Reflecting upon my style of tutoring with primary school students, my students have helped me learn how to help my students learn and how to get them excited about learning. For one of my primary school students, I tutor her mostly for English. We work on a range of topics including reading comprehension, spelling, and both creative and persuasive writing. Throughout the lessons I write down things that she is particularly struggling with that may need a deeper explanation for her to understand. For example, in spelling, that may be a particular rule that she may not be familiar with or that she finds difficult to identify consistently. In the session, I will explain it to her and work through some examples. Then the following lesson, for the first 10 minutes or so, I ‘test’ her on the things that she learnt last week with examples by making it into a bit of a game. As a result, I have found her coming to sessions feeling excited to learn something new to add to her quiz the following week. This is highly valuable for primary school students especially, since it is instilling in them an excitement to learn and grow their minds. I believe that this is due to a rapport that we have built over several sessions that allows the student to feel comfortable to ask questions and learn new things. Another major factor which I have found to be effective for primary school students is that once I believe they understand the concept with enough depth, reverse the session back onto them. For example, when teaching one of my Year 4 Maths students about long division and I believed that she had grasped the concept effectively, I asked her to create her own questions, specifying whether I wanted remainders to be included or not. This allowed her to gather a broader understanding of the topic in relation to other mathematical ideas such as multiplication and factors. She also enjoyed being in control of the outcome and seeing everything come together due to her own making. She found this highly rewarding, asking me multiple times if we could do another one.

Riva Burkett

Today I observed Lily’s lesson with her Year 1 student Alex. For Maths they focused on addition and subtraction. Lily was always encouraging her student and gave him time to attempt the questions and let him recognise any mistakes before assisting him. Before beginning a new worksheet, she always supplied thorough explanations on how to complete it.

Additionally, she ensured that the worksheets she gave progressed in difficulty. For example, with subtraction, the first worksheets had circles that the student could use to help count the difference. Then he progressed to worksheets without the use of visual aids and had to use other methods such as using his fingers and counting up in his head. Lily gave her student quick breaks so he could get refocused on his work and concentrate in a calm manner.

Lily did an excellent job and I am happy I observed her today. Good job Lily!

Sophia McLean

Today I had the opportunity to observe Eric with his student. Eric was teaching his students equations specifically solving equations.

Eric made sure to give his student examples to make sure that as he taught the content, his student was retaining the information and able to apply it to any question he was given. He went over all the possible difficulties to make sure his student was prepared to encounter any challenging equations in his assessments. Eric made sure to use the board to easily show his student how to format his working out which is an extremely important factor to ensure he gets all the marks in the questions. He made his student aware of how to make sure his answers were correct. Specifically, he taught his student to substitute his answers back into equations. This is extremely important in ensuring understanding and guaranteeing the student can maximise their marks.

He asked open ended questions, these are important and should be implemented more often to make sure students are not only listening but understanding. asking questions which expect answers forces students to stay on their toes and pay attention throughout the entire session. This also prompts students to ask questions about anything that is confusing and make sure that by the end of the lesson, they have learnt and developed in the topic being studied.

Overall, I believe he did a great job in teaching the topic and his explanations and methods can be implemented in many mathematics lessons to ensure our students understand the content and are aware of the various ways to check their work in order to receive the marks they need. Great job!!

Olga-Liana Athanasatos

Preparing for the HSC Maths exam may feel challenging, but with the right plan, you can approach it with confidence. Here are some tips to help you make the most of your study time and feel prepared on exam day.

Start by reviewing the syllabus. It’s your guide to every topic you need to know, so make sure you’ve covered each one. Go through each section carefully, ensuring you understand the basics before tackling more complex concepts. If certain topics aren’t clicking, consider asking for help from a teacher, tutor, or online resources.

