Today, I had the opportunity to observe Olga tutor her Year 12 Standard Math student.

Once Olga and her student had settled in after sharing what they got up to during the holidays, Olga began to focus on the concept of scale drawings. Her student came with questions about the topic from the textbook where Olga guided her student to consider knowledge from the topic of ratios. Once clarifying the questions by using real life examples, her student was then able to successfully complete the questions. This was also ensured through Olga’s encouraging and calm tone as her student felt comfortable asking questions and expressing her worries and concerns about the difficulty of the questions. Olga then began to explain the trapezoidal rule and showed her how it can be applied to different trapeziums. Olga was very patient in explaining the applications of the trapezoidal rule and also explained the importance of using multiple methods to solve questions, illuminating the crossover of content (i.e using Pythagoras to assist in answering area questions). This not only eased the confusion about using the formula in different questions but enhanced the student’s confidence in answering an array of exam style questions. Throughout the entirety of the lesson, Olga ensured that there was a thorough understanding of the content taught and did this by asking her student to explain her thought process and working out back to her. This is highly effective in ensuring that the time is used efficiently as well as ensuring that the student is constantly engaged. Olga concluded the lesson by briefly explaining Networks and all it encompasses. It was amazing to see how the student left the lesson feeling more confident, motivated and excited.

Well done Olga ☺️

Marina Nouris