Several learning models exist which teachers use to ensure that their students understand and grasp academic content. One of them is pairing students where one of them teaches the other student. There are different peer tutoring strategies which all aim to accommodate needs of students.
Peer tutoring has been around for many years. However, it is currently gaining more popularity in many schools across the world. Initially, it was focused on reading skills but now it has expanded to include study areas such as science, spelling, writing and social studies. The principle behind the effectiveness of this model is that tutors have to grasp the content before they can teach. The reversal of roles ensures that both student partners have the chance to tutor.
Peer tutoring is not adult volunteers or teachers teaching students. It is the students teaching each other. Moreover, it should not be confused with student discussion groups. It is a unique learning model which may contain other models. All of these models differ in how students are paired, the academic content and the extent of tutoring. Nevertheless, its main aim is increasing motivation, the achievement and student practice.
In Class Wide Peer Tutoring also called CWPT the whole class is divided into sub-groups of from two to five learners with different learning abilities. The students can then act as tutees, tutors or both. Students of the same age or different ages can be paired. Cross aged pairs enable the older students in upper classes teach the younger students in the lower classes. For this case, the tutors acquire less in terms of the content and much more in terms if social responsibility.
Same age pairing involves pairing of students who are of the same age. In this case, they are able to teach one another with one giving and the other receiving at any one time. Similar or dissimilar abilities may be matched. Different abilities ensure those with stronger skills are able to give first responses and therefore the weaker students are able to emulate them.
When students are matched in terms of equality in their abilities is a chance to switch roles. Switching roles ensures that both acquire knowledge in the topics that they tutor in. It is possible to match students after first ranking them according to their strengths. The strongest academically can then be matched to the weakest. In addition, diversity can be improved by considering differences in personalities, preferences and learning needs.
The instructional material has to be first developed for the this tutoring strategy to work. It begins by first teaching the learners how to tutor and how to be ideal pairing partners. It is also important that the instructional material is accommodative of the tutor and tutee feedback. In addition, the ability to switch roles between the students should be allowed and the class teacher able to monitor.
This type of tutoring model has been observed to increase class engagement of students and also their opportunities to respond. This is in contrast to other models where all content is delivered by the teacher. It is also advantageous to classrooms with learning challenges such as disabilities and where English is not the first language. The limitations include incompetence by some of the students and lack of accountability.
Peer tutoring has been around for many years. However, it is currently gaining more popularity in many schools across the world. Initially, it was focused on reading skills but now it has expanded to include study areas such as science, spelling, writing and social studies. The principle behind the effectiveness of this model is that tutors have to grasp the content before they can teach. The reversal of roles ensures that both student partners have the chance to tutor.
Peer tutoring is not adult volunteers or teachers teaching students. It is the students teaching each other. Moreover, it should not be confused with student discussion groups. It is a unique learning model which may contain other models. All of these models differ in how students are paired, the academic content and the extent of tutoring. Nevertheless, its main aim is increasing motivation, the achievement and student practice.
In Class Wide Peer Tutoring also called CWPT the whole class is divided into sub-groups of from two to five learners with different learning abilities. The students can then act as tutees, tutors or both. Students of the same age or different ages can be paired. Cross aged pairs enable the older students in upper classes teach the younger students in the lower classes. For this case, the tutors acquire less in terms of the content and much more in terms if social responsibility.
Same age pairing involves pairing of students who are of the same age. In this case, they are able to teach one another with one giving and the other receiving at any one time. Similar or dissimilar abilities may be matched. Different abilities ensure those with stronger skills are able to give first responses and therefore the weaker students are able to emulate them.
When students are matched in terms of equality in their abilities is a chance to switch roles. Switching roles ensures that both acquire knowledge in the topics that they tutor in. It is possible to match students after first ranking them according to their strengths. The strongest academically can then be matched to the weakest. In addition, diversity can be improved by considering differences in personalities, preferences and learning needs.
The instructional material has to be first developed for the this tutoring strategy to work. It begins by first teaching the learners how to tutor and how to be ideal pairing partners. It is also important that the instructional material is accommodative of the tutor and tutee feedback. In addition, the ability to switch roles between the students should be allowed and the class teacher able to monitor.
This type of tutoring model has been observed to increase class engagement of students and also their opportunities to respond. This is in contrast to other models where all content is delivered by the teacher. It is also advantageous to classrooms with learning challenges such as disabilities and where English is not the first language. The limitations include incompetence by some of the students and lack of accountability.