Tiwari, M.

/ Educationia Confab ISSN: 2320-009X

Peer Tutoring: A Step Forward Towards Inclusion

Megha Tiwari

Special Education Teacher, Govt. Of Nct, New Delhi

Abstract
Peer tutoring is a Instructional approach where pupils learn together, usually in pairs. There are different
types of peer tutoring: the pairs can be matched by ability or be of different ages/ abilities, depending on
the approach used. Peer tutoring has been applied to different curricular areas; the most common is paired
reading. However, there are also structured interventions for cued spelling and paired writing, thinking,
problem solving, ICT and science.
Key Words: Children with Special Needs, Inclusive Education, Peer Tutoring

Inclusive Education denotes that all children irrespective of their

strengths and weaknesses will be part of the mainstream education. The feeling
of belongingness among all community members – teachers, students and
other functionaries is developed through inclusive education. Inclusive
education is for all, irrespective of any social community, caste, class, gender
and (dis-) ability of the child.
Children with disabilities who experience difficulties in learning are often
marginalized and moreover excluded from the school system. This is in spite of
the fact that there have been number of attempts to create awareness about
inclusion through many of the major governmental programmes.
If children with special needs are included in an ordinary class, it is the
responsibility of the teacher to ensure that all children have access to the
curriculum. To make the curriculum accessible to Children with Special Needs,
teacher can either modify the material or adapt the strategy. Either
individualization of instruction will have to be done or the strategy may have to
be adopted so that all children are taught at their level.
There are a number of teaching strategies, which can employ or choose
to teach particular task depends on the teacher’s discretion, the degree of
learning and characteristics of the learner (Myreddi, Narayanan, Manogna,
Sumalini, Arati & Padma, 2007). Peer tutoring is one of the accepted strongly
research-based, and increasingly popular, teaching technique that has positive
impact on both mainstream and Learning Disabled students.

Peer Tutoring
The concept of student teaching student is not a new concept and had
been happening throughout the history. Aristotle is said to have used student
leaders, known as “archons” to help him. Roman used Peer tutors, they used
older pupils to teach and test younger students. In the 1500’s Strun and
Trotzentdorf used Peer tutors, Trotzendorf wrote that he taught the older pupils
who then taught to younger ones because it was too expensive to employ more
teachers. It is evident that Peer tutoring is not a new concept; many teachers in
different times and places have used some on other form of peer tutoring.

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Peer tutoring in its simplest form involves a student helping another

student learn a skill or task (Franca, Kerr, Reitz, & Lambert, 1990). The word
“Peer tutoring” as explained “peer” means somebody who is equal to another
person or to other people in some respect such as age, class, level. “Tutor”
means teacher who teaches an individual student or a small group of students.
Peer tutoring is defined as “an educational practice in which a student interact
other student to attain educational goal” (Lisi, 1999). Damon and Phelp (1989)
stated that “Peer Tutoring is an approach in which one student/child instructs
another child in material on which the first is expert and second is novice”.
Peer tutoring is an instructional strategy that consists of pairing
students together to learn or practice an academic task. The pairs of students
can be of the same or differing ability and/or age range. Peer tutoring allows
teachers to accommodate a classroom of diverse learners including students
with learning disabilities. This instructional strategy increases response
opportunities for students, provides additional time for positive feedback, and
increases the amount of time a student is on-task (Maheady, 2001). Regardless
of achievement level, content area, or classroom arrangement, peer tutoring
demonstrates effectiveness in facilitating progress in the general education
curriculum (Cohen, Kulik & Kulik, 1982; Cook, Scruggs, Mastropieri, & Casto,
1985; Johnson, Maruyama, Nelson & Skon, 1981).
As the practice of the student teaching other student has a rich history
dating back thousands of years (Topping, 1998; Wagner, 1990). However, the
first systematic use of peer tutoring is attributed to Andrew Bell (Goodlad &
Hirst, 1989). Bell used monitors to teach the children at Military Male Asylum
at Egmore. While he had been experimenting on the use of the sand tray to
teach children alphabets, he perceived that the use of children to teach other
children was an educational discovery than that tray of sand. He attached an
assistant teacher to every class. Bell found that the tutoring program is not
only beneficial to the tutees but provided the tutors with various benefits.
Following the path of Andrew Bell’s experiment, Joseph Lancester utilized peer
tutoring to provide education to the economically poor children in London.
Lancester used his monitors to teach reading, writing and elementary
arithmetic. He discovered that both pupils and teacher are benefitted from this
approach. Following Bell’s and Lancester, in 1970’s research into the case of
peer tutoring became intense (Topping, 1988). It has emerged as economical
method to teach a large number of students and after a number of
experiments, for providing an effective and systematic individualized
instruction to the Students with Intellectual Disability.

