Observation

Observing Thomas during his tutoring session provided a great example of how a skilled tutor can create a positive and productive learning environment. From the beginning of the session, he greeted the student warmly and took a few minutes to check in with the student. He asked how they had been finding the work and what area they felt most confident or unsure about. This helped establish a comfortable atmosphere and allowed Thomas to tailor the session to the students needs. He created a welcoming environment where the student appeared comfortable asking questions and expressing when they were unsure about a particular concept. This demonstrated the importance of building a positive relationship with the student before beginning work.

Thomas also demonstrated amazing patience when the student struggled with some of the problems. He gave the student enough time to think before providing additional support and praised their effort when they made progress. I noticed that he regularly used positive reinforcement, such as telling the student they were doing well and recognising when they used a correct strategy.

Another positive aspect was Thomas ability to check the students understanding throughout the session. He asked the student to explain how they reached an answer rather than simply checking whether the answer was correct. This allowed him to identify areas where the student needed more practice. He was able to adjust his explanations when the student was having difficulty.

Overall, Thomas demonstrated strong communication, patience and encouragement during the tutoring session. He was well prepared and adapted her teaching to suit the students needs. Her approach helped the student become more confident with addition and encouraged them to work through problems independently. Thomas is a really great tutor, and I observed several effective tutoring skills that would be valuable in my own future sessions, especially when working with maths students.