English comprehension can be a difficult subject, and it is a skill that students need throughout primary and high school. That’s why it’s so important that students form strong foundations in these skills early on. I have had the pleasure of tutoring several primary-aged students in English and I’ve gained some insights along the way.

One of the biggest challenges with keeping younger students engaged in English comprehension is the texts they read. For older primary students, it can be useful to ask what books or movies they enjoy, as this can help you select texts they will be interested in. For younger primary students, I find that they engage more with hands-on activities, such as using grammar clues to solve a mystery. When selecting the right text for each student, there is some trial and error involved where you gauge the student’s interest and engagement with the text, and work from there.

One of the core English comprehension skills all students need is active reading. It can be useful to ask students questions like ‘what do you think will happen next?’ or ‘why do you think the character said that?’. This approach helps students understand the text more broadly, rather than simply reading the words. Predicting what will happen next in a story can also be a fun way of keeping students engaged with the task, as they learn to make inferences from what they have read.

A useful tip when helping older primary students with their English comprehension is timing them as they read a text for the first time. This helps them practice reading at a fast pace, and it also allows the tutor to measure progress throughout the term/year. For example, a student may have taken five minutes to read one page, and with practice, they can now read one page in two minutes. This is particularly important for Year 5 and Year 6 students preparing for high school, where time management and exam skills are crucial.

Hopefully, these tips help make English comprehension a fun, engaging, and useful activity for primary students!

Enya Rose

During my observation of Demi’s tutoring session, I noted her engaging approach as she guided her student through calculations involving the area and circumference of a circle and sectors. Demi’s teaching method was interactive and structured, allowing her student to gradually build confidence with these fundamental concepts of geometry.

Demi began by introducing the formulas for the area and circumference of a circle. She carefully explained each component—specifically the radius, diameter, and pi. To ensure her student understood, she walked through example problems, demonstrating step-by-step calculations. Throughout, she encouraged the student to actively participate by identifying key components of each problem, such as the radius or diameter, before applying them to the formula.

As they progressed to sector-related problems, Demi introduced the formula for calculating the area of a sector, A = θ/360 * pi * r^2. She also provided a more familiar approach using degrees, explaining that sector area is a fraction of the circle’s total area, with the angle determining this fraction.

Demi concluded by assigning practice questions, allowing the student to apply what she learned independently. When errors arose, Demi used them as learning moments, and provided supportive feedback. Overall, Demi’s session demonstrated effective teaching techniques that promote comprehension, engagement, and skill-building in mathematical concepts. Her structured yet adaptive approach highlighted her ability to tailor her methods to the students needs.

Joseph Taouk

Life can be volatile, and sometimes it’s difficult for students (and ourselves) to combat these challenges. It’s common for students to bring their personal struggles into lessons, so I think it’s important to be a voice of support and stability. As a tutor, you might be the only person a student feels comfortable opening up to, and striking the balance between being supportive and staying professional can be challenging. There a few things we can do to support students in these times:

Recognise Signs of Distress
Students rarely come out and say, “I’m struggling emotionally,” so tutors should be attentive to subtle signs that might indicate distress. This could manifest in frequent cancellations, declining performance, unusually withdrawn behaviour, or open expressions of stress. Recognising these cues early on can help a tutor approach the situation sensitively and offer the appropriate type of support. For example, in a session I had the other day, my usually bubbly student seemed very removed and kept asking to be excused from the table. She eventually started crying when she couldn’t understand something. Seeing these signs, I knew I had to be soft and patient in my teaching approach.

Listen Without Becoming a Counsellor
When a student does choose to share their feelings, the most valuable thing a tutor can do is listen actively. Avoid jumping to solutions or interpreting their struggles, as this can make students feel judged or misunderstood. Instead, give them space to express themselves, showing that their feelings are valid without taking on the role of a counsellor. For example, after this student started crying, I asked her whats troubling her, giving her the space to share as much as she wants. I was not trying to therapise her but offered that perhaps these struggles are compounding and making focusing more difficult. Once she calmed down, we refocused to a more tangible activity / goal.

Refocus on Academic Goals
As important as it is to acknowledge students’ feelings, part of maintaining professionalism is gently guiding the conversation back to the session’s academic purpose. Balancing empathy with academic focus helps create a structure where students feel safe but are encouraged to work through their challenges by engaging in constructive activities. We then went through all her subjects and made a concise list of all the work she has to do, setting achievable small goals that would make starting and finishing tasks easier.

Allegra Pezzullo

Hi everyone! Today, I had the pleasure of observing Eireyna’s Year 10 English session, where she worked closely with her student on a scene analysis of Romeo and Juliet. The session was structured to dive deep into the key scenes of the play, focusing on understanding major themes etc. It was inspiring to watch Eireyna guide the student through this literary exploration with attention to detail.

