I had the opportunity to observe Elise with her student Paloma.
During the session, Elise began by explaining how to calculate the area of a triangle, using clear examples and drawings to help Paloma understand the concept. She connected it to Paloma’s previous knowledge of rectangles, which made the topic feel more familiar. Paloma was focused and engaged, asking questions to clarify anything she wasn’t sure about.
As they moved through the worksheet, Paloma handled the simpler problems well but started to struggle when the numbers got larger. Elise quickly noticed that the difficulty wasn’t with understanding the area but with long multiplication. To help, Elise paused the session and spent time revising multiplication. She broke it down step by step, showing Paloma how to lay out her work clearly and avoid mistakes. Elise gave Paloma a few practice problems and worked through them with her until she felt more confident.
Once Paloma was more comfortable with multiplication, they returned to the area problems. Elise used a supportive approach, guiding Paloma through the first few examples and gradually encouraging her to work independently. When Paloma hesitated, Elise asked prompting questions like, “What’s the next step?” or “What do you think we should do here?” to help her think it through.
To keep Paloma engaged, Elise also included a few word problems that related to everyday situations. Paloma seemed to enjoy these more and worked through them enthusiastically. Elise gave lots of positive feedback, praising Paloma for her effort and persistence, which helped build her confidence.
By the end of the session, Paloma was solving problems on her own and feeling much more sure of herself. Elise’s ability to adapt the session, focus on Paloma’s needs, and keep her motivated made it a productive and positive experience.
Eric Mihas
