Today, I observed Lucas’s Year 8 Maths session, where he guided his student through key mathematical concepts like graphing, algebra, and classifying triangles. The session focused on developing a solid understanding of these areas, helping the student build confidence in tackling various types of problems.

Lucas structured the session to begin with graphing exercises, encouraging the student to work through questions from their textbook in detail. As they worked on plotting points and interpreting graphs, Lucas emphasized the importance of solving problems without a calculator. This approach helped the student strengthen their skills. Lucas ensured the student understood the process step-by-step, often pausing to discuss any challenging areas and reinforcing key points.

The session then moved on to algebra, where Lucas encouraged the student to approach each problem by explaining their understanding and reasoning out loud, guiding them to articulate each step clearly. This method not only deepened the student’s comprehension but also provided Lucas with valuable insights into the mistake they could make along the way, allowing him to address any misconceptions immediately. The “think aloud” strategy proved effective, as it allowed the student to clarify their understanding and feel more confident in tackling complex algebraic problems independently.

Lastly, Lucas and the student delved into classifying triangles, an area that required careful attention to scaling. Lucas explained the importance of accurately naming each type of triangle—right, isosceles, scalene, etc.—and the distinctions between them. By emphasizing this, Lucas provided a strong foundation for the student, helping them understand why classification matters in mathematical contexts. He was patient and supportive, making sure the student understood the characteristics that define each type of triangle.

Throughout the session, Lucas’s approach was encouraging and thorough, fostering an environment where the student felt comfortable asking questions and making mistakes as part of the learning process. Because of Lucas, the student felt a greater understanding of the concepts covered and an increased sense of confidence in their Maths abilities.

Eleni Nicholas

Today I observed Corey’s English session. I do not take many English students so I found it very helpful to observe a subject which requires a different style of tutoring and structure to the lesson.

The session started out with the student providing Corey with an intro and body paragraph that he had written which Corey read through and provided some feedback on. Next, they discussed what the student knew about the text (The Crucible) so that Corey could assess the students understanding since it is a reasonably new topic in class.

When working through writing about the text, Corey provided key examples of paragraphs and structure that he used and suggested that the student follow a similar one. I think this was highly effective because having a specific structure to follow guides the students flow of thinking. This can be carried across to different subjects such as maths where it is important to follow a flow of thinking to solve a problem.

He also encouraged the student to not just pick random quotes but find some that are meaningful and that stick out to the student personally. This allowed him a deeper connection and understanding of the text which he can use to write his ideas down himself.

Throughout the entire session, Corey was very communicative and was effective at portraying what he wanted the student to think about with each aspect of the text they were discussing. He also reminded and encouraged the student to ask questions when they needed help whilst still helping them to come up with their own perspectives. He continued to provide the student with feedback and advice on ways to dig deeper into the text and improve their writing without giving him direct answers, a highly effective strategy to guide thinking.

Riva Burkett

Hi everyone,  I got the opportunity to observe David and his student. They worked on algebraic techniques and indices.
Throughout the session, David asked the student questions about his working out to make sure that he understood the steps he was completing, not just applying patterns. When the student did not have a complete understanding of the concepts, he used simplified examples that illustrated the concepts more clearly.
He also identified that the student’s working out is unclear. He emphasised the importance of clear working out, which helps ensure that the teacher gives you marks for all of your working out. It also guides your thinking process and makes it easier to double check the work you have done.
David encouraged errorless learning by prompting the student to talk through his thinking before completing questions. This helps to ensure the student does not practice incorrect working out, which may translate into consistent errors. He also related the current topic to previous content such as the order of operations to help the student consolidate his learning.
As most of my students are older, it was insightful to learn from how David taught fundamental concepts such as algebra. This will be useful in the future. Thanks for letting me observe!

Derus Kung

Today I had the opportunity to observe Kate’s Year 10 Maths session. She did such a good job explaining complex Maths concepts to her student. She had a great balance helping to guide her and letting her student individually answer the questions. She did such a good job helping her student and giving her hints to answer the question which helped in still confidence in her.

She did such a great job using the whiteboard to draw mathematical concepts and formulas on the board to make it really clear how to approach each question. Casey is a visual learner so it was great to see how she was able to cater towards her needs.

Kate used a range of materials to ensure Casey was equipped to answer a range of different theory and practical questions so she can nail her exam!

