I had to observe Daniella tutor her year 8 student in maths. This was a very insightful lesson to observe due to a few reasons. Firstly, Daniella seemed to adopt a very hands-on approach to this tutoring session, particularly due to the fact that her student had autism. It can be very difficult for tutors to navigate lessons where their students present with certain mental illness, such as ADHD or Autism. However, by remaining patient, aware of her students needs, and offering understanding and support Daniella was able to steer the lesson in a positive direction and ultimately progress though questions with her student. Further, Daniela is a very good communicator, and for this lesson was much more slower and precise in her style of communication. She spoke at a much slower pace and used a lot of hand gestures to connect with her student and aid them in visualising certain processes. In this way, Daniella effectively used both verbal and non-verbal forms of communication to instil focus and direct her students attention towards the work that they were working on.

Another interesting point of observation was that Daniella was being very resourceful as she appeared to be using the textbook and printed worksheets that she had prepared before her lesson began. This is a useful way to stay on top of the lesson and also saves time as tutors do not need to spend time printing and finding resources. In doing this Daniella has reinforced the importance of being organised and coming to lessons thoroughly prepared, which will ultimately make the job of tutoring ‘easier’ for tutors and also more productive for students. Overall this was a great lesson to observe this afternoon. Well done Daniella keep up the good work.

James Petrakis