From observing over the session, I thought Piper’s style of tutoring is very interesting, as noticeably, the approach for tutoring different subjects can contrast significantly.

In her session, she might ask Toby what he thinks about a character or how a poem makes him feel. It’s more about igniting ideas and thoughts with the student, and Piper encourages this, as she asks questions and helping him go in depth further. The work feels open, with more than one possible answer, and the focus is on explaining thoughts clearly.

In maths tutoring, it is quite different with my own sessions. The talk becomes more precise. I provide questions and state out the steps carefully, and then they follows along and do it themself. There is often a clear right or wrong answer. So when my student makes a mistake, I can trace it back through the steps to find exactly where it went wrong.

So overall, one session feels exploratory and discussion-based; the other feels structured and methodical.

Lucas Sinnott