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Hi everyone,
Today I got the opportunity to observe Sophie. In English, they were working through singular and plural nouns. When her student did not know the definition of a word in the list, she would think of creative real word examples to assist him. For example, when he did not know the word ratio, she gave the example of making cordial with water. In the second half of the lesson they were working on Maths skills and focusing on time. Sophie initially gave her student a broad worksheet on the topic to assess his skills then after he promptly completed that, they worked through harder questions to improve his knowledge on the topic. I liked how Sophie always allowed him sufficient time to work through the question and try to solve any difficulties he had by himself. Then, she would guide him back on the right track to find the answer. Amazing job Sophie, it was great to observe your lesson!!

Sophia McLean

In her Year 9 English tutoring session, Katherine demonstrated a highly effective approach to creating a positive and welcoming learning environment. From the outset, her warm and approachable demeanor helped to put the student at ease, fostering a space where her student felt comfortable expressing her ideas and asking questions.

A key strength of Katherine’s approach was the way she encouraged the student to take ownership of their learning. Rather than imposing a rigid structure, she allowed the student to steer the session, beginning by asking what her student would like to focus on. This strategy not only gave her student a sense of control but also promoted self-reflection and critical thinking. Together, using this approach, they were able to write the majority of a thematic-style essay. This helped her student feel more capable and instilled a sense of accomplishment.

Katherine was also highly skilled in pacing the session. She was attentive to her student’s cues, continually adjusting the rigour of session. This involved having a few breaks to have a chat and keep her student engaged, and also deeply thought-provoking probing questions. When her student was unsure of her answers, Katherine provided support through well-phrased prompts and questions, rather than simply giving answers. This encouraged her student to think independently while still feeling supported. Her praise was also always specific and had meaning.

Overall, Katherine’s thoughtful, student-centered approach not only enhanced the student’s learning but also helped cultivate their independence and confidence.

Sophie McGrath

Hello Everyone,
Today I observed Sophie’s Maths Extension 1 session. She did an amazing job with her student to prepare him for the start of year 12. She was able to inspire him and in-still confidence in his ability to understand new mathematical concepts as she started to familiarise him with the content he will eventually learn. By teaching him the content before he learns it in class enables him to go into class with a strong foundation and confidence that he knows how to approach new and difficult concepts. Sophie did a great job incorporating both the large and small whiteboards into her tutorial. She used the large whiteboard to write the formulas, working out and diagrams onto the board which really suited her student he was a visual learner. Her student felt very comfortable with her as he asked her lots of questions to get a clearer understanding of the topic. She had a nice balance of helping to guide him when we stuck and confused by giving him helpful tips to consider in his approach. She also gave him lots of opportunities to attempt the questions himself which enabled her to get a better insight into whether or not he fully understand the theory and was able to apply it practically to the question. When he finished each question, she would check his working out and help him correct any of his errors. Sophie was a very inspirational tutor and very knowledgeable of the syllabus content. Both Sophie and her student did such a great job. It was a pleasure to watch this tutorial!

Ashley Cohen

Throughout the lesson, Katherine maintains a calm and supportive atmosphere. She started by asking the student how they initially felt about the English material, and based on their response, she adjusted her approach. This initial check-in helped her gauge the student’s confidence and set a personalised direction for the session. When the student struggled with a problem with comprehending the text or grammar, she patiently waited, offered gentle prompts and asked leading questions to guide the student towards the solution without jumping to answer right away.

Her explanations were always clear and concise. She utilised simple, relatable examples to break down complex topics, making sure that the student followed each step before moving forward. If she sensed hesitation, she paused and re-explained what she meant, ensuring no part of the lesson was rushed. Katherine often asked the student to explain their thinking process, helping them articulate their understanding, and reinforcing the material. This approach also allowed Katherine to identify where the student might be confused, so she could address specific issues to ensure the student’s understanding.

Throughout the session, Katherine’s tone remains consistently calm and encouraging, regardless of the reception and mood of the student. She doesn’t rush the student, giving them space to think through problems on their own. Even when mistakes are made, she never shows frustration. Instead, Katherine used those moments as teaching opportunities, guiding the student to self-correct by asking open-ended questions like, “What do you think happens next?” This fosters a sense of independence and problem-solving skills, and this is particularly something I will try to implement into my own tutoring methods.

Katherine’s patient demeanour was key to the student’s growing confidence. By the end of the session, it was clear that the student felt more engaged and willing to attempt more challenging problems. The supportive environment Katherine created made it easier for the student to embrace challenges and mistakes as part of the learning process, promoting long-term growth.

