First Education

I had the opportunity to observe Jemima’s Maths Advanced tutorial session. She did such a good job helping her student work through difficult Maths problems.

Jemima did a great job allowing her students to work through complex math problem step by step.

When her student got stuck she helped her to work through each step in chronological order. It was great to see how she would let her student try to work out each problem rather than giving her the answer straight away.

She did a great job at using a whiteboard to draw diagrams to explain different ways to approach the question. By giving her student numerous ways to solve a problem, it allowed her to pick the way that made the most sense to her.

She helped her understand the question by getting her to draw diagrams on the whiteboard. This helped her as she is a visual learner.

Jemima would also answer each question or she would have the answers printed out so when her student got stuck she was able to answer the question straight away. It also meant she could easily check if she got the right answer. This meant they could go through more questions and they could use their lesson time as effectively as possible.

Jemima was great at answering all of her students questions and she always gave very clear responses. Her student was very appreciative of Jemima’s response.

It was great that she applied mathematical theory to her students practice exam questions, so she was able to see how the theory applied in a practical example which could be easier for her to understand.

It was great to see how friendly they were and how comfortable she was with Jemima. They had a great relationship and they got along really well.

Jemima did such a great job helping his student to build her confidence in Maths.

Overall, Jemima did such a great job helping her student to understand, interpret and practically apply mathematical theory to his students homework questions. It was a great session and such a pleasure to observe. Keep it up Jemima!

Ashley Cohen

Every student learns differently, and one of the greatest strengths of tutoring is its ability to adapt to different learning styles. Unlike a traditional classroom, where a single teaching method is used for all students, tutoring offers a personalised approach that helps each student absorb and retain information in a way that works best for them.

There are several common learning styles: visual, auditory, reading/writing, and kinaesthetic. Visual learners benefit from diagrams, charts, and mind maps, while auditory learners retain information better through discussions and verbal explanations. Reading/writing learners excel when given written notes and structured outlines, and kinaesthetic learners learn best through hands-on activities and real-world applications. A tutor can tailor their teaching methods to match the student’s preferred learning style, making the learning process more effective and engaging.

By recognising and accommodating different learning styles, tutoring helps students build confidence in their abilities. Many students struggle in a traditional classroom setting simply because the teaching approach does not align with how they learn best. With a tutor’s guidance, students can explore new ways of understanding concepts and develop study techniques that suit their individual strengths.

Furthermore, tutoring helps students become more self-aware about their own learning preferences. Once they understand how they learn most effectively, they can apply these strategies across all subjects and throughout their academic journey. This level of self-awareness fosters independent learning and equips students with valuable skills that extend beyond school.

Ultimately, tutoring is not just about reinforcing content—it’s about helping students discover the best way for them to learn. By catering to different learning styles, tutoring ensures that every student has the opportunity to reach their full potential and develop a love for lifelong learning.

Eireyna Papinyan

Over my years of tutoring, I’ve noticed a concerning pattern: the perfectionistic mindset that the HSC preparation often instils in students. High school education, while well-intentioned, often unintentionally fosters this mindset in its push to engage students with the demands of the HSC. This environment of pressure can make students believe that anything less than perfection equals failure. As a result, they develop an all-or-nothing mentality, which stifles their learning process. This stagnation, where students sit at desks, staring at empty screens, discarding draft after draft in search of an unattainable ideal, is a wasted effort.

What schools often forget in their efforts to motivate student engagement is that learning is inherently iterative. A student who submits a “good enough” first draft can receive valuable feedback that guides further improvement. But the perfectionist who submits nothing learns nothing—failure doesn’t lie in not succeeding on the first attempt.

To counteract the perfectionist mindset encouraged by the educational system, I aim to create a tutoring environment that is free of judgment. While this may seem simple, providing a space where even imperfect attempts are seen as progress can be incredibly motivating. I also find that modularising tasks into smaller, manageable steps helps reduce the fear of facing an overwhelming challenge. We set time limits for drafting and focus on celebrating progress rather than perfection.

