlights an area to focus on in future sessions. This feedback helps tutors customise lessons so they’re even more helpful and effective.

Homework also helps students develop important life skills like time management and organisation. Regular practice with assignments teaches them to plan ahead, stay focused, and break down tasks into manageable steps. These habits will serve them well far beyond tutoring and school.

At the end of the day, tutoring homework is more than just extra work. It’s a tool for growth, a way to build confidence, and a reminder to students of how much they’re capable of achieving with a little focus and effort. It’s a win-win for both the student and the tutor.

Eireyna Papinyan