Toby Bower

I had the opportunity to observe Peter’s program. The program was the first Year 11 Extension 1 session. As the students were nervous sitting in a room with unfamiliar faces, Peter began with an icebreaker activity to release the tension in the room and emphasise a welcoming environment. The icebreaker consisted of students sharing their name, school, and some of their favourite hobbies and interests. This really created a positive learning atmosphere and really eased into the session.

After the icebreaker, Peter introduced the homework rules that apply, going through what would happen if you missed the first, second, and third weeks of homework. He introduced the format that the programs will run in, highlighting that the booklets given are worked through in the 2-hour period and the homework booklet is completed at home.

Peter proceeded to start the booklet. He emphasised the WHY??, explaining that the brain is a muscle and math is the gym. The first topic to be completed in the Year 11 Extension 1 course is the math advanced topic of Methods in Algebra. Peter began to explain and run through the questions, which seemed like revisions to the students, which was effective for the learning. He used the whiteboard, allowing the students to visualise each question step by step. The students took turns answering questions, allowing them to demonstrate their understanding while all asked questions where necessary. This interactive approach kept the students engaged and built a positive, inclusive learning environment.

The subtopics that were covered in the sessions were:
– Simplifying expressions
– Index Laws
– Expanding
– Factorising
– Algebraic Fractions

Throughout the session, Peter allowed the students to solve some aspects independently and then discuss as a group. He cleared up any concerns the students had and highlighted his method. The collaborative approach worked really well in the sessions.

It was a good session to observe. Good job Peter!

David Hanna

Hello,
Today I had the opportunity to observe Deanne. They were going over her student’s preliminary exam from last term. Although her student did quite well, there are still some mistakes and areas of confusion that Deanne needed to revise with her student to ensure she is confident with the topics and knows how to handle it when she comes across it in future exams. During my observation, I denoted various ways and tricks that Deanne executed that I could potentially integrate through my future tutoring sessions. Deanne and her student portrayed a positive and close knit relationship that elicited a welcoming and easy going environment where there were boundaries in place surrounding staying on track. Deanne specifically addressed concerns that the student had in the test and corrected the questions the student got incorrect. Deanne’s explanation was clear, concise and targeted all parts of the questions, specifically aiming towards the areas the student voiced her confusion. Moreover, she also decided to give her student some exam tips and tricks for upcoming exams, especially since her student is starting Year 12 this term, where every exam begins to count. These tips involved stress and time management, reading the questions carefully, ensuring to check that the marks add up to what you were given and more. Moving forward from this test, Deanne advised her student to revise the questions she struggled in and gave her more questions regarding these specific topics so that her student could master them for future exams and not repeat her mistakes. By the end of the lesson, the student was confident in the areas of the exam she got incorrect after grasping the concepts and being exposed to multiple questions and tricks that examiners throw in to put students off that Deanne exposed her to. Overall, I gained an insightful experience from observing Deanne and developed tactics that I could use in the future for my tutoring lessons.

Thank you!!

Rheanna Leontsinis

Today, I got to observe the big room. In this room Deanne and Elise were each tutoring their students. Elise was tutoring her student in Maths specifically probability while Deanne was tutoring her student in Chemistry.

Deanne made great use of the whiteboard to help work through questions while highlighting each step to make the question easier to tackle. She also highlighted some key ideas to be aware of in case of similar questions in exams. She went through an exam paper with her student to expose him to a range of questions likely to come up in his exams and allowed him to lead in answering them as to see where he was in terms of his knowledge and his confidence. She made sure his working was thorough and he had what was needed to achieve all the allocated marks in an exam. She gave him some ideas for resources he could use to help visualise the concepts he was learning.

Elise worked together with her student to solve questions until her student was comfortable enough to do questions herself. This is important to help increase her confidence enabling her to do the work by herself especially when it comes to homework and exams/tests. If her student struggled, she gave her hints to push her in the right direction without giving her the answer straight away. She went through different types of probability questions including bar graphs and tables, which each have a varying approach that she made sure to outline and familiarise her student.

Both sessions provided me with a lot of insight into how to approach various questions avoiding giving answers away. By hinting and giving the student time to immerse themselves in the question, we can help them work through it consequently giving them confidence which prompts them to do well in homework and exams.

Olga-Liana Athanasatos

Today I observed Annaliese’s tutoring session!

During my observation of Annaliese teaching trigonometry to a Year 10 student, I was so impressed by her ability to simplify the complex concepts and maintain the student’s focus. She started the session by reviewing Pythagoras theorem, and shape angle sum and then introduced the key trig ratios – she did this to ensure the student had a solid understanding of their definitions and triangles and when to apply them. Annaliese used real-world examples, e.g measuring the height of a building using angles, to make the content relatable and less abstract. This method definitely captured the student’s interest but also helped make the formulas make sense.

