Today I had the chance to observe Pasquale’s maths session. The session primarily involved quadratic equations and the factorising involved (explained through the PSF method). Pasquale commenced the session by addressing a few of the students homework questions and concerns regarding the factorisation and solving of monic quadratic equations. He explained to the student what leaving your answer as an exact value means and the purpose of it, by explaining that the evaluation of an exact value will typically give a large decimal number. Following this, Pasquale prompted the student to attempt a few similar questions of his own to consolidate his understanding. Where the student made mistakes, Pasquale made use of the whiteboard to work out the solution. Rather than simply writing out the solution and explaining it, Pasquale prompted the student to independently determine the course of action when working out the solution, to efficiently consolidate his understanding. Where the student was confused, Pasquale offered various hints to help inform the students working out without simply revealing the answer. This was a very effective way to actively engage the student, rather than simply solving the solution and having the student reflect on it. Overall it was a great session to observe, and I look forward to integrate some of Pasquale’s teaching methods my own teaching.

Kieran Fung