Peer tutoring refers to the act of students helping students. A way to further their career? The best part is that when students . There are a number of situations where a peer education program could be especially useful: There are several reasons why a professional or formal program may not be an option in a particular circumstance. 146. Encourages higher level of thinking. What are your weaknesses? Try to be as brief and as clear as possible about what you're offering or asking people to do. For example, some tutors may provide lessons to students before school hours, while others may conduct lessons afterward. What are your weaknesses? It is essential to plan the program with your focus on the community, rather than on what you want to do. At the end of the training period, you might consider providing closure in one or more ways. In fact, the formal tutor-learner arrangement doesn't exist at all in some programs. It needs to be mentioned here that none of this is necessarily intuitive for volunteer -- or even paid -- peer educators. Tutoring is a relationship between two people with the goal of professional and personal development. One way to deal with this issue is to address it at an initial orientation, explaining that peer education, like anything else, is not for everyone, and that there will be a screening process. And students with fulfilling careers often give back to their alma maters with donations that allow them to build facilities, implement new programs and recruit or support underserved populations. She organized a meeting to discuss the issue which attracted 35 parents and teens. The numbers in a training group should be small enough so that everyone can get some individual attention, but large enough so that there can be good discussion and role play opportunities. Becoming a peer tutor is a position of prestige on many college campuses. Im looking forward to being a mentor and helping someone else achieve their goals. Training in education or teaching methods can give learners new insight into their own learning process, and change their approach to learning entirely. I do not find it hard to gain trust of the students, because I understand how they feel in different situations and can choose the right words in my lessons. They know what your student may be feeling, and they speak the same language. With the right guidance and support, anyone can achieve their goals and reach their full potential. Then, choose a . Peer Education in Adult Basic and Literacy Educationby Susan Imel, fromERIC Digest No. How will you define "peers" for that population? This is the model generally used in counseling and psychology, and more frequently now in education and medicine. Peer education is based on the assumption that learners are often likely to relate to and trust others in their own circumstances more than professionals whose experience might be entirely different from theirs. Social isolation can interfere with learning, and for some students, peer tutors may be their first major social connection at college, thus diminishing their feelings of loneliness. To celebrate, I'd like to share five reasons why someone would want to volunteer as a tutor. Students will often vent to me about their problems and ask for advice. Why i should be a peer mentor? Patience. You can integrate IT into your lessons. In situation-specific peer education,the goal is to master a specific skill or understand a specific situation. A peer education program, like any other, needs to be able to look at what it's doing, figure out how well it works, continually refine those parts of the program that already work well, improve or rework those things that don't work well, and change to meet the changing needs of the target population. Becoming skilled at working with and learning from one's peers can . Why do you want to be a tutor? Dedication to teaching. Such an interview can provide an informal screening, eliminating many people who simply wouldn't fit into the program. I believe that every person has the potential to be great, and I want to help them tap into that potential. In the best of circumstances, learners should have input into developing those policies, and should know about them -- and be given a copy of them -- at the time they enter the program. A parent -to-parent program meant to reach mothers with young children needs to take into account their child care needs, and the needs of the kids themselves. Before answering the question, you first need to take some time to assess your motives. 1994-2023The University of Kansas. Students then act as tutors, tutees, or both tutors and tutees. A lot -- perhaps most -- of a tutor's or other peer educator's expertise in working with learners may be gained on the job, but she still needs a grounding in the methods, philosophy, and assumptions of the program and some tools to start with. The most common goals of peer tutoring programs include academic achievement and social maturation. Establishing a Peer Education Program, Implementing Promising Community Interventions, Section 1. Training, support, and supervision will be discussed in more detail later in this section. She was so grateful for my help that she bought me coffee one day since she couldnt afford to pay me and insisted that I accept it. If you're asking peer educators to respect what learners already know, then their training should respect what they already know. (613) 995-5058. Each peer educator should have a designated supervisor -- whether the coordinator, a paid or volunteer staff member, a more experienced peer educator, or even, in a reciprocal arrangement, another peer educator of similar experience -- with whom she has regularly scheduled meetings to discuss her work, and who is available at other times for help and support when needed. Another screening issue you might want to deal with is whether you'll set any specific criteria of eligibility or ineligibility. Shouldnt someone with a teaching credential -- or at least a bachelors degree -- be the one performing tutoring services? Eight to ten is usually ideal, with 15 probably being about as big as a group should be. Many of the possibilities for peer education may not include any formal education at all, although they do involve an educational process. Community advertising, using fliers and posters placed in conspicuous places. Answer: I want to be a mentor because I have benefited from having great mentors in my life, and I want to pay it forward. The ERC Peer Tutoring program gives BU students an opportunity to connect with a fellow student and ask questions related to course material. By hearing about their challenges and experiences, I would have the opportunity