Kate was great at answering all her questions and her student would restate her answers to confirm her understanding of Kate’s answer.

Kate and her student felt very comfortable with each other. Kate was very engaging, enthusiastic and patient with Casey S. She would re-explain concepts in different ways until her student was able to understand her.

Kate is a very compassionate tutor who did such a great job and should be so proud of herself! Great session! Such a pleasure to observe. Keep it up!

I was able to learn a lot from this, so I can apply all this in my future sessions.

Ashley Cohen

Today I was able to observe Finnegan’s session with his student Cillian from 5-6pm. Finnigan was able to relate with his student in many aspects of learning which created a comfortable learning environment. He was also incredibly attentive to his student’s needs which insured he could adapt his teaching methods and be successful.

They went through differentiation and Finnigan was very effective at teaching these new concepts and bringing previous knowledge that they had worked through into his teaching. I was able to witness his patient and kind approach to teaching which insured his student Cillian understood exactly what methods were effective and should be used to answer the questions.

He was able to carefully break down questions so that it was easy for his student to learn the new concepts. Then, Finnegan helped his student to test and apply this new learning to more challenging questions which could be used in an exam. He always made sure that his student had enough time to have a go at the questions first after learning the basics before stepping in and taking the lead so that his student had the opportunity to test themself on what they understood and what they had to work on to ensure that Cillian got the answer right.

Towards the end of the lesson, Finnigan creatively made a quiz about the new concepts that they learned about which was not only fun for Cillian and instilled a sense of enthusiasm for the content, but also really helped to test his knowledge on what they learned.

This observation was incredibly inciteful and allowed me to reflect on what I could improve on as a tutor. It really taught me to be adaptable to different students’ needs and also different ways of breaking down challenging concepts for a student. Well done, Finnigan!!

Samuel Lotter

Hi Guys,
I thought I would write about what I have observed in the past and what I have tried to adopt into my tutoring that works best when it comes to tutoring students in Mathematics at all levels.

1 Assessing A Students Current Understanding of Topics/concepts.
When tutoring a new student I think it is extremely important and beneficial to asses the student’s current Maths level and understanding on certain topics before starting on a new topic or concept.I have found that one of the best was to do this is through mini quizzes or textbook chapter reviews where you start by asking the student to solve a few problems on their own, and observe their thought process. This allows me to pinpoint areas of strength and weakness for that topic where I cab then plan out what weakness we will target in each future session going forward to consolidate students understanding of that topic.

2 Use Visual Aids and Real-World Examples
Math becomes more relatable when students can visualise concepts or see real life applications. I like to try and use graphs, diagrams, real-world examples or even physical objects to demonstrate concepts. This is especially useful to the younger students who struggle with the more basic topics like fractions and percentages where I can get up number lines, use images, pizza fraction colouring in worksheets etc.

3. Encourage Active Participation
Instead of simply explaining how to solve a problem, I encourage students to work through it with me. I ask them to explain their reasoning as they solve the problem. This active participation reinforces learning and helps them identify where they go wrong in questions and learn the correct way to approach and solve a question. I think its extremely beneficial to use guiding questions to lead them toward the correct solution rather than giving it away

In summary, these tips and tricks are what works best for me when it comes to tutoring Maths to students of all ages and hope they provide valuable insights to other tutors.

Bianca Douroudis

Today I was able to write down some reflections on the importance of tutors in a child’s education. I really enjoyed reflecting and analysing our role in their development.

From my experience, I have seen the essential and often transformative role tutors can play in a student’s educational journey. More than just academic guides, they are mentors, cheerleaders, and inspiration sources and individuals to consult in difficult times and are therefore capable of shaping not only the intellectual growth of a student but their overall confidence and passion for learning.

At its core, tutoring offers something that traditional classrooms often struggle to provide: individualized attention. In an environment where a teacher’s focus is divided among dozens of students, personalized support can fall by the wayside. This is where tutors step in to bridge the gap. Our ability to see issues a student is facing and able to tailoring lessons to a particular style and pace can lead to major clarity and empowerment, fostering a profound sense of achievement.

The role of a tutor is not only for academic assistance, though, especially at first education, an individual is able to cultivate a safe space for curiosity to flourish. A tutor inspires a student by showing them that their questions matter and that mistakes are simply stepping stones toward growth. When a student feels heard and supported, their mindset shifts. They begin to view challenges not as insurmountable obstacles but as opportunities for growth.

