As most of you know, we have a feedback programme on the school side of the platform to support you in your personal development, give you insights on how you’re doing, and offer you the chance to make an even greater impact on your students than you already are.
Lesson recordings are watched at random by one of our 25 lesson observers, who are some of our most experienced, long-serving, school tutors. We wanted you to meet some of the people behind the feedback programme, so get to know 5 of your lesson observers here:
Nasrin
Can you introduce yourself?
My name is Nasrin and I go to the University of Birmingham and study BA English and Creative Writing. I tutor GCSE and KS3 English Language and Literature.
How long have you been a tutor for?
I’ve been tutoring on the platform since April 2021. I’ve done 362 lessons on the platform so far 🙂
Why did you decide to become a lesson reviewer?
The lesson reviewer role looked interesting and since I’d never done something like it before I thought why not have a try.
And what’s your favourite thing about the role?
I love how behind the scenes the lesson observer role is and how much insight you get into the tutoring world.
Based on what you see in lesson recordings, what’s the best piece of advice you’d give to tutors?
Make sure you remember to be professional as soon as you enter the lesson space! You are recorded as soon as you enter.
What’s your favourite sandwich filling?
Cheese 🙂
Steph
Can you introduce yourself?
My name is Steph, I studied Psychology at the University of Birmingham and Sheffield Hallam University, and I tutor Psychology, Maths, Music, and Biology.
How long have you been a tutor for?
I’ve been a tutor on MyTutor since 2018 and have completed 1208 lessons here.
Why did you decide to become a lesson reviewer?
I decided to become a lesson reviewer to try to help contribute to the process of giving useful feedback to tutors.
And what’s your favourite thing about the role?
I like that I get to see a range of different tutoring strategies within my subject areas, and consider more objectively what works well/not so well.
Based on what you see in lesson recordings, what’s the best piece of advice you’d give to tutors?
My advice to tutors is to have students talk or write on the screen/chat through what they’re working on rather than just give you a final answer, so that you can more easily identify what’s tripping them up and where they are confident and secure.
What’s your favourite sandwich filling?
Probably a good bacon sandwich!
Lucy
Can you introduce yourself?
I’m Lucy, I studied History at the University of Exeter and now I tutor History, English and Media Studies from KS1 up to degree level which is so fun.
How long have you been a tutor for?
I have been working as a tutor for over 5 years now, in addition to now teaching in schools, and I have completed around 314 lessons with MyTutor.
Why did you decide to become a lesson reviewer?
I decided to become a lesson reviewer because I am always interested in how MyTutor HQ support tutors and what they value in their tutors. I also used to be an Interviewer for MyTutor and had a really positive experience with doing that.
And what’s your favourite thing about the role?
My favourite thing about the role is that it actually gives me greater clarity on how I can deliver the best lessons online to my students. I get to pick up tips from the lesson review criteria itself, and then get to watch lots of amazing tutors try really great things that I can mirror in my own lessons. Plus any role where you can work from home suits me!
Based on what you see in lesson recordings, what’s the best piece of advice you’d give to tutors?
The best piece of advice I’d give to tutors is to always think about how you can maximise student participation because this is crucial to your assessment of how much they are learning throughout any given lesson. If they are watching a video clip, get them to type notes in the lesson space at the same time. If you are talking about ideas for something, prompt the student to create a mindmap as you go. I definitely used to let my students be more passive, and have learned that they get much more out of being the active participant. Remember, if you are working harder than your student is, there’s something off!
What’s your favourite sandwich filling?
My favourite sandwich filling has to be a good old egg and cress, nothing too out-of-the-box!
Vicki
Can you introduce yourself?
I’m Vicki and I studied at the University of York. I have a BA in English Language and Linguistics and a Post Graduate Certificate in Education (secondary). I tutor English Language and English Literature from Key Stage 2 up to GCSE and A Level English Language.
How long have you been a tutor for?
I’ve been a tutor for a little over 2.5 years. I tutored on the Free Online School in 2020 during the school closures. I’ve also worked on the Easter Course 2022 as well as working as a MyTutor interviewer for a little more than a year. On my MyTutor profile, I have taught 1,533 lessons but have taught 1,650 in total on other platforms and on the online school; in addition to my teacher training.
Why did you decide to become a lesson reviewer?
I really enjoy working across a variety of different aspects within education. I always found lesson observations very helpful when I was training to teach. I wanted to share this with others as well as use it as an opportunity to develop my professional skills.
And what’s your favourite thing about the role?
My favourite aspect of the role is picking up new teaching methods and resources from other tutors. As we only look at subjects we teach, I try to take as much from the experience as I can. I also really enjoy seeing the passion and drive others have for the subject!
Based on what you see in lesson recordings, what’s the best piece of advice you’d give to tutors?
I often see tutors who use only a past paper as their lesson resource. Although this is a great place to start it can cause issues. It’s quite common for students to turn around and say they’ve already encountered this past paper at school which puts you on the back foot trying to find something different. I also had this issue when starting out! There are lots of great resources out there which aren’t past papers which your students likely won’t have seen. Looking on sites such as Tes and Twinkl are a great place to start or have a go at making some of your own.
What’s your favourite sandwich filling?
Controversial – I’m not really a sandwich kind of gal, but if I was forced to make a decision I would plump for jam. Completely boring I know
Ella
Can you introduce yourself?
Hi! My name is Ella and I study Maths and Computer Science at the University of Bristol. I tutor Maths, mostly at GCSE level.
How long have you been a tutor for?
I have been tutoring on MyTutor since Feb 2021, and have delivered 190 lessons so far! When I was in sixth form I also briefly tutored GCSE students, which inspired me to join MyTutor.
Why did you decide to become a lesson reviewer?
I decided to become a lesson reviewer because I really wanted to contribute to the MyTutor community. I love being able to use my experience to advise tutors on how they can make their lessons more enjoyable, productive and enriching for not only the students, but for themselves.
And what’s your favourite thing about the role?
My favourite thing about being a lesson observer is when I see really passionate, prepared tutors who really make an effort to engage with their students’ needs. Being able to praise tutors for their good work is a great feeling!
Based on what you see in lesson recordings, what’s the best piece of advice you’d give to tutors?
My best advice is to be very prepared with lots of different kinds of resources, at different levels. Be adaptable to the students’ needs and use lots of assessment to get an understanding of the students’ abilities. Also remember to praise good work 🙂
What’s your favourite sandwich filling?
My favourite sandwich filling is prosciutto!
If you have any more questions about the feedback programme, check out this FAQ.
As always, if you have any questions or feedback, we’d love to hear from you. You can reach us on tutors@mytutor.co.uk or 0203 773 6024.