to gain new perspectives and grow as a person myself. Meeting spaces are usually secluded enough to protect learners' privacy. Here are a few of the many excellent reasons to consider becoming a peer tutor for Moraine Park. If you want to become a peer tutor, you need to convince the hiring manager that you have the skills, passion, and personality to help other students succeed. Take adequate breaks. It excites me to see how energetic a learner becomes as soon as they understand a topic they struggled with. (British nobles are called Peers of the Realm, meaning that they are all in some sense equals under the monarch.) Many of the benefits of peer education can be lost if the tutor -learner relationship is not one of equal partnership. Yet peer educators do act as mentors a lot of the time, they definitely provide support -- often mutual for teacher and learner -- and peer educators and learners often trade skills and knowledge. October 5-9 is National Tutoring Week. Each of these may imply a different design: Parents of young children? The low is always lower than the high. Technical knowledge. Be confident. Encourage open and honest communication. Keep reading to learn more. Peer education programs can take different shapes for different communities, different issues, and different needs. Actual academic education: in adult literacy, for instance, or in English for recent immigrants (An especially effective peer education program for Chinese immigrants on the waiting list for a formal English as a Second Language program used tutors who were graduates of the program). After all, its partly what I do for a living as an adult, and, whats more, how can a 20-year-old student possibly possess the subject matter or pedagogical expertise to successfully teach others? A peer education program involves people being tutored or taught by others from backgrounds similar to their own. Typically, CWPT involves highly structured procedures, direct rehearsal, competitive teams, and posting of scores (Maheady . I believe i am one of those billion souls trying to spill out her emotions by writing. Orientation - helping people understand what the program and its issues are actually about -- can be viewed as the beginning of the training, but it can also be used as an introduction to help potential peer educators decide whether they want to enter training. How many hours a week for how long a time period will you ask peer educators to commit to? There are a number of areas that these policies might cover. I believe we all have something valuable to share with others, and by mentoring others, we can help them reach their full potential. Groups of people who share a unique experience or trauma -- MS sufferers, families of murder victims, Vietnam veterans, refugees from genocide attempts, etc. Ideally, the tutors should be screened to make sure they are qualified to tutor the subjects and given ongoing training and support in best tutoring practices. It's better for the program -- and kinder to them -- if you can spot them before they make a commitment, and steer them to some other volunteer opportunity more suited to their talents. As a tutor, you'll help students prepare for exams, work together on class work they need guidance with and help them improve in a particular subject that they're struggling in. Good tutoring helps students gain confidence in a course or for a test, so they walk into the classroom and feel in control. Example answer: When I was in high school, I started tutoring as a part-time job. A workshop may be sponsored by an established organization, or may be part of a free-standing program aimed at an issue of community interest or importance. I want to be a role model and show them that anything is possible if you set your mind. Students who believe in themselves are more likely to put in the work they need to improve academically. An AIDS teach-in conducted by HIV sufferers and support workers is another. The workshop model is often the one by which peer educators are trained. Because many peer tutors are close in age to their tutees, they can often better form personal connections that transcend the tutoring relationship. Whether you are a new or returning SSS tutor, these 10 strategies will make tutoring a productive and rewarding experience for you and your student(s). Havin' fun and never thinkin'. In fact, training is especially important in those situations. Having a good rapport with the student will move a tutor from good to great. Who is a teacher and who is a learner may change in the course of a session, depending upon what's being discussed or taught. I should note that it is not just the tutees who benefit from peer tutoring. Once the trained teens were known, they were able to get peers to come to presentations to learn more about AIDS and its prevention, and to both practice and preach the gospel of safe sex. Some possible reasons for wanting to become a mentor include: wanting to help others reach their potential, believing that everyone deserves access to quality mentorship, feeling passionate about your industry/field of work, seeing mentorship as an opportunity for personal and professional growth. 5. . Interactive Sciences is an organization that uses peer education to teach technology. To begin with, there are some general rules that should apply to any process that can truly be called peer education. Student affairs and academic affairs should coordinate with departmental faculty members in the subjects for which peer tutoring will be offered to plan the programs and establish learning goals. If there is some history of past program success or failure, it's important to find it out -- here's where involving potential tutors and learners in the planning process proves its worth -- so you can avoid either reinventing the wheel or repeating past mistakes. Thanks for considering me! What you're trying to accomplish, what areas the peer educator will be expected to . In either case, you'll probably want to use some or all of these methods to let people know that they can become involved: There are several ways you can recruit through newspapers, radio, and TV. 11 reasons to become a tutor Below are some of the most common reasons that people choose to become a tutor: 1. In some cases, your interviewer may ask follow-up questions about your answer. As a tutor, youll help students prepare for exams, work together on class work they need guidance with and help them improve in a particular subject that theyre struggling in. Supermarkets, laundromats, fast food restaurants, schools, sports facilities, the Y, churches, and social clubs are all places where your information is likely to be seen by a large