Written by Nicole Lehman
The following is a brief summary of Nicole’s Graduate Studies Capstone project, “Developing a Peer Tutoring Program for Minnesota Valley Lutheran High School.” There will be a link at the end of the article if you would like to read her entire paper.
The Problem
“I don’t get it.” “This is too hard.” “It doesn’t make sense.” “Can you help me with . . .?” How often do you hear these or some variety of these statements each week? How often do these questions come 30 seconds before class starts/ends or before you need to get to your extra-curricular? I think we can all agree that we love when our students ask for help and wish we had more time in our day to actually sit down and give them the help they need.
The Solution
Since we don’t have access to Hermione Granger’s Time-Turner necklace, which would give us more time to get stuff done, one solution to this problem is peer tutoring.
We all have students in our schools who excel in one or more subject areas and have the ability to explain/teach what they know to others. The problem is, we don’t always know who they are, and sometimes they themselves don’t realize that they have this gift.
The teachers at my school have always utilized study halls to try and match up a struggling student with a student who can tutor them. I have done this myself several times and seen the benefits for the struggling student in my class. I also saw this as an opportunity for growth at our school.
Instead of asking teachers to hunt down individuals to help, why not have a one-stop shop where teachers can find the information they need: students willing to be tutors, the subjects the students excel in, and the time periods they are free?
How It Works
In simplest terms, the peer tutoring program has students apply to be a tutor or a tutee. After filling out an application, they return it to the head of the program, who then uses it to pair tutors and tutees.
Students don’t need to fill out an application to be part of the program. Teachers and/or parents can recommend students as tutors or tutees if the students are not proactive in signing up. The application is especially beneficial when a teacher or parent wants to set their student up with a tutor, because they don’t have to go searching on their own to find one.
Once paired, students then meet at their decided-upon time(s) and work through homework, reviews, writing, or whatever they need to work through to be academically successful.
What you’ll find in the appendices to my project are several resources to help the program run smoothly. These resources include tutoring guidelines and tips as well as weekly tutoring goal sheets that give the pair focused tasks to work on.
You will also see the applications for both tutor and tutee and interview questions for before, during, and after the tutoring period. These interview questions were initially meant to collect data for my project, but they turned out to be a useful tool for checking in and making sure a tutoring pair was a correct fit. The feedback provided from these short interviews can help improve the program and ensure both students are getting the most from their experience.
The Results
In its trial run last year, I only had four students participate, but the feedback provided from all four showed that both the tutors and the tutees benefitted from the program. The tutees’ grades improved. One commented, “Not only has my grade improved, but so have my problem-solving skills.”
The tutors also saw benefits, growing deeper in their own understanding of the material as they explained it to their peers. Tutors also experienced the joy of the “light bulb” moment. One tutor commented, “It makes me very happy when she’s able to say ‘Wait, that makes so much sense now!’ after a session.”
An added bonus: new relationships were formed that may never had happened without this opportunity.
Is peer tutoring always going to be a success? Probably not. As with anything, it depends on the situation and the personalities, but that’s where flexibility—a willingness to learn and adapt—comes into play. This program is not going to guarantee a perfect fit for all students or improved academic success for all students, but it will provide students with the opportunity to make the most of their resources and their God-given gifts. They will help one another work toward success, which is really what we’re all after. I would consider that a win-win.
Nicole Lehman (MLC ’10, MS Ed-Special Education ’22) is currently serving at Minnesota Valley Lutheran High School-New Ulm MN.