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Another observation once again today, this time with Gemma tutoring Abbie in mathematics, I noticed how she combined clear explanations with questioning to help Abbie develop confidence and solve problems independently. The session focused on simple equations, an area in which it seems Abbie can occasionally be confused, which Gemma then began by asking Abbie to complete a few short practice problems so she can identify exactly where each misunderstanding with the questions occurred.
Rather than immediately correcting Abbie's mistakes, I have seen across a lot of the tutors at First Ed, is the ability to teach instead of tell. Gemma asked her to explain each step of her working. This allowed Abbie to recognise that she had changed the sign of the term incorrectly. This allowed Abbie to recognise that she had changed the sign of a term incorrectly. Gemma then demonstrated the correct method using a similar example and explained that the same operation must be performed on both sides to keep the equation balanced. She used simple language and wrote each step clearly, which made the process easy to follow.
An effective feature of Gemma's tutoring was the gradual increase in difficulty. After completing a basic equation together, she gave Abbie several questions with additional terms. Gemma provided less assistance as Abbie became more confident, eventually leading her to be able to complete all the equations independently without any assistance or guidance from Gemma. This then allowed Abbie to identify errors independently afterwards to see whether the answer was correct and if there are any common mistakes she may make in an exam scenario.
I can apply these strengths to my own maths tutoring by using a similar process, being the use of simple, short questions to diagnose misunderstandings, then asking students to explain each step of their working, gradually increasing difficulty and pulling away regular assistance. Then, finally, analysing if there are common mistakes and where my students can maximise their marks in an exam.