number of people. Patient, caring, and kind personality. I also believe that mentorship can be a powerful tool for personal growth and development. In general, messages describing the problem will help to recruit volunteers. I learned quickly that the job could be very lucrative and rewarding when the effort was put in. A Teamsters' union local, for example, may set up a program where already-certified truck drivers help others learn what they need to pass the new and more complex Class 1 licensing test. Why do you want to be a tutor? Much of the early research in peer tutoring, for example, was conducted at a time when the concept was one of a more competent person teaching a less competent one (an older student teaching a much younger one in a school, for example). I want to share my knowledge and experience with them and help them grow as a person. Peer tutors are students. You have /5 articles left.Sign up for a free account or log in. Peer tutors facilitate student learning by helping to clarify specific course content and promote the use of appropriate study strategies. A report on a successful peer education project at the Dorchester Penitentiary (New Brunswick). What is the target population likely to respond to? Clearly, if colleges want their students to thrive, instituting formal peer tutoring programs seems like a no-brainer that can be done at relatively little cost. In the Middle Ages or the Renaissance -- or even the 20th century in some places -- if you wanted your son to become a stonemason, you begged or bought him a place as an apprentice with a master of the trade. Energy (motivation, enthusiasm, interpersonal skills) Openness (accessibility, availability, involvement, empathy) Humility (respect, discernment, acceptance). Some areas you might want to cover in orientation include: In all orientation and training, it's ideal if you can include both learners and experienced current or former peer educators, in order to give trainees a real picture of what they're taking on. In outreach programs,the peer educator seeks out learners in the environment where they're most comfortable and most likely to be found. Additionally, I find satisfaction in seeing someone else succeed and reach their goals. Are you able to communicate effectively with students from diverse backgrounds? For example, when somebody is asking a question, if they pause for even one or two seconds, research shows that many people in a teaching role will jump in and respond even if the asker isn't done yet. Students interested in learning more about tutoring at MPTC can contact Mary Daley at mdaley1@morainepark.edu or 920-924-6488. I want to be a tutor because academics is one of my strong suits, and good grades come easy to me. The word "peer" means an equal, someone of the same condition as oneself. Donate now. An academic program may work best in a one-on-one or group setting in a quiet place, Spreading a body of information might best be accomplished in a support-group format, or through a community outreach program that can touch a large number of people. Other examples of this type of situation-specific education, like that above, often don't look like education at all. Your student will have an opportunity to gain important skills at the same time that they are helping others. Where can the target population be reached? However, I am a golfer and involved in other extracurricular activities, so mornings would probably work best for me. Are you successful in one or more of your classes at Moraine Park? A peer education program is a way of improving services by spreading needed information throughout a community. Teachers and learners may switch roles from time to time as part of the program: imagine, for instance, a situation where young Native Americans teach elders to read, and the elders teach them the traditions or the language of their ancestors. You exhibit a high level of emotional intelligence that allows you to excel in working with others. Students who are more active and engaged learners can better contribute to the college community both inside and outside the classroom. In addition, I believe that mentoring is a two-way street. Teachers dont just teachthey prepare us for the road ahead. It's obvious that, whatever your program looks like, it won't exist without peer educators and learners. Correctional Service of Canada. Peer Resources Bookstoreprovides publicationson peer education and peer counseling. Mentoring provides a unique opportunity to achieve both of these things. The possibility -- and perhaps even the expectation -- of an exchange of knowledge, or of the learner becoming an educator is often an important part of peer education. Sure, professors can be role models for what students can become one day. Peer tutors allow students to see what they can accomplish soon. An individual meeting, where appropriate, of each peer educator with the learner or group he'll be working with. I randomly wrote a story and sent it to a magazine (for children) . By Doug Kovel It enables students to get individualized attention to help improve their comprehension, confidence, and skills both in and out of the classroom. A grounding in methods of instruction (in the particular style the program expects, if there is one), Whatever content peer educators will be expected to know and/or help learners master, A copy and discussion of the written curriculum, if there is one, More on the program's philosophical framework, and how it meshes with the actual way the program is run and education is conducted. Before you decide what's right for your situation, you should answer some basic questions: What is the actual purpose of the program? Do you have experience working with different learning styles?. Changing community thinking might combine several approaches: outreach, modeling, learners becoming peer educators and training other peer educators, etc. They may have struggled with the same issues as their tutee. It seemed to show that it was in fact the tutor, rather than the tutee, who experienced the most benefit from the relationship. I think its important to share my knowledge and experiences with others and help them reach their full potential. Peer education can cover any area: health issues, literacy, community development, schoolwork whatever is needed. For copies of the report and/or the Facilitation Manual that goes with it, contact the Health Care Services Branch, The Correctional Service of Canada, 340 Laurier Avenue West, Ottawa K1P 0P9 Canada. Although he would begin by sweeping up, carrying stone, mixing mortar, and doing other menial tasks, over time, the master mason and older apprentices would teach him the skills that would allow