Observation

Today I observed Ioannis tutoring his Year 9 English student.
The main focus of the lesson was essay writing and developing the student's understanding of the novel they are currently studying in class. They discussed ideas surrounding cultural resilience, the stolen generations and Aboriginal heritage, and how these concepts could be explored and supported within his essay.
Ioannis began the lesson by planning with his student, deciding what they wanted to cover during the session. This gave the lesson clear direction while also allowing the student to identify the areas where they needed the most support. Much of the session was conversational, with Ioannis and his student discussing potential ideas, arguments, and evidence that could be included in the essay.
Some of the areas they covered included:
- planning and structuring an essay before beginning to write
- developing arguments around cultural resilience and aboriginal heritage
- discussing the stolen generations and its relevance to the novel
- selecting appropriate evidence and quotes to support an argument
- correctly incorporating and formatting quotes within sentences
- ensuring sentences were grammatically correct and clearly expressed
Rather than simply providing the student with answers or telling them what to write,, Ioannis regularly asked questions and encouraged the student to think through their ideas independently. This was particularly effective during the planning process, as the student was given time to consider what they wanted to argue and how evidence from the novel could be used to prove and strengthen their points.

Overall, the lesson provided a relaxed and conversational learning environment while remaining focuses on developing the student's essay writing skills. He effectively supported the student without taking over the writing process, encouraging independent thinking and helping them build a stronger understanding of how to plan, support, and communicate their ideas in an English essay.