First Education

When people hear the word tutoring, they often think of students who are falling behind. But the truth is tutoring isn’t just for kids who are struggling. It’s actually one of the best tools for any student who wants to feel more confident, stay on top of their work or push themselves further.

Some students use tutoring because they’re aiming for a top ATAR or want to get into a selective school. Others might already be doing well but feel like they’re not being challenged enough at school. A tutor can give them extension work, advanced feedback and help them explore subjects in more depth.

Then there are students who just learn better one-on-one. Not everyone feels comfortable asking questions in front of a full classroom. Some kids need more time to process things or benefit from learning in a different way. With a tutor, they can ask anything, go at their own pace and learn without pressure.

Tutoring is also great for students who are busy with sport, music or part-time work and just need help staying organised. A weekly session can be the thing that keeps them on track, helps manage homework and stops things from piling up.

And let’s not forget the confidence boost. When a student understands something they used to find hard, it changes how they see themselves. They start to enjoy learning again. That kind of mindset carries over into every subject and every classroom.

So no, tutoring isn’t just a fix when things go wrong. It’s something that can support, extend and inspire students at every level. It’s not about being behind, it’s about getting ahead in the way that’s right for you.

Eireyna Papinyan

Today I watched a tutoring session where David, the tutor, was helping a Year 10 girl with her trigonometry work. Right from the start, the atmosphere felt relaxed. David has a calm, friendly way of talking that makes it easy for students to ask questions without feeling embarrassed. He began by asking her what she already knew about sine, cosine, and tangent. She gave a few unsure answers, and instead of correcting her straight away, he used her responses to figure out where to start.

He drew a simple right-angled triangle and asked her to label the opposite, adjacent, and hypotenuse. She hesitated a bit, but he didn’t rush her. Whenever she got stuck, he guided her with little hints rather than just telling her the answer. Once she labelled the triangle correctly, he explained each trig ratio, writing out the formulas clearly and showing her how they connected back to the triangle. His explanations were simple and made everything feel less intimidating.

As they moved on, he gave her some practice questions. David encouraged her to talk through her thinking while she worked them out. This helped him spot exactly where she was getting confused. When she made mistakes—like mixing up the opposite and adjacent sides—he didn’t make a big deal out of it. Instead, he drew another triangle and even used a real-life example about finding the height of a tree to help the idea stick.

Throughout the session, David stayed patient and positive. He repeated things when she needed it and celebrated the small wins, which seemed to boost her confidence. By the end, she looked much more comfortable with the topic. She was able to work out missing side lengths using sine, cosine, and tangent, and she even tried some harder angle-finding questions with only a little help.

Watching David work showed me how helpful it is to keep explanations clear and use visuals when teaching trig. Most of all, I noticed how much difference a calm, encouraging tutor can make. The session felt supportive, steady, and focused, and the student clearly benefited from it.

Maria

I observed Sebastian teaching Year 11 Chemistry to Ekaterina. As someone who never studied Chemistry in high school, I found it very interesting to see how Sebastian explained the content and broke down difficult concepts into something much more understandable. The lesson began with equilibrium system graphs. Sebastian introduced the concept by drawing graphs on the board and writing summaries to explain what they represented. He used these visuals to illustrate how the concentrations or rates of reactants and products change over time, as well as how they respond to external factors such as concentration, temperature, or pressure.

After the explanation, Ekaterina started working through a worksheet based on this concept. While completing the questions, she had many questions that she needed help with, which Sebastian patiently and clearly answered. He guided her step-by-step through how to approach and answer each question, ensuring she fully understood the reasoning behind the solutions. Sebastian also asked why she choose these answers, making sure she understood her reasoning also prompting her to identifying mistakes she made without telling her, by being able to identify it, which helps her feel more confident and understand the work fully.

After this, they also looked at some questions she had been given in school and was stuck on. Sebastian continued to ask Ekaterina guiding questions, asking questions such as which formula she should use and why. After completing some questions and having questions, Sebastian once again used the board to draw images based on the solubiltiy equilbrium, using arrows and small notes to showcase the concept step by step, which once again really helped break down the concept helping Ekaterina understand what is being told before continuing with the work and writing the notes in her book

Daniella Antoun

The first tutoring session sets the tone for everything that follows. It’s not just about determining academic needs, it’s about building a relationship grounded in trust, safety, and mutual respect. A strong rapport helps students feel seen, heard, and motivated to engage.

Start with low-pressure icebreakers that invite personal connection. Ask about their favorite subjects, hobbies, or what they enjoy outside of school. Questions like “What’s something you’re proud of this year?” or “If you could learn anything instantly, what would it be?” spark curiosity and self-reflection. For younger students, fun games or drawing activities can ease nerves and build warmth.