Another part of Annaliese’s lesson, was teaching her student how to use the trigonometry buttons (sin/cos/tan, and inverse trig ) on the calculator. She broke down each step of the calculation process, guiding the student through pressing the correct buttons, and showing how to save the results using the ANS button. This hands-on approach allowed the student to gain confidence in using the calculator (which can be confusing) and made them comfortable as Annaliese worked through them with her. She provided lots of practice opportunities, where they worked through questions together, but also let the student try on their own. She corrected any mistakes without discouraging the student, and used positive reinforcement to keep them motivated. She started with easier questions, to build foundations and confidence and then moved on to more complex questions after that!

Annaliese’s teaching style was very structured but also flexible to suit the pace of the student. She regularly asked the student to explain concepts in their own words, and show how they did their working out (even it it was wrong) to understand what was going wrong/how they could fix it.

Shyla Gloster

Hi everyone, I hope you are well! Today I had the opportunity to observe Eireyna’s Year 10 Maths session. During the session, Eireyna did a great and engaging job with helping the student understand graphing, using concepts about finding coordinates and the x and y intersection to guide them.

Firstly, Eireyna marked last week’s homework and this step allowed her to assess the student’s progress, spot any particular difficulty they may have had, and identify any gaps in understanding. She also took the time to ask questions, ensuring the student could articulate the reasoning behind each answer. When they went through finding the axis on a cartesian plane, Eireyna used the whiteboard to draw a graph, ensuring it was clear, and then told the student to copy this graph in their own workbook. She broke down each step, explaining how to determine where a line crosses the axes and what that represents mathematically. This not only helped the student understand how to find the intercepts but let them know how these ideas an be used in real life. In this way, Eireyna created a supportive environment where the student felt comfortable asking questions and making mistakes, because she reminded them that without this, they won’t make good progress.

The encouraged the student to think aloud, asking them to predict where lines would intersect and guiding them when needed. This questioning technique helped the student actively engage with the material they while they were studying. Eireyna also emphasised the correct order of the axis intersections and when plotting each of the points, so they could follow independently. This kept them on the right track. One of the standout aspects of the session was Eireyna’s ability to maintain a positive and encouraging tone throughout, so the student could feel comfortable with developing their problem-solving skills. Because of this, her combination of active learning strategies ensured the student was feeling more confident and better prepared for future challenges in broader areas of maths.

By the end of the session it was clear the student had gained a better understanding of these equations and their overall confidence was strengthened. The student’s positive response to her methods highlighted the importance of fostering an encouraging learning environment between Eireyna and her student.

Eleni Nicholas

I had the lovely opportunity to observe Marina’s session with her Primary English student!
Marina delivered a highly organised as well as engaging lesson, focusing on spelling. Together they worked through some look-cover-write-check worksheets…

Here are some great techniques Marina was using in her lesson that I will be sure to take on within my own lessons.

Voice:
When tutoring younger students it is important to speak in a way that allows the student to connect and engage with the lesson. I was impressed by Marina’s use of a clear yet kind and enthusiastic voice when she was teaching. I took note of how she commended her student when he got a question right and showed kindness and support when he got stuck. It was clear that the student’s confidence in his work increased as the lesson progressed.

Attentiveness:
It is very important to always show attentiveness towards the students when they are completing their work in session. I noticed how closely Marina worked with her student throughout the lesson, being constantly engaged. This technique is hugely beneficial as it makes the student feel supported as they do their work, and creates a sense of teamwork where the tutor is someone the student is working “with” not “for”. The tutors engagement also makes it much easier for the student to stay on task, which is especially beneficial when tutoring primary/younger students.

Use of resources/tools:
Sometimes the difference between a good tutoring session and a great one can be how creatively the tutor uses their tools to keep the student engaged and excited to learn. I was impressed by Marina’s use of a variety of resources to keep the lesson constantly moving and changing. Some examples were, her use of the mini whiteboard for explanations which the student could also use and interact with, using coloured pencils as part of an exercise to make the work more fun, and giving the student a crossword puzzle as a short mental break while she marked his work. Marina’s creative use of resources kept the student engaged and interested in the work throughout the entire hour.

Using all these methods and more, Marina’s lesson was super effective and engaging, leaving the student confident and happy by the end. I’ll be sure to take these great tips with me in my future lessons.
Thanks Marina!!

Demi Tselios