PEER TUTOR RESOURCES

In 2019 AVID updated the definition and approach to tutors to allow districts greater flexibility in hiring tutors while continuing to host smaller, more effective tutorial groups. The updated definition of an AVID tutor is:

AVID tutors are trained in the AVID tutorial process, support students’ WICOR skill development, and serve as a role model for AVID Elective students.

Options for AVID tutors include:

• Current college students

• Cross-aged students or adults

• Peers from the same grade level including, but not limited to, students in the same AVID Elective class

Peer tutors differ from other types of tutors. Other types of tutors are defined in the following ways:

• College tutors – Current college/university students who have undergone AVID tutor training and who tutor in the AVID Elective/Excel classroom.

• Cross-aged tutors – Older secondary students from a different grade level who are not enrolled in the AVID Elective/Excel section in which they are serving as a tutor and who have undergone AVID tutor training. They may not necessarily be enrolled in the AVID elective (ex: Non-AVID students volunteering as cross-age tutors in a lower grade). 

• Adult tutors – Individuals other than college or cross-aged tutors who have undergone AVID tutor training and who tutor in the AVID Elective/Excel classroom.

Students from the AVID Elective class or the same grade level can serve as AVID peer tutors. When selecting peer tutors, be sure to consider the maturity, academic competence, and willingness of the student. Has the student already proven to be a particularly worthy candidate to take on a leadership role based on their effort, abilities, and success in content-area course work? Are they willing to take on the role of peer tutor? Peer tutors can come from a diverse set of students. There is no one “right way” to select peer tutors. Consider the resource below to help you determine who might be a peer tutor in your classroom.

There are several possible ways to train peer tutors. Some options include:

• In-Class Peer Tutor Training – Implement AVID tutorial training with the entire class throughout the school year, modifying Weeks at a Glance lessons as needed. This method assumes that, at any point in the year, students should be able to step into every role in the tutorial process:  Tutor, Student Presenter, and Group Member. 

• Peer Tutor Training Parts 1 and 2 – These two Google Slide Shows designed to complement In-Class Peer Tutor Training and assume that students have working knowledge of the AVID 10-Step Tutorial Process. Part 1 is for full class instruction, while Part 2 is self-paced and meant only for the students who will act as peer tutors. This training is also suitable for AVID students who wish to serve as cross-aged tutors in another AVID class.

• District-Provided Tutor Training – Ask peer tutors to participate in whatever district-level provided tutor training is already in place. By participating in a district-level training, peer tutors would learn AVID tutorial methods alongside college tutors or other tutors in the district. Many AVID districts already support tutor training at the district level and have processes in place that can also support peer tutor training.

Just as with current college students, cross-aged, and adult tutors, peer tutors require coaching as the tutorials progress throughout the year. It is imperative that the AVID Elective teacher is actively monitoring and supporting each peer tutor throughout the entire tutorial session.

There are several options to assess peer tutors:

• Completing the TRF process.

• In lieu of tutorial focused notes and a reflection summary, a peer tutor could complete the Peer Tutor Responsibilities Chart as the reflection of their performance as a peer tutor.

It is highly recommended that peer tutors NOT grade their peers. They can provide feedback to the AVID

Elective teacher via the following form:

• Group Member Participation Tracking Sheet 

However, if the teacher feels it suitable for peer or cross-aged tutors to grade others, there is an optional section of Peer Tutor Training Part 2 that reviews the assessment of the TRF for tutors. This is only recommended for high school students, not middle school students.

Merit

Consider the merit of the Peer Tutor candidate. Has the student already proven to be particularly worthy to take on a leadership role based on their effort, abilities, and success in content-area coursework? Has the student earned this role by proving their capabilities in other ways?

Role Model

Consider the potential for the Peer Tutor candidate to be a role model for other students. Are there traits in this particular student you would like to see modeled for other students? Will this student be a good role model for others? Can this student serve as a role model for the particular Tutorial Focus Area which we are developing?

Maturity

Consider the maturity of the potential Peer Tutor candidate. Have you observed a pattern of maturity in the student’s behavior that would lead you to believe they would be a capable Peer Tutor?

Behavior

Think about the behavior of the Peer Tutor candidate. Is the student regularly well-behaved?

Academic Competence

Consider evidence of the Peer Tutor candidate’s academic competence. Is this a student who regularly does well in core content courses? Is the student competent enough in the core academic areas to lead a tutorial group?

Willingness

Consider whether or not the Peer Tutor candidate is even willing to take on the role of Peer Tutor. Although some students might possess many of the above traits, it might be difficult for them to act as a Peer Tutor if they are not willing to participate in that capacity. Have you discussed this with the student and received an indication that they are willing to participate?

There is no one “right way” to select Peer Tutors. Across our AVID sites, many successful methods have been used. Here are some common considerations we see at sites who have consistently used the Peer Tutor model.

Frequency/Duration

Before selecting Peer Tutors, you may want to consider how often you will be selecting Peer Tutors and how long they will serve in that role. Will the student act as a Peer Tutor for the class period or for the whole semester? This determination will depend on each individual site’s needs.

Volunteer

One method many sites use is to simply have students volunteer as Peer Tutors. Sometimes students may not need as much help as others, making it a prime opportunity to take on the Peer Tutor role over a Group Member or Student Presenter role. Often, once tutorial groups are created, the teacher will simply ask one student to volunteer as a Peer Tutor. Or, the volunteer can stay on as a Peer Tutor for a longer duration if it is deemed appropriate by the teacher.

Teacher Selected

Another commonly used method is for teachers to consider the traits they would like in a Peer Tutor and select students within the class who are willing to take on the Peer Tutor role. Frequency/duration considerations should be made in this case since Peer Tutors often will miss out on being Student Presenters and Group Members. Consider putting systems in place should there be a time when the Peer Tutor needs to step out of that role and become a Student Presenter for the day instead of acting as a tutor.

Random Selection

Random selection methods are also  commonly observed when selecting Peer Tutors. In these cases, students show up to tutorial sessions and are randomly selected to be tutors for the day. Perhaps their TRF is randomly drawn before tutorials begin or another method for random selection takes place. This method could be useful if you want all students to eventually have the practice of taking on the role of Peer Tutor.