Today I had the pleasure of observing Sienna with her Year 12 student. Today they tackled a pretty tricky topic together – logarithms.
Logarithms can be scary as it’s essentially a new and unfamiliar number system! However, Sienna was calm, patient, and understanding, ultimately helping the student be less intimidated and more self-assured.
Sienna’s ability to switch up her mode of teaching was also admirable. Whenever she noticed that the student was struggling a bit with a concept, she would change her approach, tailoring her explanations to her students’ confidence and attitude.
Sienna also ensured that the student maintained their interest in the session by allowing moments of rest and enthusiastic conversation. It can be difficult for students to maintain high spirits when they come in to tutoring on a weekend, but Sienna’s disposition and ability to adapt negated all negative vibes!
Sienna was also incredibly skilful at reassuring the student when they were incorrect, allowing the student to first recognise their own mistake before providing a comprehensive explanation that cleared up any confusion. She was articulate about why certain methods were not applicable, and ensured that the student understood before they moved on.
Overall, this was a fantastic session to observe. Well done Sienna!
Sophie McGrath
