Peer tutoring

I am a leader at school. As President of the University Math Club, I implemented several new programs, such as peer tutoring and a math competition—and increased membership by 30%. 

While the grain size of this experiment is at the individual classroom level, design experiments should also be done at the grade, school, and even district levels. Such larger experiments would permit variation in cooperation between teachers, length of class period, peer tutoring across grade levels, relations of conununity to school, etc., that cannot be viably altered at the classroom level. 

It is not only patents who can provide extra support, but also peers. Leyden (1996) stresses that all children, even those with significant special needs, can benefit from peer and collaborative learning experiences, and suggests that adult and peer support is complementary. He reviews evidence which demonstrates the wide range of benefits -curricular and social - which can come from peer tutoring and other forms of peer support and collaborative learning. These successes arise not only when the tutor is the mainstream student, but also when s/he is a Teaming disabled tutor (1996 52). 

Topping (1988) gives helpfiil advice on structuring such peer tutoring. In brief, he gives ideas on ... 

One of the elements of inclusion identified by the Council for Exceptional Childten, and identified in chapter 1, is the development of systemsforco-opemtion within the school, such as peer tutoring, buddy systems, circles of friends, co-operative learning. The active development of these is a need for the future, as highlighted by this co-ordinator... 

Greater structuring of groupwork and student partnering to include co-operative groupwork and peer-tutoring would increase the chance of the success of peer partnerships and would ensure that the activities undertaken are appropriate in the context of the work being undertaken by the rest of the class. 

Several teachers made the point that trying to relate constructively to a disabled child can sometimes be stressful for fellow pupils, who may themselves need carefully considered support. There was also evidence that the host children may be asked to take on too much in the way of peer-tutoring, and this is something about which any inclusion project needs to... 

There was evidence that children found it easier to relate positively to Luke when working along side him, rather than having responsibility for a j oint activity with him, and that on these occasions they were able to notice, and take pleasure in, his achievements. For example, the boy painting at the same table as Luke suddenly announced, with a broad grin Ijust hear him say Yeah While peer-tutoring (discussed in chapter 10) is therefore to be encouraged, there are limits to the extent of responsibility which children should be expected to carry. 

Topping, K. (1988) The Peer Tutoring Handbook, Beckenham Croom Helm. 

Peer Tutoring in Small Investigative Groups (PTSIG)... 

Heller, L., Fantuzzo, J. (1993). Reciprocal peer tutoring and parent partnership Does parent involvement make a difference School Psychology Review, 22, 517-534. 

Fantuzzo, J. W., King, J. A., Heller, L. R. (1992). Effects of reciprocal peer tutoring on mathematics and school adjustment A component analysis. Journal of Educational Psychology, 84, 331-339. 

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