Tone-setting is equally crucial. Be calm, friendly, and affirming. Use open body language and active listening cues like nodding and paraphrasing. Avoid jumping straight into assessments, begin with a collaborative conversation about goals and expectations. Frame tutoring as a partnership: “We’ll figure this out together,” rather than “I’ll teach you how.”

Trust-building deepens when students feel emotionally safe. Validate their experiences, whether it’s frustration with maths or anxiety about exams. Share your own learning journey or a time you overcame a challenge. This models vulnerability and resilience. Be consistent with praise, but make it specific: “I noticed how you stuck with that tricky problem, great persistence!”

Finally, end the session with a positive anchor. Summarize one win, preview what’s next, and invite feedback: “Was there anything today that felt helpful or confusing?” This sets the stage for a growth-oriented relationship.

When rapport is built intentionally, tutoring becomes more than academic support, it becomes a space where students feel empowered to learn, grow, and thrive.

Sophia McLean

Today, I had the opportunity to reflect on how my tutoring approach shifts depending on students’ ages, subjects and individual needs. Working with both primary and high school students has shown me that, no matter the level, creating a calm, encouraging learning environment is always essential. It helps students feel comfortable, engaged and genuinely connected to what they’re learning.

With my younger students, I’ve learned how important it is to switch activities, incorporate hands-on tasks and keep the pace dynamic to match their shorter attention spans. In contrast, my older students often benefit from more discussion, goal-setting and having the space to steer the direction of each session. I’ve also noticed that building their independence—like encouraging them to evaluate their own work or identify areas they want to strengthen—can be especially empowering.

Even with these differences, the core goal stays the same: helping each student feel confident, curious and supported. Working with such a wide range of learners has reminded me how valuable flexibility and patience are, whether that means adjusting how I explain a concept, slowing down a lesson, or introducing strategies that help students self-regulate or stay organised. Each student teaches me something new about what effective learning can look like, and this variety has only strengthened my passion for helping them grow both academically and personally.

Overall, planning your tutoring lesson around each individual student is the most effective way to maximise the benefits of tutoring. Having the skills to adapt according to each student is essential, and likely lead to making a huge difference in both productivity and confidence.

Annabelle Molloy

The HSC can feel overwhelming, especially when every exam seems to carry the weight of your future. Anxiety is a normal response to this pressure, but it becomes manageable once you understand how to work with your mind instead of against it.
Start by breaking study into small, realistic chunks. Long, unstructured hours often fuel stress, while short sessions with clear goals help your brain stay focused. Pair this with active recall and practice questions — they build confidence far more effectively than rereading notes.
Your physical state matters too. A 10–15 minute walk, stretch, or light workout can reset your nervous system and improve concentration. Eating regularly and sleeping at consistent times keep your brain in problem-solving mode rather than panic mode.
When anxiety spikes, grounding techniques help bring you back. Try the 4–7–8 breathing pattern or the “5-4-3-2-1” sensory scan. These calm your body, making it easier to think clearly again.
Finally, don’t do the HSC alone. Talk to your teachers, tutors, or friends. Asking questions, sharing concerns, and staying connected reduces pressure and reminds you that the HSC is just one chapter — not your whole story.

Anthea Preketes

Most people see talking to yourself as a quirky habit, something you do when you’re nervous, frustrated or trying to remember where you left your keys. But when it comes to learning, self-talk isn’t something to hide. In fact, it can be one of the most powerful tools a student has.

Psychologists call it verbal self-explanation and it plays a key role in strengthening memory and understanding. When a student talks through a problem aloud whether it’s a maths equation, a paragraph of English analysis or a science concept the brain processes the information more deeply. Speaking forces ideas to become organised, structured and logical.

It’s the same reason people often say; “It makes more sense when I say it out loud”.

Self-talk helps students identify gaps in their understanding. When something doesn’t quite make sense, it becomes obvious the moment they try to explain it. This gives them a chance to correct misconceptions before those mistakes become ingrained.

Tutors can incorporate this by encouraging students to “think aloud” during sessions. Instead of silently working through a problem, students verbalise each step such as; why they chose a method, what they expect to happen and how they know if the answer is correct. This turns invisible thinking into visible learning.

Self-talk is also incredibly useful for revision. Students might walk around the room explaining a topic as if delivering a mini lecture or they might talk through an exam question as though coaching themselves. The act of speaking creates stronger memory cues because multiple parts of the brain such as auditory, linguistic and cognitive are activated at once.

