Hi everyone, I got the opportunity to observe David and his student. They worked on algebraic techniques and indices.
Throughout the session, David asked the student questions about his working out to make sure that he understood the steps he was completing, not just applying patterns. When the student did not have a complete understanding of the concepts, he used simplified examples that illustrated the concepts more clearly.
He also identified that the student’s working out is unclear. He emphasised the importance of clear working out, which helps ensure that the teacher gives you marks for all of your working out. It also guides your thinking process and makes it easier to double check the work you have done.
David encouraged errorless learning by prompting the student to talk through his thinking before completing questions. This helps to ensure the student does not practice incorrect working out, which may translate into consistent errors. He also related the current topic to previous content such as the order of operations to help the student consolidate his learning.
As most of my students are older, it was insightful to learn from how David taught fundamental concepts such as algebra. This will be useful in the future. Thanks for letting me observe!
Derus Kung