To re-engage a disheartened student, I encourage them to present their worst attempt. The surprise they experience, after consistently aiming to showcase the best work, helps them recognize that imperfection is an inherent part of the learning process. The paradox of education is that perfection-seeking actually undermines achievement. Students who approach learning as a progression of incremental steps, rather than fixating solely on the final outcome, demonstrate improved performance, cultivate a deeper understanding, and develop resilience that will serve them well beyond high school

Thea Macarthur-Lassen

Today I observed a tutoring session led by Oliver with a year 11/12 student studying the Bohr’s model of the atom (and radiation) in chemistry.
Oliver began the session with a friendly welcome and checked in on the student’s homework progress and concepts from the previous session. I enjoyed the structure of the session as Oliver and the student worked through the content booklet, looking at theory and then applying it to practice questions.
I particularly liked how he clearly explained each question and the notes within the workbook, allowing his student to fully understand what is required. Working through questions, Oliver and his student were very comfortable discussing topics with each other, and he prompted her to call upon her own learning. Working aloud and discussing practice questions was great because Oliver was able to assist the student and identify mistakes, correcting them in real-time.
I especially liked how Oliver would reinforce learning by providing practice problems, in particular, harder examples of the content so that his student was challenged to problem-solve and apply her new knowledge independently. Working aloud together enabled Oliver to identify areas that the student was less confident, or the content was more difficult to understand and required extra practice.
It was also great to see the use of the whiteboard and stimulus to engage the student, assist them to visually comprehend concepts and to problem-solve harder questions. The larger visual representation was super helpful for his student, and I will definitely try to use it more in my own sessions. Oliver did an amazing job of clearly conveying several complex, intertwined concepts and encouraged a deeper knowledge of topics within the work.
His tutoring approach is noteworthy, and I enjoyed witnessing how attentive and engaged his student was, asking questions and working hard when she struggled with concepts. Oliver was very patient and worked throughout the session with continuous positive reinforcement and clear explanations.

Molly Espie

During my time studying for the HSC, like all students I spent a lot of time studying for my exams – so which methods did I use and which ones were the most effective?

The most common and most traditional method would be repetition, performing the same action repeatedly until you completely master it. While this method has its uses it is probably the most misused and over worked method within education, students repeatedly writing out their essays trying to memorise them or mechanically doing 100 math questions of the exact same format is not effective in the long run as it takes away any thought required to effectively answer questions. What is much more important is understanding the concepts behind what we are doing and understanding when we can apply them – which is why answering a range of questions is much more effective. Students can do this by using past papers (if they are available) and if not completing the topic tests in maths textbooks/writing responses to each of the main themes being explored during english class.

Another key skill is managing your own attention, sitting down for 4+ hours and trying to study effectively from start to finish is a lie we have all told ourselves, and with our phones being with us at all times you will almost always end up scrolling for significant portions. A way to manage this is breaking your work down into blocks or setting smaller achievable goals – such as completing a set amount of short answer/extended response at a time or completing specific pages of questions. Then after each milestone is reached, taking a short break where you can go walk around/have a drink of water and get your mind off studying for a moment, allowing you to reset. Doing this, you can often studing for much longer periods and stay on task much longer – making your study much more efficient.

Charlie Curran

Today I observed Airi’s mathematics session with a younger student, navigating through a topic which can be very confusing for younger students, working with money, Airi made each problem easier for the student by explaining the problems in a way they can better understand, asking “how much did you get from the tooth fairy?” and outlining how many teeth they would need to lose to save up a certain amount.

What I specifically noticed which I will try add to my own tutoring is how she communicates with her younger students to better guide them through questions and help them reach their own conclusions. Instead of pulling the student up on mistakes, she instead continues to ask them questions that work up to the final answer – by breaking down the larger question into smaller, more digestible parts the student is able to work their way up to the final answer easier.

Additionally, instead of using negative language such “no” or “don’t” when the student would make an error, she instead would ask questions such as “why?”, to make the student think about why they are performing certain actions and would often realise their mistake themselves – allowing them to find the solution on their own accord.

Charlie Curran

Effective communication is one of the most important skills for tutors, especially when it comes to handling difficult conversations with students. Whether addressing academic struggles, behavioural issues, or personal challenges, these discussions require sensitivity, empathy, and clarity. Here are some key strategies to navigate these conversations effectively.

