Today I had a late cancellation so I observed Sienna’s history session. She began the session by making sure that the student understood the important events and figures involved in World War 2 which was the topic that he is working on in school. They then worked through some questions that the student had from class.
This session was a great one to watch as I do not take any history sessions, so it was useful to see a different type of tutoring session. This is because there are many adaptable techniques to subjects that I do take such as English and Maths that I can incorporate into my sessions. For example, the way in which Sienna started with a discussion to develop the students understanding about the topic prior to starting to work on questions. This is valuable because it allows her to provide the student with the knowledge required to answer the questions whilst still allowing them to answer the question as opposed to helping them with the question as they go. As a result, the student is able to develop their critical thinking and applying their knowledge to different questions and situations which is highly applicable in an exam situation.
Sienna also effectively explored a variety of question types and styles. They began by working with some multiple-choice questions and provided the student with some techniques specific to history multiple choice and allowed the student to practice this. They then moved on to short answer and she guided the student in learning how much to write in relation to how many marks a question is worth. This is very important, especially in the later years of high school since it ensures that they do not write too much and waste time in exams, or to not write enough and sacrifice marks.
Riva Burkett
