What is Peer Tutoring?

Peer tutoring, also referred to as peer mentoring, proctoring, or supplemental instruction, is a system where students tutor other students, thus helping each other to learn and grow. Peer tutoring involves identifying and training successful and more experienced students to tutor novice students in a collaborative learning experience.

And while the concept has recently been endorsed by organizations such as the National Education Association and the National Tutoring Association, it isn't really a new concept. The concept can be traced back all the way to the times of Aristotle, where he used student leaders, known as archons for training others.

Peer tutoring was officially incorporated as a theory by Scottish Andrew Bell in 1795 and was later incorporated into schools in France and England in the 19th century. The concept has gained a lot of prominence in the last four decades and has become increasingly popular along with mixed ability grouping in K-12 public schools. It has also generated interest as one of the more financially efficient methods of teaching.

Peer Tutoring v/s Peer Instruction

The term peer tutoring may not be confused with peer instruction which also happens to be a relatively new training methodology developed by Eric Mazur, a Harvard University professor, in the early 1990s. Peer instruction is an evidence-based, interactive teaching system comprising of two students, where one student instructs another on a a subject that he is good at and vice versa. Peer instruction, as a learning management system, requires participating students to be prepared to learn outside of class by carrying out pre-class readings and answering questions about those readings using another method, known as Just in Time Teaching.

Advantages of Peer Tutoring

Peer tutoring is supposed to supplement, and not replace, traditional classroom training with the following benefits:

Learning by Teaching: Since times immemorial, people have known that the best way to understand something is by explaining it to someone else. There's an old Roman saying: "While we teach, we learn," and peer tutoring is helping bring this ancient wisdom into modern times. Peer tutoring allows the tutors to hone their skills and grow a deeper understanding of the topics they teach. Students enlisted to tutor a classmate or to a younger student, work harder to understand the material, recall it more accurately and apply it more effectively since they need to make the learner make sense of the training. The fact that learners ask questions during the training sessions further enhances their understanding and knowledge of the subject. For both, the student tutor and the learner, repetition leads to better retention. According to The National Education Association, peer tutoring helps build motivation and improves the overall academic performance of the students involved. Peer tutoring can also help reduce boredom, absenteeism, and bring fun to the learning environment.

Personal Growth: It has been observed that students involved in peer tutoring tend to develop a positive approach towards learning and other school activities. Students who receive peer tutoring are less likely to be scared of, or dislike, certain subjects. Peer tutors also tend to develop pride and self achievement knowing that that they are able to make a positive difference to someone else's life. Peer tutoring allows both the tutor and the learner to discover their abilities to master difficult subjects and assignments even without the help of a teacher. This serves as a confidence booster for them by instilling feelings of achievement.

Other benefits: Some other benefits of peer teaching include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Students receive more time for personalized learning.
  • Peer tutoring lacks the formal aspect of classrooms, helping students feel more at ease while learning.
  • The direct interaction between peers, rather than between a pupil and a teacher, can create a comfortable environment where asking questions, challenging assumptions, etc. are facilitated.
  • Direct interaction between peers also helps promote active learning.
  • Peers and students share a similar lecture, allowing for greater understanding.
  • It helps foster friendships and relationships that go above and beyond the classroom.
  • Peer tutoring is a financially efficient solution as opposed to hiring more staff members.
  • It allows teachers to get some time off which can be utilized to prepare better for their next lectures.

Conclusion

As mentioned above, it should be noted that any peer-tutoring program for students is meant to complement, and not substitute, a formal classroom training setup. Tutoring should never be treated as an alternative for professional teaching. An ideal learning atmosphere fosters a rich blend of peer to peer and peer to teacher instructional strategies.

Kamy Anderson
ProProfs.com