Of course, students don’t need to perform a full monologue in the library. Even whispering or quietly mouthing explanations can have the same effect. The point isn’t volume, it’s clarity.

So next time a student feels stuck, overwhelmed or unsure where to begin, the solution might be unexpectedly simple, say it out loud. Sometimes the best study partner isn’t a friend or a tutor, it’s your own voice guiding you through the thinking.

Isabella Naumovski

Studying can be tough. It can feel tiring, stressful, and the last thing you want to do on a school night. It demands complete attention and, with the variety of distractions offered to us by today’s world, it can seem impossible. Well, I’m here to bring some clarity to study and how to do it well.

Firstly, in my years of experience, I have found that you have to treat study as if it is another subject. As much as any person wouldn’t like to admit, studying has its additional demands that extend beyond the classroom and normal homework requirements. Ultimately, studying is for the student and done by the student for the student’s own benefit outside of the classroom. And there it is – your first step. To study better, you must reframe what the study means to you. Maybe it’s getting better at Pythagoras’ Theorem, or learning a new language. It could even be to get a specific ATAR, or to get into a specific course at the university of your dreams. By reframing study as our means of bettering ourselves by reinforcing our own learning and takeaways from the course materials, your own sense of personal achievement is greater during and particularly after studying and seeing the results firsthand.

On top of finding the bigger picture, it is imperative that students’ discover their own best method of study. Studying effectively doesn’t mean studying the same way that the top kid in your school studies. It is about finding what works for you and understanding why it works for you. For example, when I was in the HSC, I could not and would not write out a full essay unless I was in exam conditions. The reasoning: because I did not feel that I could memorise or stay focused for that period of time. I would also keep getting caught up in perfecting it.

Which leads me to my final point, study does not need to be perfect. It just needs to be. Do not hesitate to discover your own study methods and techniques using trial and error.

Emily Mackay

In an age where laptops and tablets dominate study spaces, handwriting notes can seem old-fashioned, maybe even inefficient. Yet a growing body of cognitive and educational research suggests that handwriting remains one of the best tools for learning – because it fundamentally changes how your brain processes information.

Typing encourages speed and transcription. When we type, our hands often move faster than our ability to analyse what we’re hearing or reading. This promotes a kind of “shallow capture,” where words get recorded but not necessarily understood. Handwriting, on the other hand, slows everything down just enough. Because you physically can’t write every word, your brain is pushed to summarise, reorganise, and prioritise information in real time. These small decisions strengthen encoding and create more meaningful memory traces.

There’s also something to be said about the multisensory nature of handwriting. The feel of the pen, the motion of forming shapes, the spacing on the page – all of these cues contribute to recall. Researchers call this “motoric encoding,” and it’s one reason why students often remember where on the page a particular idea was written, even months later.

This isn’t to say digital notes are useless; they’re unbeatable for storing large volumes of material and organising complex information. But when the goal is deep comprehension or long-term retention, handwriting quietly outperforms the sleekest apps.

Ultimately, handwriting isn’t outdated – it’s underrated. And in a world where attention is scarce and information is overwhelming, sometimes the simplest tools still work best.

Oliver Fletcher

Punctuality may seem like a small detail, but at tutoring centres like First Education, it plays a crucial role in creating a supportive and effective learning environment for both students and tutors. Unlike a traditional classroom, tutoring sessions are often shorter, more personalised and carefully planned; meaning every minute truly counts.

For students, arriving on time ensures they can make full use of their session. Tutoring is designed to offer targeted support and being punctual allows students to settle in, ask questions, and follow the planned learning sequence without feeling rushed. One-on-one tutoring is designed to meet individual needs with tutors explaining concepts at the student’s pace and creating a space for questions, and practice. Arriving late cuts into this time and often leads to a rushed or unsettled start. Over time, being punctual strengthens students’ organisational skills and builds their sense of accountability. These important habits can extend into schoolwork, extracurricular activities and future workplaces.

For tutors, punctuality communicates professionalism and genuine care for the student’s learning. Being ready at the scheduled time allows tutors to set up materials, review previous work and begin the session with confidence, and structure. When tutors are consistently punctual, students feel respected and supported, which strengthens the relationship and increases engagement. A reliable tutor also helps parents feel reassured that their child’s learning is in safe, reliable hands.

On a broader level, punctuality strengthens the centre’s sense of community. When both tutors and students respect session times, schedules run efficiently, waiting areas stay calm, and transitions between sessions are seamless. This creates a positive learning atmosphere where everyone benefits. At First Education, punctuality is more than just being on time; it is a shared commitment to learning. By valuing every minute, both students and tutors contribute to a culture of respect, growth and academic success.

Kaelyn Tan