Next, focus on practice. Working through past HSC Maths papers is one of the best ways to understand the types of questions you’ll encounter. It’s also an excellent way to learn how to pace yourself during the exam. Try timing yourself on sections to build comfort with the structure, and pay attention to any question types that show up frequently—they’re worth prioritising.

Maths isn’t just about knowing formulas; it’s about understanding when and how to apply them. Practicing problem-solving techniques helps you learn to break down questions, identify what’s being asked, and apply the right methods confidently.

Creating a study plan can also be helpful, allocating time each day to cover different topics. Include breaks to stay fresh and review any mistakes to learn from them.

Finally, remember to take care of yourself. Sleep, healthy food, and exercise all support focus and calmness. With solid preparation and a positive approach, you’ll be ready to tackle the HSC Maths exam.

Lochlan Beetham

I had the opportunity to observe Deanne. She began the lesson by asking her student how he was doing and engaging in light conversation to create a relaxed working environment for the session. She then inquired about his progress with his work so they could start on some Chemistry tasks. Since most of the work was on the student’s laptop, she allowed him a couple of minutes to get everything ready. Instead of wasting this time, Deanne used it to fill out the spreadsheet, enabling her to focus entirely on teaching for the remainder of the lesson.

She started by asking the student to recite information from the subject to warm him up and identify any areas where he might need additional help. When he struggled to remember some of the information, she addressed this by drawing chemical diagrams on the whiteboard. This effectively allowed the student to engage with the material, as he could visualize the content and observe her calculations—a great strategy for memorization. She then allowed the student to work through questions independently, stepping in to assist whenever he got stuck.

Deanne was adept at breaking down each question to prompt the student toward the next steps in solving it. Throughout this process, she encouraged him to attempt these smaller parts on his own, enabling her to assess his understanding and critical thinking skills. She also continued to use the whiteboard as a tool to clarify challenging topics that were hard to visualize. This technique proved effective, as the student’s confidence and abilities steadily improved.

Moreover, when the student started to go down the wrong path on a question, Deanne quickly intervened to redirect him, helping to prevent the formation of bad habits that could lead to repetitive mistakes in the future. She excelled at making her student feel comfortable with making mistakes by using inclusive language, such as “we,” to emphasize that they were working through each question as a team. Overall, she was excellent at keeping the student engaged and confident throughout the lesson, and I will definitely incorporate many of her techniques and strategies into my own teaching.

Jenna Freed

Today I had the opportunity to observe Andrew’s Math Standard session. In this session he guided his student through key mathematic question and concepts, working with and prompting the student to solve these.
Together they worked through a set of questions. In approaching a question, Andrew would begin by explaining the question, giving insight into how to answer this, basing this on the concepts in the question and mark requirements. Within this he engaged with the use of formulas and key terms, being important in the financial math questions they were endeavouring into. From this he would guide the student to answer these himself, encouraging his ability to do so. Allowing the student to independently answer these allowed the student to develop mathematic skills and confidence in approaching similar questions in an exam context. They then went through each question and any mistakes made, explaining how to answer these effectively. Together Andrew and his student collaborated on the question if any mistake or questions from the student were apparent, with Andrew carefully explaining solutions to these.
When the student was unsure Andrew used leading questions to prompt thought from the student, then he thoroughly explained each question, using both verbal and visual explanation to instate the students’ knowledge. He bolstered this with ensuring that the student was able to independently answer each of these questions after the explanation. This tutoring experience was highly useful to observe, with the communication and teaching skills within it being engaging and insightful.

Grace Blatch

I had the opportunity to observe, Rheanna with her Year 6 student. It was immediately clear that Rheanna places a strong focus on creating an optimal environment for her students. She welcomed him with small talk to ease him into “work mode” for the session, then efficiently rearranged the room to allow her student to receive continuous support with using the laptop as he worked. This start to the lesson created a more enjoyable and relaxed atmosphere, allowing the student to put in maximum effort.