him to become, eventually, a journeyman, and then a master himself. ERIC Clearinghouse on Teaching and Teacher Education. Is the interviewee looking for personal fulfillment? But, unlike mentoring, peer education needs to be a relationship of equals; unlike a support group, it has a particular practical goal; and unlike barter or skills exchange, the materials it concerns are information and education. Peer education programs work well in some circumstances, but may not be the right choice in others. Have you worked before with kids or adults who have trouble with the same skills as my child?. way to level the academic playing field for middle and high school students across the country. Columbus, OH: 1994. Students with at least one or two meaningful friendships are more likely to succeed academically and, in turn, contribute meaningfully to the classroom and campus (or during these times, virtual campus) community. Answering these questions will help you formulate a response that is both honest and impressive. Call (phone number)", and that included tear-off versions of the phone number at the bottom of the sheet. Have achieved 80% or better in the course (s) you want to tutor, and maintain an overall average of at least 75%. Best Things to Say to Your Childs Teacher We appreciate you. Increases good study habits. Where do you see yourself in five years? Outreach through agencies, organizations, religious centers, and other community hubs. Knowing something doesn't necessarily mean that you can teach it well; and being a peer doesn't necessarily mean that you won't take on the mantle of authority when you're placed in a position where you could. Here is where careful training and support for the tutor -- as well as a serious screening process before training begins -- are extremely important. Like training, ongoing supervision is an absolute necessity for an effective peer education program. You may want to keep attendance, a log of hours spent and what happened during that time, peer educator and/or learner journals about results and change, regular testing results whatever will give you the information you need to evaluate the program accurately and make adjustments to it that actually make a difference for the better. The nature of in-service offerings could be determined by educators' own expressed needs, the program coordinator's understanding of what is needed to do a good job, or -- most likely -- a combination of the two. A truly successful tutor can make learning real, relevant and rigorous. In a cooperative peer learning environment, each student's strengths can serve to complement the group and enhance learning. As an added perk, explaining and discussing the concepts with her helped me better solidify my own understanding of the material. Surprisingly, they published it! Do you prefer online or in-person tutoring? They are here to guide, encourage, and support you in your learning process. By working problems through with the learner, by demonstrating to the learner how he goes about finding information or solving a problem to which he doesn't know the answer, the educator can often be more effective than if he simply told the learner something. What is your availability? They will be caring and compassionate, but also professional and organized. In this situation, both peer educator and learner understand that whatever progress the learner makes belongs to him, not to the peer educator. Student swapping across public flagships is Americas most expensive game of musical chairs, Ryan Craig writes. You may have accumulated a list of potential tutors or learners in the course of developing your program, or an agency (such as welfare or unemployment), church, or service club may be willing to insert notices to all its participants in one of its own mailings. In a true peer education situation, the peer educator acts less as teacher than as facilitator. Peer education training itself is meant to prepare peer educators to work with learners successfully. Help in understanding and negotiating a bureaucratic or other system: housing, unemployment, or Social Security, for instance. In general, one hour of a course online is more affordable, making access to private tutoring easier for many students. You're able to put people at ease, encourage them, and be empathetic. The most common courses supported include introductory courses in mathematics, chemistry, physics . This shared experience helps the tutor understand potential roadblocks. Women who may either distrust men because of past or present mistreatment, or because of age-old patterns of discrimination. 12. The program has to be one that will work in the community. My communication skills, and understanding for the emotional world of childrenespecially at elementary level, is my greatest strengths as a teacher. A peer conflict resolution program -- which, if it's done well, not only deals with an immediate conflict, but teaches participants how to deal with other conflicts in the future -- is a good illustration of a peer education situation that doesn't appear to be education. The whole relationship may be created as a reciprocal arrangement, with each participant teaching the other in return for being taught something else (remember those Native American teens and elders). There are at least two ways of looking at supervision. Do you have a preferred environment when tutoring?. That equality can be defined by age, gender, geography (people from the same neighborhood, or the same village), income, racial or ethnic group, culture, background, disability anything that people might have in common. These changes may seem unconnected to the subject matter, but are directly connected to the experience of learning, and can be markers of learners' success. 