I had to privilege of observing Briana and her student Ava. They spent the majority of their time working on English and there were many elements of this session that I plan to implement myself moving forward.

Firstly, Briana’s utilisation of multiple mediums. Her rotation between using the whiteboard, computer and hand writing proved to be quite effective in allowing her student to remain engaged while also managing to complete all assigned work. This is something unique that I believe would be beneficial for many of my own students in the future.

Additionally, remaining aware of her tone of voice throughout the lesson was a critical element, fostering the comfortable and productive environment. This allowed for a positive tutor-student relationship to be maintained.

Finally, allowing Ava to attempt the work herself prior to giving her feedback was a very useful strategy as it allowed for the most in-depth correction while also highlighting the areas needing improvement to the student herself.

Katerina Vrahnos

Connecting with younger students can at times be challenging especially in a tutor/student dynamic. Younger students however need to be able to connect with their tutor for a multitude of reasons. This connection can help students truely engage within the session allowing them to learn more efficiently. Teaching isn’t simply about teaching. Teaching is about understanding who your student is and what they need in order to learn effectively.

The first way I like to connect with my students is to show genuine interest in their lives outside of learning. I ask my students about their hobbies, interests, and daily routines. Showing that you care about the student beyond academic content can help build trust and make the student more comfortable with you. This is vital in forming a connection with your student.

Creating a positive and friendly environment within the session can also help to form a bond with a student. By avoiding a strictly formal demeanour can help the student especially younger ones from feeling intimidated. Beginning tutoring and can already be nerve racking enough for younger students.

By fostering a supportive and engaging environment, you’ll build a strong relationship with younger students, helping them feel more confident and capable in their studies.

Olivia Moustakis

I got the opportunity to observe Olga and her student Marcus. Working efficiently throughout the session, 3 things stood out to me that I will remember and utilise moving forward.

They worked on a variety of content, working strictly while also taking multiple short breaks to keep productive and maintain focus throughout the session. This balance was very effective in ensuring Marcus was consistently giving his best effort while also not losing motivation or getting bored.

Additionally, Olga’s personal interest in her student and his progression was lovely to see. Her consistent reassurance and advice, whether that be specifically related to the content at hand or a broader concept that has been learned throughout the year. All of which fosters an environment of growth and development.

Finally, Olga’s use of time management. Specifically, the stable structure of the lesson. She always made sure to leave enough time for the student to finish the work provided while also allowing enough time to allocate sufficient homework.

Katerina Vrahnos

School holidays are a time for students to relax, recharge, and enjoy a break from academic pressures. However, an extended period away from study can sometimes result in “learning loss,” making it harder to re-engage when school resumes. To prevent this, students can use simple study hacks to stay sharp while still enjoying their time off. One effective strategy is to create a light study schedule. Unlike the intensity of term-time learning, holiday study should be short and purposeful. Dedicating just 30 to 60 minutes a few times a week to review key concepts can help students retain knowledge. This approach is especially useful for revising weaker areas in preparation for the next term.

Another way to make learning more engaging is to gamify it. Apps like Quizlet or Kahoot allow students to create custom quizzes, turning study into an enjoyable challenge. Flashcards are another effective tool that can be used with friends or family to make learning feel like a fun game. Beyond games, students can also apply learning to real-life situations. For example, maths skills can be practised by calculating travel expenses, measuring ingredients while cooking, or working out time differences when planning holidays. These activities make academic concepts more practical and memorable.

Educational videos and podcasts are also excellent tools for keeping the brain active without the formality of textbooks. Channels like CrashCourse or Numberphile on YouTube present academic content in an engaging way, while educational podcasts introduce students to new ideas and perspectives. Finally, holiday reading shouldn’t be overlooked. While it’s important to read for pleasure, students can challenge themselves with more complex texts, improving vocabulary and comprehension in the process. By incorporating these simple but effective study hacks, students can maintain their academic skills, avoid learning loss, and return to school feeling confident and prepared for the next term. Holiday study doesn’t have to be intense—it’s about staying curious, engaged, and ready to learn.

Freddie Le Vay

I got the opportunity to observe Thomais in the big room with her Year 1 student Gregory. Today they worked on shapes and writing sentences with “sh” words. She kept things simple and interactive, making sure Gregory felt supported and stayed focused.

In the first part of the session, they worked on recognising 2D shapes. Thomais introduced one shape at a time, starting with the easier ones before moving to slightly trickier ones. She used prompts to show each shape and talked about its features, getting Gregory to repeat the names.

They then worked through a worksheet where Gregory had to identify and circle specific shapes. Thomais guided him by breaking the questions down and asking about the shape’s features. She gave Gregory hints when needed and encouraged him when he answered correctly, helping him feel more confident as they went along.

For the second part of the session, they practised writing sentences with “sh” words. Thomais started by going over the sounds, helping Gregory read the words and get comfortable with them.

After that, they moved on to writing sentences. Thomais gave Gregory some help getting started and guided him to sound out the words as he wrote. She let him try on his own but was ready to step in if he needed extra support.

Thomais kept the session positive and engaging, making sure Gregory was involved and encouraged the whole time. By the end, he’d made good progress with both recognising shapes and practising his writing.

Eric Mihas

Many students come to math tutoring with an ingrained fear of making mistakes. They’ve internalised the idea that mathematical ability is fixed and that errors reflect a lack of talent rather than part of the learning process. I’ve noticed that deliberately creating safe spaces for students to work through problems incorrectly can transform their relationship with mathematics.