In this lesson, Rheanna first worked on a school research task with the student, which explored the Diwali festival. She maintained strong communication with him throughout the entire hour to ensure that he was understanding the task and the information they were reading. She also skillfully diverted any conversational tangents to keep her student focused. As he worked through the task, she gently redirected him whenever he started to lose traction. For example, as they read through articles, Rheanna guided him in categorising the information, effectively helping him retrieve relevant details from various sources that might otherwise overwhelm a primary school student.

Rheanna also worked on less obvious skills in the background, such as reading proficiency and comprehension. She did this by prompting him to read the information out loud and rephrase it in his own words to ensure understanding. Additionally, Rheanna split up the lesson for maximum productivity by switching to math as a break from English. Rather than letting the student relax for a few minutes after their English work, she encouraged him to move on to math. This strategy effectively helped the student retain momentum from the previous task.

Rheanna excelled at encouraging her student to think critically and lead himself to the answers, rather than relying on continuous prompts. When he got stuck on a question, she guided him in the right direction by asking questions that helped him adopt the right thought process for solving it. After observing Rheanna’s lesson, I gained several valuable strategies, including consistent communication, the use of guiding questions, avoiding irrelevant conversations and distractions, and substituting other productive activities in place of breaks.

Jenna Freed

Using a whiteboard instead of just pen and paper during tutoring can make a big difference, both for structure and for encouraging students to learn independently. When the tutor uses the whiteboard for explaining things and leaves the paper on the desk for the student to work on, it creates a simple but effective setup where each space has its own purpose. The whiteboard becomes a focal point, making it easier for students to follow along as ideas are broken down visually. The large surface lets concepts stand out clearly without the clutter that often comes with notes on paper.

This setup naturally creates two distinct areas, the whiteboard and the paper. The pen and paper become a setting where the student can practice independently while still being able to ask the tutor for help if needed, while the whiteboard serves as a place for instruction and explanation. This encourages the student to approach the question on their own, developing problem-solving skills and resilience.

Having a dedicated “practice zone” on paper lets students process ideas more actively, promoting deeper understanding. Working through problems on their own paper also helps build their confidence, as they learn to take charge of their learning journey.

This approach also promotes the student to explore and attempt the question themselves, allowing them to more thoroughly interpret the question. By reading and, by extension, thinking about the question, they engage in much more mental stimulation compared to simply being read the question.

Lochlan Beetham

Hey guys, today I had the opportunity to watch Corey’s session.

From the outset, Corey worked to create a welcoming environment; his warm attitude was infectious. This simple, conscious effort to maintain a positive demeanour reminded me how important it is to give each student our utmost energy and attention. It was clear in this session how receptive students are to an enthusiastic approach; despite the young age of Corey’s student, he remained engaged, asking relevant questions and effectively engaging with the math content. The rapport between Corey and his student was palpable; not only was energy sustained, but there was active listening exhibited by both parties.

A notable moment during the session was when the student was tasked with a question that was beyond his expected understanding. Rather than dismissing the clear frustration the student was experiencing, Corey acknowledged the unreasonable nature of the question, validating the experience of his student. This approach was inspiring as the student returned from his frustration to engage with the content. It was lovely to see Corey recognise the challenge yet still explain how to complete the question in the future; seeing him consider the student’s experience while extending their understanding truly encapsulates the strength and value of a good tutoring experience.

Further, the modularised approach Corey took in explaining multi-stepped questions was very effective. He drew from examples of intuition to guide the student through the process. When the student was tasked with converting units, Corey showed how to approach the question in clear stages. When recalling how many centimetres in a metre, Corey called on the student’s knowledge of their height and their consequent understanding of a metre. This method of linking mathematical concepts to concrete, everyday examples was a powerful reminder of how effective it can be to ground abstract ideas in familiar contexts. By doing so, Corey not only made the conversion process more accessible but also demonstrated how mathematics is intrinsically connected to the physical world around us.

Great work!

Thea Macarthur-Lassen