One specific question is easier to ask, and easier to answer, than a general “I do not understand”. Write it before the lesson in this form: the question, the line where you stopped, and what you expected to happen.
It gives a quiet student a script. It also gives the teacher a place to start.
Why is a vague question hard to ask?
“I do not understand equations” is large. It is hard to say aloud, because you do not know where to begin, and hard to answer, because the teacher does not know which part is missing.
A specific question is smaller and safer. Pointing at one line does not admit that you know nothing. It shows exactly how much you know.
The three-line question
- Where: “In this question, at line 2 to line 3…”
- What I see: “…the x term moved to the other side and became minus x.”
- What I expected or cannot explain: “I expected x to stay where it was. Why did it change?”
Keep it to three lines. Bring the page itself, so the teacher can see it.
Worked example
A student is solving 3(x − 2) = x + 10 and has this working:
| Line | Working |
|---|---|
| 1 | 3(x − 2) = x + 10 |
| 2 | 3x − 6 = x + 10 |
| 3 | 2x − 6 = 10 |
| 4 | 2x = 16 |
| 5 | x = 8 |
Check: 3(8 − 2) = 18 and 8 + 10 = 18, so x = 8 is correct.
Vague version: “I do not get equations.”
Specific version: “At line 2 to line 3, x disappeared from the right side and the left side became 2x. I expected to keep both x terms. Why did subtracting x from both sides make it 2x on the left?”
This question shows the student can expand brackets (line 1 to 2) and can finish the solution. The gap is one idea: doing the same thing to both sides. A teacher can answer it in two minutes and watch the student try a fresh example.
The trial agenda builder lets you list two sticking points and print an agenda to bring with you. It does not book a lesson.
The mistake to watch for
Mistaken approach: waiting for the teacher to find the problem.
In a one-to-one lesson, the teacher can only see what is on the screen. If you stay silent, the teacher may move on and the gap stays hidden. You do not need a perfect question, only one real one.
The correction is to arrive with one written question. If you lose courage, read it word for word.
Check yourself
1. Make this more specific: “I do not get graphs.”
Show answer
For example: “In question 4, I can plot the points but I do not know why the line for y = 2x + 1 crosses the y-axis at 1.”
2. What are the three parts of a prepared question?
Show answer
Where you stopped, what you see at that point, and what you expected or cannot explain.
3. In the example, which line change caused the confusion?
Show answer
Line 2 to line 3, where x was subtracted from both sides, leaving 2x on the left.
Where this leads next
If you cannot yet find your question, use finding the first step you cannot explain. When you know the step, explain where your working stopped. The students guide lists other situations.
A teacher assigned to you can begin the paid trial hour with your question, and other arrangements are confirmed directly afterwards. See one-to-one Mathematics tuition for how it works.