When a student attempts a problem and reaches an incorrect conclusion, rather than immediately pointing out the error, I’ve found it valuable to suggest exploring their thinking. By walking through their reasoning step-by-step, students often discover their own mistakes. More importantly, this process helps them understand why they made those mistakes and how their thinking evolved. The key is maintaining genuine curiosity about their problem-solving approach, treating their incorrect solutions as valuable windows into their understanding rather than failures to be corrected.

This approach does more than just help students learn from mistakes – it fundamentally shifts their perception of what mathematical thinking entails. They begin to see that even incorrect approaches contain valuable insights and that the process of analyzing errors deepens their understanding. Students who initially apologized for every mistake gradually become more willing to take risks, share incomplete thoughts, and engage in mathematical exploration.

The most rewarding moments come when students who once feared being wrong begin to say things like “I think I made a mistake here, but I understand my struggle; could you aid me in that step?” This shift from avoiding errors to embracing them as learning opportunities marks a crucial transformation in their mathematical journey and often leads to accelerated progress in their understanding.

Thea Macarthur-Lassen

I had the great opportunity to observe Thomias’s session with her student Mitchel! They thoroughly worked on times tables specifically 6,7,8 times tables. Thomas also explained in detail to Mitchel the basis of fractions and the understanding of simplification.

She assisted Mitchel extremely for him to grasp the understanding of this topic by using multiple examples and practice questions while also showing Mitchel some tricks to simplify fractions quicker and easier with bigger numbers.

It was great to watch Thomias tutor Mitchel as now I have new ideas in order to teach my primary school students certain tricks and concepts on fractions and simplifying difficult numbers, she is an amazing tutor with great patience and skills by also diving into long division with 2 digit numbers and helping Mitchel reach the answer with breaking down step by step how to figure out this equation .

Elise Petritsis

I had the wonderful opportunity to observe Riva’s Year 3 English student. She did such a good job helping her student work on reading and writing.

They worked on writing and practicing a speech for a class project. They went through editing the creative story that she had previously come up with. They then went through tools on how to memorise a speech, such as understanding the key concepts and topics in each sentence. Riva was great in letting her student speak aloud her response and when she got stuck she would give her some hints to help her recall the next phrase, this helped her student to stay back on track.

Riva and her student kept going over the speech, which helped her build confidence when public speaking.

They also went through public speaking strategies such as having constant eye contact, speaking loudly, taking good pauses between speaking and slowing down her pace as she tended to speak faster when she was nervous.

They also went through hand gestures to use to help explain her story.

Her student asked lots of questions on how to best practice the response so it was great to see how invested her student was in wanting to improve her public speaking skills.

Riva’s student kept practicing through the session and by the end she was able to memorise most of the words.

The first time she read it out she didn’t know what she was going to say next, so she didn’t sound very confident, yet after all her practice she sounded a lot more confident as she had a clear understanding of what was happening next.

Riva did such a great job and should be so proud of herself! Great session! Such a pleasure to observe. Keep it up!

Ashley Cohen

Today I had the chance to observe Sophie, tutoring a Year 12 English Advanced student! As it is the end of the term, assessments and exams are done for the year, and so Sophie and her student decided to go through essays that the student had done in her prior assessment tasks. Sophie emphasised the importance of being able to improve upon these essays in preparation for her upcoming exams next year. They were able to identify weak points in essays, and build upon these mistakes through collective reasoning and suggestions from each other.

Another key thing I noticed was the strong bond the pair had, with the student being able to share personal experiences freely, and never being scared or shy to ask questions about her work. This added humour and enjoyment during the lessons kept the student engaged, allowing for more productive work to be achieved.

Sophie also expressed what to expect in year 12 to her student, explaining several modules that the student needed to learn, as well as key points from each module. This explanation helped the student attain a further understanding of her work, and allowed her to identify weak points in her essay writing and structure, allowing the student to be familiar with a strong structured essay.

Overall, Sophie was able to showcase her great understanding of HSC English through being able to pick out weaknesses and strengthen essays. She was also able to provide a relaxed and entertaining session to her student, being able to share stories and experiences with each other to further make lessons engaging and fun.

Daniel Rulli

Hi everyone! I had the pleasure of observing Lucia’s session with a primary English/Maths student. Throughout the session, she consistently amazed me, demonstrating her adaptability and skill in building a comfortable and supportive learning environment for a student she had never met before. From the outset, Lucia established a friendly and welcoming tone, asking questions about their interests to break the ice. This helped the student relax and engage more actively in the session.

Lucia exhibited remarkable patience throughout the lesson. When the student struggled to spell unfamiliar words or answer comprehension questions, she allowed them the time they needed to think through their responses, gently prompting them with guiding questions rather than rushing or providing the answers outright. During Maths, Lucia also helped by breaking tricky problems into clear steps. These small, manageable tasks encouraged the student to stay focused and gave them the confidence to complete the activity.

I admire Lucia’s ability to time keep, too. With primary students that split their sessions to cover Maths and English, I find it difficult to ensure we cover everything we need to do. Lucia easily adapted the session to account for this, deftly setting timers and ensuring to articulate precisely when they needed to move on in order to stay on track. This was incredibly impressive, and I will be sure to emulate this in the future!

Positive affirmation was also a consistent feature of Lucia’s approach. She celebrated small successes, offering praise frequently. Her positive and constructive feedback ensured the student felt encouraged rather than disheartened.

Well done Lucia!

Sophie McGrath