Today I observed Natalie’s session with a year 5 student, working on spelling, grammar and punctuation.
She began the session with a warm welcome and a check of the previous week’s homework, assessing any mistakes thoroughly and encouraging the student for their efforts and their correct answers.
She kept the student engaged throughout the session, actively calling upon him to utilise his own knowledge and ask questions. As they worked through a set of grammar problems during the first half of the session, I enjoyed watching the student become more engaged and enthusiastic as he began to improve his answers with each question after some encouraging feedback.
I appreciated how she catered so well to the student’s needs and abilities. She patiently gave him enough time to complete the questions on his own, while making him feel comfortable if he got stuck on a particular problem by suggesting ways of moving forward and rewarding his improvements with encouraging remarks. She provided him with material that was challenging for his level and yet allowed him to improve throughout the session. I would also highlight how she asked him questions about his own work and why he made particular decisions, so that he could begin to recognise his own mistakes and correct himself without her guidance.
At the halfway point, Natalie rewarded his focus with a break and a game of uno, which I particularly enjoyed watching, as it helped the student enjoy the session while keeping his attention and allowing him to focus during the second half of the hour. During this game, he became less shy and more sure of himself and his tutor, creating a rapport that is paramount for the student to make the most out of the session.
She ended the session by assigning him homework to complete over the next week and an amiable goodbye with a parting game of uno. Overall, the session was one to be learned from, with Natalie’s excellent approach to learning and engagement for primary aged students!

Tyler Klinger