Benefits Of Peer Tutoring

Currently, there is sufficient research that documents the benefits of peer
tutoring as a supplement to traditional instruction. Peer tutoring has been
used across academic subjects, and has been found to result in improvement
in academic achievement for a diversity of learners within a wide range of
content areas. Common components of peer tutoring programs facilitate both

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cognitive and social gains in both higher-performing mentors and low-

performing mentees in an individualized and positive way.
Students receive more time for individualized learning.
Direct interaction between students promotes active learning.
Peer teachers reinforce their own learning by instructing others.
Students feel more comfortable and open when interacting with a peer.
Peers and students share a similar discourse, allowing for greater
understanding.
Peer teaching is a financially efficient alternative to hiring more staff
members.
Teachers receive more time to focus on the next lesson.

Tutors

Tutees

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Types of Peer Tutoring

Peer tutoring is an instructional method that clearly has positive
outcomes. Ryan, Rein and Epstein (2004) and Miller, Barbetta and Heron
(1994) have summarized most widely used format of Peer Tutoring:
i) Class wide Peer Tutoring:
In this format, entire class participates simultaneously in tutoring dyads.
During each training session students can participate as both peer tutor and
tutee, or they can participate as only the tutor and the tutee. It can be used to
teach skills across a wide range of subject areas, ability and age levels. Kohl
(1984 b) conducted a study in which they have provided intensive training
program to fifth and sixth graders to be trainers of the severely handicap. They
found that fifth and sixth graders are proved to be effective instructional
trainer as the tutees had shown improvement in the performance. Again, Kohl
(1985) conducted a study in which they trained third and fourth graders to
teach cafeteria skills to person with severe disabilities. They observed that both
programs were successful and peer trainers were effective and efficient in
giving instructions but when they compared fifth grade and third grade/ fourth
grade students as tutors, they found that older students reported to be more
effective and efficient, as third graders (younger students) were easily
distractible, need supervision of the staff and less responsible. On the other
hand, fifth graders were punctual they require minimum supervision of the
staff.
ii) Peer Assisted learning strategies (PALS):
This is a version of Class Wide Peer Tutoring (CWPT), where teacher
identify children who require help on specific skills and the most appropriate
student to help them on those skills. Pairs are changed regularly and over time
as the students work on a variety of skills. All students have opportunity to be
“coaches” and “players”.In elementary grades, children’s reading competence
can improve when they work collaboratively on structured learning activities.
Student collaboration enhances success because the interaction can
strengthen academic and social achievement (Fuchs, et al., 2002).
iii) Reciprocal Peer Tutoring (RPT):
Reciprocal Peer Tutoring is an instructional strategy in which students
alternate between the role of tutor and tutee. Reciprocal Peer Tutoring has a
structured format where “student prompt, teach and monitor, evaluate and
encourage each other” (Fantuzzo, King & Heller, 1992). Students are part of the
educational process and are able to prepare instructional materials and receive
feedback from the peers. Cross Age Tutoring results in “basic academic skills,
developing social behavior and discipline, and enhancing peers relationships”.
(Greenwood, Carta & hall, 1988).
iv) Same Age Peer tutoring:
Peer tutoring is an instructional strategy that consists of student
partnerships or arrangements of same age pupils into interacting pairs. Same
Age Peer Tutoring involves tutors and tutees from the same class, they will be
of same age. Tutoring by sixth graders resulted in significant increments on the
language readiness performance of kindergarten students (Frager & Stern,

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1970). Fifth graders effectively tutored kindergarten children in basic

arithmetic skills (Johnson & Balley, 1974).
v) Cross age peer tutoring: -
In Cross Age Peer Tutoring the older students are matched with
younger students to deliver instructions. Cross age Peer Tutoring is a teaching
learning process in which older students are provided opportunities to use and
extend their own knowledge and help younger students who are facing/
experiencing learning problems. The older students serves as an expert in the
selected content/ skill area and knowledge acquisition through a structured
tutoring program that provides a focus of control in the tutoring dyads
(Osguthorpe & Scrugges, 1986). The older student serves as supervised
instructors for the younger children (Lippett & Lohman, 1965). Reviewing the
literature, Cross age Peer Tutoring was considered as effective methods in
teaching various tasks. Cloward (1967) demonstrated that tutoring provided by
tenth and eleventh grade students was effective in increasing the reading
performance of fourth and fifth graders. Whalen & Henker (1969) trained older
students with moderate retardation to teach verbal and non verbal imitation
skills to younger severely handicapped student resulted into positive
performance. Cross Age Tutoring can enhance self esteem among all the
students who provide individualized instruction to tutees and results in a more
cooperative classroom and improved school atmosphere (Gaustad, 1993;
Gerber & Kaufman, 1981; Kalkowski, 1995; Schrader & Valus, 1990; Topping,
1998; Utley & Mortweet, 1997).

