A first chemistry session should do very little teaching. It should establish which of the three strands is weak, whether the losses are concept, execution, presentation or time, whether the mole concept is secure, and which board the student sits. A tutor who begins by teaching the current chapter has skipped all of it.
| Purpose | Diagnosis, not teaching |
|---|---|
| Should cover | Strand, cause of loss, foundation check, board |
| Needs | The last two marked papers |
| Output | A weakness named in one sentence |
The four things it must establish
- Which strand is weak. Physical, organic or inorganic — from the marked papers, split by question, not from the student’s impression.
- What kind of loss it is. Did not know, knew but could not execute, knew and lost presentation marks, ran out of time. Four different problems with four different fixes.
- Whether the foundation is secure. A plain grams-to-moles conversion, and an explanation of why chemists use moles. Thirty seconds, and it decides a great deal.
- Which board, and what the school expects. CBSE, ICSE and ISC reward different answers, and this must be matched before anything is taught.
The output of the session should be one sentence a parent can repeat. "He understands the chemistry and is losing marks on working and conditions in physical chemistry" is a diagnosis. "He needs more practice" is not, and after a proper first session no tutor should be offering the second.
What should be in the room
The last two marked assessments, the current textbook, the practical file, and the student. The papers matter most — a diagnostic session without them is an interview rather than an assessment, and the tutor is relying on self-report from a student who genuinely may not know why they lost marks.
What the session should feel like
Mostly the student working while the tutor watches and asks questions. Very little explanation. Students sometimes find this odd, having expected to be taught, and it is worth telling them in advance what the session is for.
A tutor who spends the first hour explaining a chapter has produced a pleasant session and learned nothing about the student that they could not have guessed.
What should follow
A plan with a named target for the first month, and something concrete for the student to do between sessions. If the first session ends without both of those, ask for them — they are the difference between a course of tuition and a series of hours.
Questions parents ask
Is it normal for the first session to have no teaching?
It is what a good one looks like. The teaching is better aimed for it.
What if we do not have marked papers?
Ask the school for them. Failing that, the tutor should set a short diagnostic written test — but the real papers are better.
Should the parent sit in?
For the summary at the end, usefully. For the whole session, generally not — students work differently when observed by a parent.
How long should it take?
A normal session length. The point is what happens in it, not how long it runs.