Today I was able to observe my fellow tutor Katreen as she provided a mathematics tutoring session for her student. Through utilising various techniques such as the whiteboard, paper and pen and her laptop, Katreen was able to keep her student engaged, helping her when needed but also ensuring she could complete the work individually.
Through integrating different resources such as the student’s textbook and worksheets, Katreen was able to ensure the information provided was accurate and well sourced, thus providing a __ to its fullest potential. For the first 15 minutes of the session, the tutor and student went through homework questions and various mistakes made, allowing her to ensure there was no confusion or lacking confidence in the student’s ability on previous lessons. This was helpful to ensure the student and tutor were both on the same page, proving that her student felt comfortable asking questions, thus demonstrating strong and healthy communication skills. Further, the tutor then began working on the new topic (pyramids and cones), utilising the whiteboard to draw diagrams and calculations clearly. This helped with the student who may be more of a visual learner, demonstrating the tutor’s strong ability in catering her session personally to this student.
After a quick break halfway through the session to help increase focus and productivity, a new tutoring approach was introduced for the second half of the session. This more hands on approach involved the tutor focusing on the student answering and working out the questions individually. This allowed for the tutor to get a clearer insight on the level the student was sitting at with this new content, and where some clarification may be needed. Finally, the tutor spent the last 15 minutes providing homework and ensuring her student felt confident with the new topic covered. Overall, through switching between these different techniques, Katreen provided a productive tutoring session where her student was engaged and ready to apply these skills to her lessons.
Annabelle Molloy
