I had the opportunity to observe Shyla’s Year 7 maths session today. I really appreciated with the way she was able to explain new math concepts to the student, who was particularly energetic and prone to distraction. When introducing algebraic concepts she used clear language and broke down the process into easy steps he could follow. She also took the time to rephrase or provide another example if he ever appeared hesitant, which helped to ensure he fully understood and remained confident in answering questions. I was also impressed by Shyla’s ability to balance friendly chat with staying on task. As I said, he was quite energetic but she welcomed light conversation which helped put the student at ease and remain engaged, but she knew how to redirect him back to the task at hand when the conversation was going on for too long. This is not the easiest to manage, especially with younger students who love to chat! Additionally, she acknowledged the student’s effort even when their answers weren’t entirely correct, which made sure the student never felt scared to say an answer. I saw this manifest throughout the whole session as the student was never shy in asking Shyla a frenzy of questions! Further, she had clearly planned the session well based off of the content they had covered last class, but she also was able to adapt in the moment when the student wanted to go over another concept he was confused with. Overall, her demeanour coupled with her professionalism allowed the student to feel both supported and challenged. I really appreciated her approach and ability to maintain rapport while getting through a lot of content. She was able to create a very positive and productive tutoring session!

Annaliese Lakis