Structured Peer Tutoring

Purpose

To provide students a multiple number of practice opportunities using math skills they have initially acquired through teacher instruction.

What is it?

• Well planned/structured practice activities where students problem solve in pairs.
• One student is the "coach" and asks the questions; one student is the "player" and responds
• The coach also evaluates player responses and provides appropriate corrective feedback
• Research validates positive academic and social impact.
• Students trained in tutoring procedures.
• Students take turns assuming the roles of coach and player.
• Prompt/cue sheets are provided to allow for student initiated corrective feedback.
• Teacher circulates room, monitors student behavior, provides positive reinforcement, provides necessary corrective feedback, and answers student questions.
• Occurs after teacher instruction of math concept/skill, and after students have demonstrated initial acquisition of that math concept/skill.

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What are the critical elements of this strategy?

• Well planned
• High structure
• Provide explicit directions.
• Teach/model specific peer tutoring procedures.
• Teach/model appropriate behavior rules.
• Develop materials that clearly identify & provide practice of the math skill/concept. Prompt sheets should contain both the questions/math problems and the appropriate answers/solutions. An example of how to solve the type of problem solving task contained on the prompt sheet should also be provided. This provides the "coach" a cue to use when providing the "player" corrective feedback. ·
• Multi-sensory cueing
• Ensure all tutoring pairs are actively engaged
• Teacher monitoring
• Specific corrective feedback
• Specific positive reinforcement
• Provide closure.

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How do I implement the strategy?

1. Determine goals for each peer tutoring activity.
2. Target specific math skills to be practiced.
3. Select appropriate materials that match learning objectives and that can be implemented within a peer tutoring format (i.e. provide both a prompt sheet that contains problems to be solved and an answer key that can be easily used by your students).
4. Design and teach procedures/behaviors for tutoring.
5. Review classroom rules and teach new rules when appropriate.
6. Pair students of varying achievement levels.
7. Practice peer-tutoring procedures before implementing them with academic tasks.
8. Divide peer-tutoring time into halves so each player has equal time as coach and as player.
9. Signal students when it is time to switch roles.
10. Set goals for tutoring pairs and provide positive reinforcement for tutoring pairs that meet goals.
11. Provide response record sheets so you can evaluate the performance of individual students.

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How Does This Instructional Strategy Positively Impact Students Who Have Learning Problems?

• Provides opportunity for multiple response opportunities.
• Provides immediate corrective feedback and positive reinforcement.
• Structure provides framework for students to actively build connections between activity and concept/skill.
• Provides opportunity for students to learn from their peers in a controlled and structured way.
• Switching tutoring roles ensures students who have learning problems benefit from both responding and evaluating their partner's responses.
• Teacher monitoring provides additional corrective feedback, positive reinforcement, and behavioral observation/intervention.

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Additional Information

Research Support for the Instructional Features in this Strategy: Allsopp (1997); Beirne-Smith (1991); Goodlad & Hirst (1989); Greenwood (1991); Greenwood, Terry, Arreaga-Mayer, & Finney (1992); Maheady, Harper, & Mallette (1991); Mercer & Mercer (2005); Osguthorpe & Scruggs (1990); Scruggs & Richter (1985); Vaughn, Bos, & Schuum (1997).

Additional Guidelines That Help Students With Learning Problems

• Provide continual and consistent teacher monitoring of individual tutoring pairs and student behaviors.
• Provide positive reinforcement for achieving individual goals.
• Provide specific feedback regarding both accurate and incorrect responses.
• Provide for individual student accountability (set individual student goals & evaluate achievement of/progress toward each goal).
• Ensure students have equal opportunities to be both the coach and the player.
• Coach/teach students with special needs the social skills needed for participating in a group.
• Should be only implemented after initial teacher instruction of academic skill has occurred.

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Videos

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