Procedure of Peer Tutoring

Orient students about Peer Tutoring Programme.
Create a comfortable atmosphere and establish rapport.
Select the peer tutors who are interested and sensitive students.
Design activity and training programme.
Start Peer tutor training programme.
Develop special modules, worksheets and recording booklet for students.
You can summarize activity for tutors in a piece of paper and give it to
them. According to the activity you can provide with different resources
and modules.
Train tutors to Record Performance of tutees in simpler way.

Peer Tutoring
TIPS on designing, developing and implementing peer tutoring activities

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Good Planning
Successful introduction of peer tutoring in class requires detailed planning, careful
monitoring and continuous provision of support to the young tutors. Research evidence
indicate that good and detailed planning contributes the most for the benefit of the students
while enhancing tutors’ self esteem and creating a good creative climate in the class
Careful selection of tutors
One of the most sensitive parameters for successful peer tutoring is the selection of the best
tutors among the members of the group. Age and academic performance are two of the
criteria used for selecting students. Engage older and good students of a group as tutors and
capitalize on their cognitive and intellectual maturity on tutoring others. Important
parameters on tutor selection are the sociability and personality of the potential tutors as
well.
Detailed design of tutoring activities
Design activities that will allow peer tutors to actually support their tutees. Based on your
personal judgement choose different tutors on different subjects or activities. Select tutors
that you think they could manage with the tutoring group activity best. Give them in detail
instructions on how to perform the activities and how to handle their tutees. Prepare material
if necessary that will help the children to manage with the activity. Try to utilise the
resources that your multigrade class has to design multidimensional activities that will
benefit both young tutors and their tutees.
Ongoing supervision and support for tutors
It is very crucial not to leave the young peer tutors completely on their own to deal with their
teammates. You should share your teaching time among the groups according to the lesson
needs and try to guide the tutors on their work. Give them advice on how to manage tutees
and try to prevent any misbehaviour phenomena by supervising the young tutors.
Demonstration of Skills or Task to be Taught
Teacher should display the activity or task selected for tutor to be taught.
Assess Readiness of peer tutors
Design activities that are going to require different levels of involvement by the students.
Such activities will allow for the student tutors to learn as well by engaging themselves in
productive work. Assess their skills repeatedly after each training session.
Keep record of the students’ activities
Try to record the activities of each student group and the overall progress of the teams. In
addition try to record any distinctive characteristics of effective or ineffective tutoring
behaviour. This will help you understand better the ways that children cooperate together
and will provide you input on how to support better peer tutoring in you class.
Discuss with peer tutors
Initiate a discussion with young tutors before and after the lesson. Before the activities you
should encourage them on their tasks and remark the importance of their work for their
teammates. Give them advice on proper behaviour to handle their tutees and try to show
them verbally examples on how to instruct others. After the lesson discuss again with your
tutors and try to record any positive or negative aspects of the procedure. Encourage your
tutors again by thanking them for their work and try inspiring them for continuing tutoring
activities at the future.
Discuss with tutees
You should talk with young tutees before and after the lesson as well. They to set away any
possible fears they might have with working with other children. Explain them that they are
going to assist by friends and of course ask their opinion on the lesson afterwards. Record
their input and try to take it into account next time.

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Take feedback time to time and explain activities to tutors.

Give Positive Reinforcement to tutors and ask them to do the same to
motivate trainees or tutees.
Train and Give Autonomy to tutors to fade support after few sessions of
tutoring programme.

Conclusion
Peer tutoring allows teachers to accommodate a classroom of diverse
learners including students with learning disabilities. This instructional
strategy increases response opportunities for students, provides additional time
for positive feedback, and increases the amount of time a student is on-task
(Maheady, 2001). Regardless of achievement level, content area, or classroom
arrangement, peer tutoring demonstrates effectiveness in facilitating progress
in the general education curriculum (Cohen, Kulik & Kulik, 1982; Cook,
Scruggs, Mastropieri, & Casto, 1985;Johnson, Maruyama, Nelson & Skon,
1981). It can be a resource for teacher working in inclusive set up to train and
give individualized support to children with special need. tHey can train Peer
Tutors or Buddies to give support to special child in response their will be a
feeling of love and belongingness, Sensitivity for each other and foremost they
learn to help each other in order.
It can be concluded that Peer Tutoring is an effective strategy to teach
varied skills to persons with and without Special Needs.
“Teaching Peers is one of the best ways to develop mastery”
-Jeff Atwoo
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