10 Teaching Skills You Learn From Tutoring You appreciate students as individuals. In order to examine itself, a program needs to decide what to look at - what information it will gather, how it will interpret it once it has it - and how to look at it - the way it will gather that information. Creating your own schedule Tutors often have some control over the hours they work. Some particular advantages of peer education programs are: So when might you want to use a peer education program and when might you not want to? Tutors may consult with faculty for course resources, guidance, and direction in their tutoring work. One of the big things I work on with peer tutors is making sure that they give their tutees appropriate time to think and talk out loud. Although in some cases, learners may be recruited by the peer educators themselves (as in the case of the AIDS education program described earlier), in many instances, you'll have to find both peer educators and learners. Volunteer tutoring involves a combination of instruction and assisting with assignments, either one-on-one or in small groups of students. Back when I myself used to tutor my friends as a high school or college student, it made me feel proud to help my classmates succeed. Perhaps most important, the training should reflect the philosophy and methods of the program. It was released in January 1983 as the first single from the album Pancho & Lefty. A program in which seniors help to inform seniors about wills and negotiating the probate system should respect the physical limitations of all who might be involved. Some forms that peer education may take include. As we've seen, there are many possible designs for peer education programs, and each can be customized for a particular community and particular circumstances. Are willing to provide one-on-one assistance for students having difficulty with specific courses and help students practice and review previously taught material. Motivator: encourages students to strive to be the best they can, to reach their goals, to recognize their strengths, to focus on learning how to learn so that they will be successful in the future. Counseling department, College of the Holy Crossisa peer education program with help for eating disorders/nutrition, relationships (tolerance, sexual abuse, etc. I would take great satisfaction in seeing my mentees succeed, knowing that I played a role in their success. Just as the peer tutors provide moral support to their tutees, faculty advisers should reaffirm peer tutors own credibility and expertise. I believe that everyone has the potential to be great. While the act of initial instruction in any skill or topic should be done by the . I want to be a mentor to make a difference in someones life. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License. By the same token, being asked to think about the barriers that learners experience in approaching new ideas or material may enable them to understand and remove some of their own. You are able to help your students progress. Spreading a particular body of information (e.g. Workshops are often conducted in public places, and in the same place every time, but they may also travel to sites where learners are available. Can be available to work 3-10 hours per week throughout the semester. Some important points: An adult literacy program found that its best learner recruitment tool was a poster that said only "Need Help with Reading, Writing, Math, GED? to remain available. In some ways, peer education can be similar to mentoring or support groups, or even to skill-swapping programs. Engaging students in learning. Tel. Similarly, high school students might offer homework help to other high school students in an after-school program. Plus, its a great way to stay connected to your professional network and keep up with the latest trends in your industry. Below are even more reasons why peer learning is important. Colleges should jump at the chance to adopt this high-impact and relatively low-cost opportunity. Ethnic groups where language, shared experiences, and cultural norms and style may create barriers for non-members. Being. Where you are starting a process that is meant to be self-maintaining. Something you'll need to decide about recruiting tutors is whether you're going to screen people, or simply train everyone who applies. Peer tutoring has motivational benefits, and it has been associated with lower test anxiety and higher student engagement in the learning process. ERIC Clearinghouse on Adult, Career, and Vocational Education. Although volunteers and tutors may be from the same community, they may come from very different circumstances and experiences, and tutors may see themselves as "stooping" to help an "unfortunate" learner. The essential idea is that peer educators and learners share some degree of common experience and desire to help and learn from one another. As explained above, peer education is a teaching or co-teaching relationship between people who are in some way equals. After golf season is over, my schedule does become more flexible. Peer tutoring is a general name for a strategy in which students support other students in the learning process. Regularly scheduled in-service training and workshops can provide another form of peer educator support. Because peer tutors are students, they approach the tutoring process differently than professional tutors. My child wants to learn more about this. Where peers are more likely to be listened to than professionals or others not part of the learners' peer group, Where you need to reach a large number of people in the community in a relatively short time. ), responsible choices (substance use), and HIV/AIDS/STDs. Passion. And, if it's funded by any formal sources -- public money, foundations, etc. The Hmong people of Laos, many of whom were forced to exchange an ancient culture for refugee camps and the streets of American cities after the Vietnam War, come immediately to mind. You may decide that all peer educators need high school diplomas, for instance. Helps you become an independent learner. Laughin' at . Many interviewees find themselves caught off guard by the question, why do you want to be a mentor? While it may seem simple, there are many reasons someone might want to be a mentor. Minority communities, where community members may be suspicious of those who represent past or present mistreatment, and where past or present discrimination may not be easily ignored. Be Compassionate & Build Rapport A good tutor will take the time to connect meaningfully with the student and their families. Improves academic performance, retention, and personal growth. Some examples of this type of peer education might be: A group of welfare recipients, frustrated by their own misadventures in trying to deal with public assistance, approached a Legal Assistance office. Whether it's run or staffed by professionals or volunteers, a peer education program needs a structure if it's going to operate effectively. Reasons to Quit. What are your goals? An orientation could be held at the very beginning of training, or even before a training is scheduled, to help people decide whether they really want to become tutors or not. You are used to tailoring resources for individual needs. Making available information to give learners more control over a particular area of their lives: health, tenants' rights, etc. 1. Good tutoring allows students to grasp subject matter that they couldnt pick up for whatever reason in the larger, more impersonal setting of a school classroom. Tell me about any tutoring experience you