Today, I had the opportunity to observe Angelina tutor her Year 8 Maths student.

Angelina began the lesson by checking in on her student and her progress in her study for her upcoming exam. Angelina was very proactive in printing out an array of practice papers for her student to complete, where she was exposed to an array of questions of various difficulty. Angelina quickly found that her student had experienced difficulty in algebra. By taking a step-by-step approach to answer the questions and asking the student about her thought process, her student gradually became comfortable with answering more challenging questions. After spending some time on algebra, Angelina asked her student to consider the key takeaways to solving an array of problems involving skills and knowledge in algebra.

The lesson’s focus then shifted to area and volume, where Angelina provided lots of reassurance and assistance when her student answered questions. I admire the way Angelina engages with her students and her ability to read her students’ emotions as they experience uncertainty or stress. In turn, Angelina was effectively able to keep the session calm and smooth sailing. Finally, it was clear that the student was very comfortable in the lesson which can be attributed to the reassurance Angelina provided.

Marina Nouris