Create a Safe and Supportive Environment
Students are more likely to open up and engage in a constructive conversation when they feel safe and respected. Choose a private setting where the student feels comfortable, and approach the conversation with a calm and nonjudgmental demeanour.

Listen Actively and Show Empathy
Difficult conversations often stem from complex emotions and challenges. Practice active listening by giving the student your full attention, maintaining eye contact, and nodding or providing verbal affirmations. Paraphrase their concerns to show understanding, such as: “It sounds like you’re feeling overwhelmed with your workload. Is that right?”

Validate Their Feelings Without Enabling
Acknowledging a student’s feelings helps them feel heard, but be careful not to excuse inappropriate behaviour.

Work Towards Solutions Together
Instead of simply pointing out problems, collaborate on a plan to address the issue. Ask the student what they think could help and provide guidance as needed. This empowers them to take ownership of their actions and growth.

Follow Up and Offer Ongoing Support
A single conversation may not resolve the issue entirely. Check in with the student later to show that you care and to assess progress. Whether it’s a brief chat after class or a scheduled meeting, continued support can make a significant impact.

Allegra Pezzullo

As a tutor with five years of experience guiding students through the HSC, I’ve witnessed noticeable changes in the structure and difficulty of exams, particularly in mathematics. Over the years, predicting the types of questions that will appear has become increasingly challenging. Previously, exams typically consisted of around 16 questions, but now they feature approximately 36, while still being worth 100 marks overall. This shift has not only altered how students approach their studies but has also raised questions about the fairness and effectiveness of this evolving assessment style.

The increase in the number of questions has led to shorter, more diverse problems that require students to think quickly and apply their knowledge across various contexts. While this approach can better assess a student’s overall understanding, it also places more pressure on time management. Many of my students find it difficult to maintain both speed and accuracy, especially when faced with unexpected question formats.

This trend towards more unpredictable and complex exams seems to be driven by the increasing number of students undertaking the HSC each year, as shown in the attached image. With more students competing for university placements, harder exams may be intended to better differentiate high-achieving students. However, this raises an important question: is increasing exam difficulty the best way to achieve fair and accurate scaling?

From my experience, while some students thrive under the challenge, others who have a solid understanding of the material may struggle to demonstrate their abilities within the time constraints. This can lead to stress and anxiety, which ultimately impacts performance. As educators, our goal should be to help students develop both knowledge and confidence. Striking the right balance between assessing critical thinking and maintaining a fair testing environment is essential. Moving forward, it’s crucial to consider whether the current approach truly reflects students’ capabilities or if adjustments are needed to ensure a more equitable system.

Theo Tselonis

I had the opportunity to observe Lottie’s session with Isabella. Lottie introduced her to algebra. Given the significance of this area in Maths, I find that this moment is vital for students who are starting to learn it and there may be trouble if they don’t grasp the initial concepts involved. I find that students can get caught up in the new vocabulary and the new ways of expressing already familiar operations such as multiplication. Lottie methodically introduced her student to algebra in various stages, starting with familiarising her with the terminology – ‘pronumeral’, ‘terms’, etc., which was an excellent starting point. Her explanation aided her student in understanding that the lowercase letters are used to represent an unknown number, and that sometimes you cannot ‘solve’ these equations as they may just be “expressions” (which had been a point of confusion for the student). Lottie worked through the various forms of algebraic questions – equivalence, simplification, substitution and expression writing; engaging her student with each by getting her to independently solve questions. By doing this, Lottie could immediately identify the faults in her student’s thinking process as her student would describe back to her how she attempted to solve the question – and Lottie could swiftly correct it. Her attitude was encouraging and eager to answer any questions her student had. A great aid in helping her student understand adding like terms conceptually was by comparing it to fractions – this use of comparison, with a topic that the student is familiar with is a great and quick way to get a student to better understand what they need to do and why. She continually reminded her student of the algebraic conventions, such as how multiplication is not expressed by using the multiplication sign – as well as explaining what words such as ‘sum’ and ‘product’ mean. By covering these details early within this topic, Lottie is helping her student in the coming weeks and in the future where she will certainly engage with the topic in school until the HSC. Overall, it was a great session to observe, thank you Lottie!

Sofala Vogt