Today I observed Emma with Cole – a Maths student in Year 7, which was a session that provided some great insight. As the lesson came after the student’s exam, Emma asked Cole about how he had prepared for it and the amount of study he had completed. She gave valuable advice concerning this and asked if he had worked on the chapter review, which is a great resource as it tests a broad range of topics the student should know, exposing to them what they might be weak in and should target with their tutor. As they revised converting units, Emma ensured he could convert smaller units into bigger ones and vice versa, asking for him to explain his thought process as he was going, avoiding just affirming whether his answers were correct or not. This is vital as it allows the tutor to easily notice any missteps happening within the student’s thinking and accommodate appropriately. Making sure every part of his method is done correctly also increases the student’s confidence as they take on the next questions. Emma continuously consulted his exam paper, which was on area and perimeter, in order to give her a better idea of what to focus on and guide the structure of the session. Any question he struggled to complete or get right in the test was aided by the many example questions she went through with him, ensuring that going forwards he would now understand how to do them. There was a particular exam question where he got ½ possible marks, as he came to the right answer but he lost a mark for not showing his working. Emma explained this to him and the reason for the mark deduction, which is critical for him to know in his future studies given the emphasis tests and teachers place on displaying working out. Overall, it was a great and productive session between Emma and her student and it was especially valuable to observe how she approached teaching her student post his exam. Thank you Emma!
Sofala Vogt
