so why not try a peer tutor?
Since the dawn of homo sapiens, we’ve had to learn from others how to do things. Peer teaching has been going on for a long long time. Unlike much of the animal kingdom, humans really depend on parents and peers to teach them how to function. From walking to eating, cooking to hunting, our early ancestors created the institution of peer tutoring.
So, you may be wondering what that has to do with this day and age? Does it still apply to us? With our computer aided special education programs, with professional development clinics, and with special needs and advanced education classes, do students still need peer to peer tutoring?
The answer, says some researchers, seems to be a resounding “Yes.” Peer math tutoring has especially helped kids with tutoring strategies. Academic peer tutors in high school and college bond with students having difficulty. Peer tutoring for children has added benefits too.
Students not only learn academic skills, but they develop social skills relating to a peer. It is cooperative learning for both tutor and student. The student will learn how to solve problems and teacher will cement their knowledge with math topics. They learn how to work out difficulties with another in their own age set. Through these tutoring services, they also learn how to accept being in an unequal position with a peer that is still rewarding.
Peer tutoring can work in the classroom or in informal learning settings like a child’s home. When my children were young, we had a cross tutoring relationship with a few of my son’s friends. I made sure to help supervise so there was some learning structure that addressed the special needs, and then I’d leave them on their own to see what these young teachers would come up with.
It all worked out perfectly. One child excelled in math, another in mechanics, and a third in reading. They took turns mentoring each other and this role reversal helped keep everyone flexible. As they grew up,
Don’t give up if you don’t have the financial resources to pay a tutor. With the No Child Left Behind act, low income families can receive tutoring grants. Check with your school principals to find out more if this applies to you and what tutoring services are accredited under the program.
Another interesting learning method teachers can experiment with is classwide peer tutoring. Teachers can get children involved helping each other. It forms better relationships and helps break the ice especially among children who are struggling.
You can encourage your child’s teachers to consider peer tutoring. Research shows that both tutor and student benefit, in fact, many studies show that the tutor actually receives the most gain. It’s important for children to experience the sense of being needed and respected. Tutoring peers can be a lifesaver for kids who constantly act up. Putting them in that position of responsibility can call on a different part of themselves.
Other studies also show that peer tutoring leads to strong results, making it a very cost effective method for helping children learn. Professional psychologists, researchers and educators are taking note of the benefits of this kind of interaction but parents could encourage it by letting their principals know of peer tutoring arrangements that are working out well.
We need to promote better understanding between children, more tolerance for differences, and a sense of responsibility and care. These core values are easier to cultivate than it may seem at first and peer-to-peer tutoring would be one great place to begin. No child will be left behind with peer tutors!