To kick off the session, Eireyna helped the student create two seperate quote banks on core ideas. They went through pivotal lines in each key scene, annotating these with insights about language devices such as metaphor, personification, and oxymoron. Not only did this help the student build a solid foundation for essay writing, but it also allowed them to start seeing how Shakespeare’s language choices add depth to the characters’ emotions and the play’s form, and dramatic tension. Eireyna encouraged the student to write out the analysis in their own words to cement their understanding, and so that they could refer to these pieces of analysis again.

Throughout the analysis, Eireyna made sure to highlight the importance of each language device in conveying the play’s key themes. For example, she showed how the use of oxymoron in Romeo’s speech—such as “loving hate” and “feather of lead”—captures the turbulent nature of young love, aligning it with the theme of conflict. This was useful for the student to understand the importance of language devices in English, and particularly in the play. Eireyna took the time to break down these devices, ensuring the student understood both their meaning and purpose.

Eireyna also guided the student to think critically about these themes, posing thoughtful questions like, “How does this scene shift the balance between love and hate?” or “In what way does this line hint at the inevitable tragedy?”

The session’s best highlight was Eireyna’s supportive teaching approach. Once the student had built a comprehensive quote bank and gained confidence annotating key scenes, they felt reassured. It was wonderful to see the student leave with a deeper appreciation of Shakespeare’s work and positive feedback.

Eleni Nicholas

I had the opportunity to observe Olivia’s Math session. Typically, I don’t tutor primary school students, so this was a valuable opportunity to learn how these sessions are structured and how young learners engage with the material.

During the session, Olivia focused on long multiplication with decimals. She encouraged the student to use a whiteboard for solving problems. This interactive approach was effective; I could see that the student was much more engaged and interested in the task at hand. Using the whiteboard allowed Olivia to monitor the student’s thought process closely. She provided real-time feedback and advice as the student worked through each step, which not only helped clarify any misunderstandings but also built the student’s confidence in her abilities.

After a bit of math, the session transitioned into English work. Olivia guided the student in her writing, offering constructive feedback on her work. She took the time to explain her own writing processes, emphasizing the strengths of the student’s work while gently pointing out areas for improvement. For instance, she suggested that the student “find a better way to write surprise” and offered insights on grammar, particularly regarding the correct use of tenses. Rather than simply correcting mistakes, Olivia encouraged the student to identify solutions independently, fostering critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

To keep the student engaged throughout the session, Olivia incorporated fun facts, such as “Caterpillars have 12 eyes!” This strategy seemed to capture the student’s attention and enthusiasm, especially considering the early 9 a.m. session on a Saturday morning.

Overall, Olivia’s approach demonstrated the importance of interaction, encouragement, and engagement in tutoring, making learning both effective and enjoyable. It was a pleasure to observe this session.

Tynan Philmara

I had the opportunity to observe Thomas this afternoon!

Thomas began his session by asking his student what he wanted to work on and if there was any specific topic that he had difficulty with during the week. By asking this Thomas was able to alter the session plan to his students needs, making the session more effective. His student, George, asked to work on ratios. Thomas utilised the text book and they begin working through questions together, allowing George to ask questions when he needed. Thomas answered all the questions with exceptional detail and asked prompting questions to ensure George was understanding the concepts being taught.

When George found questions difficult Thomas used the board to create simple diagrams which allowed for a deeper understanding of the concepts and assisted George in continuing to answer the questions. Thomas made sure to first explain what the question was asking by breaking it down into section, before going through each step that was necessary in solving the question. Thomas also explained what each step was doing and how it was bringing them closer to the final answer. This was done for the first few questions before George was able to work more independently.

Thomas also explained converting ratios into fractions and how they can represent the same values. George was then given some practice questions to work through.

Overall, Thomas was able to help his student understand a challenging concept by first explaining the concepts, giving questions that are challenging enough for the student to learn and finally answering the students questions with enough detail that allows the student to have a clear understanding of how to solve the question and proceed independently with confidence!

Olivia Moustakis

Have you ever wondered how your body maintains its delicate internal balance, especially when it comes to acidity? Enter the unsung hero of our circulatory system: the carbonic acid-bicarbonate buffer. This remarkable chemical system plays a crucial role in keeping our blood pH stable, ensuring that our cells can function optimally. Let’s dive into this fascinating aspect of human physiology!

At its core, the carbonic acid buffer is a chemical balancing act between carbonic acid (H2CO3) and its salt form, bicarbonate (HCO3-). This dynamic duo works tirelessly to keep our blood pH within the narrow range of 7.35 to 7.45. Why is this so important? Even slight deviations from this range can lead to serious health issues, affecting everything from enzyme function to oxygen delivery.