have? In choosing what to look at, there are several - not necessarily mutually exclusive - possibilities. Yet for college students relegated to online learning in the age of the pandemic, especially freshmen who have not yet integrated into their college communities or acclimated to the rigors of college-level work, peer tutors may be exactly what they need. Current thinking takes this finding into account, reasoning that if it is the act of teaching that is so powerful, then everyone should be a teacher. In the process, some of these students may find themselves with faculty mentors, who can grant them new opportunities, such as research assistantships or internships. Advisers should provide tutors with clear expectations for their responsibilities and ongoing support. Peer educators are usually volunteers -- partially to keep that relationship of equals -- and learners may become educators themselves. Thus, peer tutoring is now conceived as a situation where everyone involved is both teacher and learner. You made this easy to understand. Where the "peer" is the most important part of the program, because of what it demonstrates. How are you working to improve them? The other view of supervision sees it as a mentoring relationship, aimed at improving performance through constructive feedback, suggestions, and discussion of real situations and problems. Think-pair-share exercises expose students to three lesson-processing experiences, allowing them to work individually and with a tutor or tutee. Be aware of customs or word meanings that could make your message vague or, worse, offensive to the community. One of the most important aspects of the community legal advocate program was that the advocates didn't do things for those they advised. She has to learn it, to understand and place it in context. Real tools that peer educators can use, especially in initial sessions - specific curriculum, exercises, games, props, particular books, videos, etc. A way to give back to their community? In formal education programs,such asLiteracy Volunteers of America, community volunteers (or, occasionally, paid tutors from the community) help others learn particular skills or information. Another possibility is that once the learner has mastered whatever is being taught, he will then become a peer educator in turn, as will those he then teaches. Students who do improve as a result of peer tutoring may be more inclined to give back to their college communities, such as by tutoring or mentoring future students, as they grow more comfortable in their own skin and confident in their skills. Puts you in charge of your own learning process. Subject Matter Mastery. In other words, quality peer tutoring can make students feel less intimidated by the material they are studying and more likely to engage with it deeply, including through in-class discussions or simply in their own studying and research. Planning an Adult Literacy Program, Section 13. Keeping some sort of records is absolutely necessary if you're going to conduct any kind of meaningful evaluation. For example,a group of women in an adult basic education program were recruited as volunteer peer health educators. Peer tutoring programs in colleges have been documented as far back as the 18th century, and they have grown increasingly popular in recent years, with hundreds of institutions having some form of peer tutoring or peer learning. Keep these traits in mind as you look into tutor options for your family: Empathy. Keep in mind what your own purposes are in deciding what is relevant to your program. You truly care about your students. A mechanism for dealing with learners who create problems. Policy here might deal with such issues as: In order to run the most effective program, it is important for peer educators to know exactly what is expected of them. so they could do it again, without help, if they needed to. Again, it is important to ensure that if problems do arise, there are already methods in place for dealing with them. Tutors can also improve their communication skills, develop empathy and find a sense of purpose. How you look at your information will depend to some extent on what you're looking at. Categories: Mentor Mentorship My Mentor Teaching About this essay Download Essay, Pages 3 (543 words) Views 2307 I believe that I should be a peer-mentor as I have a variety of skills that will help and come to the convenience of a protg. Reasons for Being by Maria Popova. The Community Tool Box is a service of the. We include everything from relatively formal peer tutoring situations to programs that are essentially street outreach by peers. Why I Chose To Be A Peer Tutor. Given that assumption, the educator functions best as a facilitator, someone who makes learning easier. Final Report: Inmate AIDS Peer Education Project. It's always best to try to anticipate matters like these, and make some decisions about them before you're actually faced with them. If you're trying to reach the homeless, do peer educators have to be currently or formerly homeless, for instance? As a result of their training and the presentations they made, they were able to change many of their own and their families' practices, and to both raise awareness and help to effect healthier lifestyles among other community members as well. A mechanism for learners to discuss problems. Use Think-Pair-Share Activities. On-demand education is where peer tutors staff a "center" to provide on-the-spot help to those who need it. You always seem to know how to explain a concept in different ways and you understand how your peers learn. teaching is a way of serving their communities. Higher Education News, Opinion and Careers | Weekdays, Quick Summary of the Week's Higher Ed News | Fridays, Admissions and Enrollment News, Opinion and Careers | Mondays, Diversity News, Opinion and Career Advice | Tuesdays, Student Success News, Ideas, Advice and Inspiration | Weekdays, The Great State School Student-Swapping Scandal, Anti-Wokeism and the Vulnerability of Interdisciplinarity, Preparing the Campus for a Controversial Speaker, Learning designer may be the best job youve never heard of, Bridging the gap: how to enhance PhD programmes for non-academic careers, How to convey the benefits of higher education to government and policymakers, Making LGBTQ+ individuals feel safe, valued and empowered on campus, Administrators can and must act to nurture LGBTQ leaders. Students often perceive peer tutors as less threatening. ), and then in turn conducted workshops on those topics in their program. This situation could be seen as an example of peer education. It is, in the writer's opinion, far more effective and useful than the other, and