Peer Tutoring

iStudy would like to acknowledge Paula Ford for revising the content of this tutorial.

 

Purpose

There are several reasons to become active in peer tutoring - reasons for both the tutor and the student. Here are a few of the most helpful aspects peer tutoring can offer:

• In American culture, as well as several others, there is a natural tendency to learn from the same age-group. Many people feel more comfortable working with and asking questions of others in their same peer group because there is less of a power dynamic; the distinction between teacher and student is less pronounced.  

• Peer tutoring allows both the tutor and the student to better understand information. As the tutor and student work through assignments and practice the concepts, both individuals gain a broader and deeper understanding of the material.

• The tutor learns not only how to ask useful questions, but also develops social listening skills that are a sought-after ability in the professional world.

 

Goals and Objectives

The main goal of this tutorial is to introduce learners to essential peer tutoring techniques. Upon completion of this tutorial, you will be able to:

• Identify good environments for holding peer tutoring sessions.
• Identify elements necessary to build a good rapport with a student.
• Identify important elements of the role of a tutor.
• Demonstrate understanding of basic listening skills a tutor should use in any peer tutoring situation.
• Demonstrate understanding of basic questioning skills a tutor should use in any peer tutoring situation.
• Demonstrate understanding of basic feedback techniques a tutor should use in any peer tutoring situation.

Activities

Information about peer tutoring in this tutorial is divided into several sections. The recommended sequence is as follows:

1. Establishing the environment
2. Building rapport
3. Activity 1: What would you do to help a student in a tutoring session?
4. Activity 2: Building Rapport with a Student
5. Establishing proper body language
6. Approaching the work
7. Listening, questioning, and responding
8. Activity 3: Effective Strategies for Listening, Questioning, and Responding
9. Feedback

After you read through the information and tips about peer tutoring and completed the activities, you should be ready to try this short role playing game (Note: Opens in a new window or tab). 

Note: All external links in this tutorial will open in a new window or tab. 

 

References

Summary

Instructor's Guide

 

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