The magic of this buffer system lies in its ability to neutralize both acids and bases. When excess acid enters the bloodstream, bicarbonate ions swoop in to neutralize it. Conversely, if the blood becomes too alkaline, carbonic acid steps up to the plate, releasing hydrogen ions to bring the pH back down.

But here’s where it gets really interesting: this buffer system doesn’t work alone. It’s intimately connected to our respiratory and renal systems. The lungs can expel excess carbon dioxide (which forms carbonic acid when dissolved in blood), while the kidneys can adjust the levels of bicarbonate. This intricate interplay allows for fine-tuned control of blood pH.

One of the most fascinating aspects of this system is its efficiency. Under normal conditions, there’s about 20 times more bicarbonate than carbonic acid in our blood. This ratio allows the buffer to handle a wide range of pH fluctuations, making it our body’s first line of defense against acid-base imbalances.

The complexity of the human body is crazy, and HSC Chemistry is a great way to understand it.

Jamyson Gouveros

Hi everyone! I had the opportunity to observe David’s Year 7 Maths session with Jack, which focused on decimals. This also included how to find remainders, rounding up or down, and working through different decimal places. David’s teaching style was very clear and structured, making it a great session to understand how to teach junior years in particular.

To start the lesson, David used the whiteboard to give visual examples that helped the student better grasp the concept of decimals. He didn’t just dive into solving problems; instead, he walked the student through the foundational concepts of rounding up and down, breaking down each step so that it was easy to follow. One thing that stood out was how patient and attentive David was during this session. He made sure the student was keeping up with each explanation, regularly checking in by asking questions like “What do you think happens next?” to encourage active participation.

As maths is not my primary focus in tutoring, I interpreted David’s lesson as a way to see how to engage students more generally.
When working through questions, David went through each component in a step-by-step manner, which not only clarified the topic but also boosted the student’s confidence. i found this is a great method which I can also apply, so the student understands the value of answering the question given, and not just any broad answer.

David also made sure to change up the examples just enough to keep the student engaged. David also encouraged the student to try solving problems independently after explaining the process, guiding them when necessary but allowing them to take the lead.

His explanations were practical, allowing the student to feel more comfortable with decimals and rounding. This ensured the student remained focused and felt supported.

By the conclusion of the session, it was clear that the student felt ready to tackle more complex mathematical problems in class and in their upcoming exam.

Eleni Nicholas

This afternoon, I observed Maria’s session with her primary school student. She did an amazing job incorporating interactive methods of learning when revising perimeter and area, using colour and a game to create extra interest for the student. Also, Maria taught her student about different angles through a matching flashcard activity which was very helpful for increasing the student’s confidence in identifying angles.

For English, Maria gave her student a spelling test and worked on writing recounts. She separated the parts of a recount and helped her student plan his response. This was a very effective way to teach structure.

Overall, Maria ran the session in a very positive way and boosted her student’s confidence. Amazing work, Maria!

Kristina McLean

Hey everyone,  I had the opportunity to observe Eleni’s Year 12 English Advanced student. They were working through analysis for 1984.

During the session, Eleni demonstrated several strengths that significantly enhanced the learning experience for the student. Firstly, she exhibited a strong overview of the specific techniques that are found in the text that was being studied. This expertise allowed them to explain and discuss complex ideas in a clear and accessible manner, making it easier for the student to grasp difficult topics.

Eleni also ensured her teaching style strongly correlated to the learning strengths of the student being able to break concepts down and use mind map explanations and visual aids to understand techniques that related to certain aspects. Eleni constantly encouraged active participation by asking open-ended questions that prompted critical thinking. This not only engaged the student but also fostered a deeper understanding of the material.

Eleni constantly made sure to create a supportive and positive learning environment. She maintained an encouraging attitude, commending the student of there contributions, which boosted the student’s confidence. Eleni was patient and approachable, allowing the student to express any confusion or difficulty without fear of judgment. This emotional support was crucial in helping the student feel comfortable asking questions and seeking clarification.

Moreover, Eleni demonstrated excellent organizational skills. She prepared a structured lesson plan that included specific goals for the session, as well as a review of previously covered material. This continuity not only reinforced learning but also helped the student see the progression so far over time.

Lastly, she provided constructive feedback throughout the session and at the end to highlight areas where the student excelled and identified specific aspects to focus on for improvement. This balanced approach ensured that the student remained motivated while also understanding the steps needed to enhance their skills.

Overall, great work Eleni and a great lesson to observe

Evanna Manavis