I make my tutoring sessions exciting and engaging by placing the focus on long-term student learning and understanding by giving the student a very active role in the session. In my experience, this has been the best way for students to retain what they have learned from tutoring sessions and then take that learning into their exams and other areas of life!

My tutoring sessions may be described by four styles: question-based, strategy-based, assessment-based, and content-based. Tutorials may contain a combination of the styles, or a focus on just one style, according to what the student needs.

In a question-based tutoring session, I expect the student to have questions prepared that they would like to work through. While working through questions, I hand the reins to the student and talk them through the question, noting what information to look for and how to approach the question to make it seem more familiar and less daunting, while providing prompts to best help the student understand and tackle the question. If the student is really struggling, I am happy to show them how I would solve the problem, then provide them with another similar question for them to do (with my prompting if needed) in order to consolidate that knowledge. While it is important to learn how to solve a question, I also discuss: the understanding and context behind the question, as this piques student interest by showing why such questions may be important in the bigger picture; and how to write out an answer fully such that a marker gives the solution full marks.

This leads to the strategy-based tutoring sessions. In these sessions, I explain and teach strategies to help a student with their studies, as requested by the student or their parents, or by my recommendation. These strategies most commonly include exam techniques, holiday studying, specific study tips, and organisation strategies. I tailor these specifically for the student according to their preferences and needs. These sessions are designed to teach a student best how to learn, and to do this I also guide the student through tailored examples to help them apply their new-found strategies.

In an assessment-based tutoring session, I help a student to understand and/or practise a piece of assessment work, such as a report or presentation. I do not complete the task for the student - it is an assessment and therefore completely up to the student to complete. Rather, I help a student to understand the assessment by going through the task with them and providing the guidance they need. This involves tips on: how to begin the task, how to format and structure the work neatly and orderly, organisation of time, searching for relevant resources, understanding what the task requires, and understanding how the assessment will be graded by reading the rubric to optimise marks and ensure all task requirements are met. I will also help students learn how to use challenging content in the assessment, such as formulas in reports. For written or oral assessments, I proofread or listen to presentations and provide feedback. However, most important to me is that the work is still being completed by the student, and to make sure this happens at the highest level possible I always provide a safe and supportive environment for students to learn and receive feedback.

Finally, we have content-based tutorials. In these sessions, we cover course syllabi or other content requested by the student. If the student has asked for help with organising their study schedule, I may suggest what topics to cover at what time to help provide guidance and structure in the long-term. While covering syllabi, I ensure we discuss the most relevant and up-to-date information covered on the syllabus and consolidate by asking the student questions and providing sample questions. The focus here is to get the student to be able to explain the content back to me in their own words, which clearly demonstrates a strong understanding of the content covered.

Overall, no matter what style of tutorial we have, I make sure that the tutoring session is a very positive experience for the student. I focus on positive reinforcement and love to celebrate when a student succeeds or makes progress of any kind!