My time at first education has shown me the power tutors can have in assisting the confidence, self-belief and growth of individuals. This not only is so lovely to witness but is an important step in ensuring a student is able to feel capable, curious and passionate into the future.

Katherine Petsoglou

Providing constructive feedback is a foundational part of effective teaching, and how it’s delivered can make a profound difference on a students’ learning journey. Positive and constructive criticism encompasses a form of feedback that highlights strengths while addressing areas for improvement. Ultimately, it is essential for helping students grow both academically and personally.

Research consistently shows that positive criticism boosts motivation and encourages a growth mindset, especially among younger students. According to the Australian Psychological Society, feedback that emphasises progress and effort rather than purely results helps students develop resilience and persistence in their studies. When students receive feedback that recognises what they’re doing well and gently redirects where they need to improve, they’re more likely to engage with challenging tasks. As a result, they view educational activities as opportunities for growth rather than threats to their self-worth.

Positive criticism also helps build strong student-tutor relationships. When tutors create a supportive environment, students feel more comfortable taking risks, asking questions, and experimenting with new ideas. This confidence not only strengthens their grasp of the material but also fosters a sense of belonging and commitment to their education. By acknowledging each student’s unique strengths, tutors can guide them towards achievable, personalised goals, which is particularly valuable in diverse classrooms.

For tutors, balancing praise and constructive suggestions can enhance students’ critical thinking. Instead of just pointing out errors, tutors can frame criticism with open-ended questions that prompt students to reflect, such as, “How might you approach this differently?” or “What could make this solution even stronger?” This approach helps students develop problem-solving skills and reinforces the notion that feedback is a tool for development, not judgment.

To summarise, incorporating positive criticism into everyday teaching can make a transformative impact. It fosters not only academic growth but also the confidence and resilience that students will carry forward into future challenges, both in and beyond the classroom.

Emily Mackay

The Year 12 Standard English Module C – The Craft of Writing is a key component in the English literature. It gives students the chance to express their creativity while also incorporating texts into their writing. It provides students with a way to emphasise the development of their writing skills as they have the chance to practice imaginative writing, persuasive writing, and a new writing skill – discursive writing. A discursive writing piece I find to be the most interesting as it gives students a way to present multiple perspectives of a topic in their writing. This is best supported with literature and real-life examples. Some great discursive topics include the impact of social media on the younger generations, the advantages and disadvantages of online schooling, and many more. Furthermore, discursive writing gives students the chance to demonstrate their ability to think critically and engage with complex issues.

Tamiah Mahoney

Hey everyone! I had the pleasure of observing Sam’s session with his Year 10 Maths student, Ned. They worked on content related to the student’s upcoming exam including calculating the composite volume of cones, pyramids and cylinders, surface area, conversions between units such as megaliters, kiloliters, and precision/error.

Sam began by going through complex textbook questions and breaking them into manageable steps where he was able to guide Ned through the calculations to solve each question. When a question required rounding to the nearest cubic meter, Sam asked Ned to walk him through his approach first, letting him give it a go on his own before then providing feedback and highlighting areas where he could improve his response. Further, Sam encouraged Ned to break down each step when answering questions to maximize his marks by showing him that he could earn points through clear working out.

Sam was consistently encouraging of Ned’s efforts to reinforce his confidence in answering questions. He used a variety of resources including the whiteboard, textbook examples and Ned’s workbook from class to expose the student to a variety of different questions ranging in difficulty. Throughout the session, Sam encouraged the student to answer questions on the main whiteboard as this provided a space for active learning where the student could see his problem-solving process in action.

Sam also tackled tricky word problems by getting the student to visualise the scenarios presented in each question making abstract concepts more tangible. When Ned asked questions Sam answered them efficiently by ensuring that each response built on Ned’s understanding of the topic. They completed several questions together on the whiteboard, with Sam guiding Ned step-by-step to reinforce each concept.

Towards the end of the session, Sam shifted his approach by encouraging Ned to take the lead by walking him through each question rather than solving it directly. This method allowed Ned to articulate his thought process and identify each step required to reach a solution enabling a deeper understanding. By allowing Ned to take the “driver’s seat”, Sam ensured that he left the session feeling more confident and prepared for his exam.
Overall, it was a well-structured and engaging session. Great work, Sam! 😊

Charlotta Mackay