more apt to lead to improvement in performance. Working with the entire class, this kind of exercise teaches how to give praise and feedback -- essential peer teaching skills. In order to select diverse sources of information, you need to hone your research and evaluation skills. There needs to be an assumption on everyone's part - peer educators, learners, trainers, program coordinator -- that the educator-learner roles are fluid, and that every learner -- either now or later -- is an actual or potential peer educator. Students who develop better learning habits are more likely to do well both in school and in their careers. What kind of improvement have you seen in past clients? They may work with individuals or groups, and some of those they reach -- as in fact happened in the AIDS prevention program -- may then become peer educators themselves. Be a good listener. This type of program is often especially effective with teens at risk, who may be reluctant to come to any formal sessions, and who often distrust adults. A group of alienated teens may not want to sit in a class, for instance, but might be totally comfortable talking informally in a park. (metacognition) Encourages the students to identify several alternative study strategies from which to choose. Adult literacy and employment training programs often see a huge leap in learners' self-esteem and, consequently, in their willingness to take risks and their ability to persevere and succeed at difficult tasks. How, and to what extent, you provide this base is crucial to the success of your peer education program. But there are always a few folks who are eager and enthusiastic and just don't get it, in one way or another. Concentrate your efforts in the places where the target community is most likely to be exposed to it. Depending on your resources, you might want to prepare a program handbook to give to peer educators, learners, and staff. Patience, the ability to remain calm and respectful, is an essential skill for tutors. The peer tutoring relationship at its best is a mini learning community in which both parties learn from each other. Lots of opportunities for peer educators to try out and get feedback - in a safe situation - on what they've learned (i.e. This core group then created an organization which ultimately ran, among other things, workshops and informal peer-education sessions in which teens and parents talked with others in the community about how to prevent teen violence. It needs a spokesperson who is trusted to speak for the program, sometimes -- in a crisis, for instance -- without having the opportunity to consult with others. Peer educators not only teach, but train learners as peer educators, who then repeat the process. (This interview could also be used as a formal screening tool, as long as potential tutors understood that.). This can increase students self-efficacy, or belief they can be successful. A few common reasons people want to teach are: they love learning and being in a learning environment. Eventually, they branched out into their own and other communities, presenting workshops to various groups. Tutoring is a flexible, rewarding and interesting job where youll make a positive difference. Screening after training is another option, and will be discussed later in this section. The handbook could include not only training -related material (program philosophy and mission statement, for instance), but information on personnel policies, volunteer time commitment, security, necessary phone numbers, etc. Are there successful examples of this type of program in similar circumstances elsewhere? Is it Good? I love tutoring because I am given the opportunity to help children achieve their best and inspire them on a personal and academic level. Here are questions to ask before you hire a tutor for your child. Where there is very limited or no funding available, In a closed community, where outsiders are not welcome or trusted, or where language is a barrier, Where there are simply no professionals trained in the area in which people need to be educated (think of those Native American teens and elders), Where people have difficulty getting to a program because of physical, geographical, or other constraints (in the huge and sparsely-populated rural counties of some western states, e.g., people may have to travel more than 100 miles each way to reach a logical program site). In fact, if you're dealing with volunteers, a contract like this is hardly enforceable: it's simply a way of making sure that everyone knows and agrees to the expectations of the program. To sum up, without having to commute in between classes, your schedule is optimized and mostly, people living hundreds or thousands of kilometers away from you are able to book a class on the day. Peer-tutoring is an actionable, cost effective (often, free!) Encourage your college student to explore this possible way to . It is a landmark moment for On Being as it shape-shifts into its next incarnation, and for Krista as a human being moving through the stages of a human life. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Fast Food Interview Questions and Answers, Taco Bell Interview Questions to Ask candidates, Whataburger Interview Questions and Answers, Burger King Interview Questions and Answers, How to Answer Why Do You Want to Be a Mentor?, Sample Answer to Why Do You Want to Be a Mentor?, Most Common Interview Questions and Sample Answers, What are Fresher Strengths and Weaknesses with Examples, Why Do You Want to Become US Citizen 5 Sample Answers with Tips. Peer tutoring has been around for ages. We would like to show you a description here but the site won't allow us. Staff in such programs frequently note that learners begin to dress differently, to hold themselves straighter, to look others in the eye more often, to speak more loudly and decisively. Why do you want to implement a peer tutoring program and what do you expect to gain from it? How you answer this question may have a lot to do with the structure and, perhaps, even the eventual success of your program. Leadership. Especially in programs that serve adolescents, there need to be clear policies about the rights and obligations of learners as well as those of peer educators. Other elements of a well-designed program include: If you can put together a peer education program that includes these components, you have a great chance of success. Your contribution can help change lives. Whether you work with children or adults, the one-on-one educational support that you provide can empower them to achieve their full potential. And the reasons to quit. As in the above example, peer educators in an outreach program