Partners for Success: A Model for Tutoring Programs

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Partners for SuccessA Model for Tutoring
Programs
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Duke UniversityProgram in Education

• Trip Stallings
• Renee Haston
• David Malone
• Brett Jones

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The Problems

• Many capable children do not succeed on EOG
  tests.
• Teachers seldom have the time and resources to
  effectively work with tutors.
• Training of college student tutors is typically
  insufficient.
• College students do not connect theory (class
  concepts) to practice (tutoring sessions).

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Partners for Success
A Duke-Durham Schools Collaborative Initiative
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Goals of the Program

• Work with low-achieving 4th 5th graders to
  raise EOG scores in reading and math.
• Transform childrens attitudes about learning,
  school, and life.
• Create a reproducible research-based model.
• Provide a transformative service learning
  experience for college students.
• Close the gap between college and community.

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Organizational Chart
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Who do we work with?

• 4 Schools
• Over 20 Teachers
• Over 150 Duke Students
• Over 100 Elementary Students

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The Service Learning Experience

• Undergraduates tutor low-performing 4th and 5th
  grade students.
• 2 times a week for 1 hour for a total of 18
  sessions.
• Participate in ongoing reflection and training.
• Undergraduates connect academic course work to
  practical experience.

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Snapshot of the Children
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Features of the Model

• Genuine partnership between college and community
  
• Lessons created by educators expressly for tutors
  to use, based on EOGs and SCOS
• Tutor reflection and weekly feedback from peers,
  facilitators, and faculty
• Extensive, ongoing, and multi-dimensional
  training of tutors

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Benchmark

• Child Jeff Huffman
• EOG test from Grade 4 Level 2
• Benchmark for 1st quarter, Grade 5
• Obj. 2.7 1 of 4 25

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Focus on Achievement

• Teaching tutors to teach tutees

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As a tutor you need to

• Recognize that your childs mind is not an empty
  vessel to be filled, but an active meaning maker.
• Help your child link new knowledge to prior
  knowledge.

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As a tutor you need to

• Model thinking strategies and help your child
  learn how to learn. Show, dont tell.
• Engage in collaborative discourse ask your child
  to put thoughts in his/her own words.
• Attend to emotional/affective factors that act as
  cognitive filters and impact learning.

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Samples of Student Work

• Think, pair, share.
• Step 1 Analyze the childs work and write how it
  illustrates strategic thinking processes.
• Step 2 Share your written comments with a
  partner.
• Step 3 Whole group share.

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Focus on Self

• Teaching tutors how to motivate tutees and
  transform tutees attitudes about school and life

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Create an environment in which the tutee can
succeed.

• Consider the task difficulty (tutee's ability
  should match the challenge presented).
• Set goals that are attainable.
• Establish high expectations.
• Allow tutee to take risks (show that mistakes are
  part of the learning process).

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Focus on tutee's effort, not on her or his
ability.

• Attribute successes to increased effort
• Attribute failures to lack of effort as opposed
  to lack of ability.

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Focus on your interpersonal relationship with
your tutee.

• Show care, understanding, sympathy, and interest
  in tutee.
• Be willing to dedicate resources (be on time,
  come to all sessions, provide emotional support,
  be energetic).

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Results

• EOG Performance
• Observations from Tutors

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Data Tracking
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1999-2000 Growth
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Observations from Tutors

• As the EOG tests approach and my tutoring
  sessions come to an end, I can only wonder if
  Mayas scores will improve as a result of our
  work together. Unfortunately, I am not sure if I
  successfully taught the test during the past
  semester, and although this could have a negative
  effect on Maya in the short-run, I feel as if it
  will ultimately benefit her in the future.
  Looking back on the past few months, I realize
  that I have helped Maya to become a more
  confident and eager learner, which I believe has
  more beneficial long-term effects than simply
  teacher her how to take a standardized test.

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Observations from Tutors

• Devon may do no better on his EOGs than he did
  before I began to tutor him, but I have gauged
  his progress during our sessions and I have seen
  evidence of his becoming a stronger, more
  confident, and more motivated person.

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Observations from Tutors

• The most compelling evidence for her growth as a
  student would be the more active role she is
  taking in her education -- she now realizes there
  is some choice involved and that she is the one
  in control.
• Regardless of the result of any EOG test, I know
  that Lisa has grown tremendously during this
  semester, academically, socially, and
  personally.

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What are our tutors saying about their experience?

• Before the class, I was thinking of groups of
  children. Now I know the most important thing is
  focusing on one child.
• I have learned just as much from my tutee as she
  has from me.

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What makes PFS distinctive?

• Tailor-made collection of prepared lessons, tied
  to SCOS
• Ongoing training, including
• EOG and SCOS training
• Training that addresses issues of achievement and
  of self
• Reflection (individual and group)
• On-site, weekly feedback
• Strong association between course content and
  tutoring experience
• Emphasis on individualization of instruction

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Ways to Improve PFS

• Require more tutoring sessions (16 per semester)
• Limit tutoring to only one subject (reading or
  math)
• Identify other ways to measure tutee growth

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Conclusions

• It is possible to design a program that is
  win-win
• We can close the achievement gap by closing the
  gaps between
• colleges and communities
• theory and practice
• thought and action
• Together, we can close the achievement gap

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Questions Discussion