may not be seen as "teaching" in anything resembling the standard way, but their message may be the more powerful for that reason. Some topics discussed in this section - recruitment of learners, for instance - only apply to certain kinds of situations, while others address peer education in general. Knowing what to expect will filter out some of those who really aren't appropriate for the job, and will help to make others better. Why do you want to the mentorship program? Begin by determining the purpose, audience, and scope of the assignment. It may differ from the relatively formal, structured process implied below, but learners need to have some idea of the expectations, the difficulties, and the rewards of sitting on both sides of the educational table. "Peer education" is used here to cover the broadest possible range of activities and services. Tutoring Offers Flexible Scheduling: Peer tutoring sessions usually last no more than one or two hours so they can easily be arranged during times when there are gaps in your class schedule but not enough time to go to a traditional, off-campus job. Peer tutoring takes away the stigma of asking for help. But first, a basic definition of tutoring. An emergency community health initiative, for instance. However, not everyone is as strong in that area, some people are better at theater, or music, or sports. Peer tutors can help their tutees become better learners. Pros & Cons Online Learning Peer Tutoring: What Is It? Establishing an Adult Literacy Program, consider the community in framing your message, Counseling department, College of the Holy Cross, Peer Education in Adult Basic and Literacy Education, Center for Community Health and Development. Being a mentor is an amazing experience that comes with many benefits! For example, all students in the mathematics department can get up to 12 free hours of tutoring from a trained peer tutor who earned a high grade in the relevant class. Some of this can be provided by the supervisor, in the form of advice, encouragement, help dealing with problems, etc. Answering the question why do you want to be a mentor? doesnt have o be difficultso long as youre honest and articulate your reasons clearly. It is impossible to cram knowledge or thinking skill into someone's head. One consists essentially of the supervisor as watchdog, making sure that the staff member or volunteer does her job right, and follows the rules of the organization. That may mean Spanish-language radio, soccer clubs, churches, or particular community gathering places. This can range from an announcement from the pulpit by a clergyman to a recorded message on a videoloop in the local shopping mall. Peer education can be done in groups, either with one or more peer educators and several learners, or with a group of co-learners. Ask the student to teach the tutor. However, let us explore how it helps to enhance education. If your evaluation is going to be really useful, the combination of the information you choose to consider and the way you find it should reflect your goals for the program, your philosophy, and your mission. Personal outreach in the community and word-of-mouth. An orientation could be held at the very beginning of training, or even before a training is scheduled, to help people decide whether they really want to become tutors or not. The answer isnt always clear. "Growing minds, businesses and communities through innovative learning experiences. Successful programs are based on the assumption that the peer educator-learner relationship is a partnership, and that peer educators may become learners and vice-versa. Here, you will define your program's goals based on your students' needs. [Chorus] So we keep smokin' and we keep drinkin'. teaching is a job with a lot of variety. The community at large? Do you have a preferred environment when tutoring? While I would gain satisfaction from helping others, I would also learn from my mentees. While peer tutoring models vary in structure, research suggests that they are often most effective when a single department administers and evaluates an institutionalized program that aligns with the institutions values. Notifying learners and the program when the peer educator is unable to attend a scheduled session, Notifying the peer educator if the learner or program must cancel a scheduled meeting, Who's responsible for providing substitutes, if that's applicable, Expectations for peer educators' behavior and philosophical stance (the partnership of educator and learner issue, for instance), Gathering statistics from program records, Evaluation forms (usually check-off or multiple choice), Include feedback from peer educators, learners, and anyone else involved in the program, Include a mechanism for incorporating suggestions for improvement and working out solutions to problems, Well-thought-out and carefully conducted regular evaluations are a giant step toward keeping your program dynamic and effective, Community involvement in both the design and operation of the program, A clear sense of purpose and an understanding of the target population, A coordinating structure that assures the smooth running of the program, Recruitment of peer educators and learners that takes their cultures, needs, and issues into account, A well-thought-out peer education training process that reflects the philosophy, methods, and goals of the program, Ongoing supervision, support, and in-service training opportunities for peer educators, Personnel policies for volunteers and learners that are clear about expectations, rights, and obligations, A format and regular schedule for program evaluation and improvement. Even in a program run entirely by volunteers, there need to be personnel policies that cover as many as possible of the situations that might arise with and among peer educators, learners, and the program. People often become mentors for different reasons, whether giving back to the community, helping others reach their potential, or growing themselves professionally! By following the tips above, youre sure t ace this question in your next interview. For example, when I tutor math, it always excites me when a student shows me a new way of solving a problem I had never considered, allowing me to tweak my instruction for other students based on my newfound knowledge. A mechanism for peer educators to discuss problems. Some areas you might want to cover in orientation include: What the program is about. The feeling of shared experience and peer support -- as well as the understanding that others share the same difficulties with the work -- can be a tremendous resource for all concerned.
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