A tutoring program for high school students can be an excellent way to motivate and reward participants in such a system. High school is the time when many students head down certain paths and so a tutoring system can help students choose which path they wish to take, and will help them have more success in whatever area they choose to focus on. Success in high school can lead to success at a post-secondary institution and better job choices later in life. Making a peer, academic tutoring system work, however, does require commitment from the people involved.
A tutoring program needs to be properly planned out in order for it to succeed in an environment like a high school. A lot of this planning should be done with the needs and interests of students in mind. Administrators and teachers will obviously want the school to pull together and for students to get high grade point averages, but it is unlikely that they’ll be able to force students into something they don’t want to do. If an interest in peer tutoring can be established from the beginning, then a system that has students providing English and math tutoring has a chance of succeeding.
The way peer tutoring programs usually work is through the pairing of students. Usually those in the top of the class, such as those getting A’s in certain subjects, will be assigned to work with students at the other end of the academic spectrum, such as those failing or struggling to maintain even C averages. Some schools have had great success by allowing the students to choose each other, and in some cases letting students advertise themselves as providing a tutoring service. Each school will need its own approach, and this can be determined again through proper research.
Payment is not always found in peer school tutoring programs, but it can provide positive results. Payment can be in the form of money, given to the student by the school, not the student being tutored; or it can be in the form of other types of rewards. This could be anything from cafeteria food to points that build up to be used in field trips. Without payment, these programs will only go so far. Maximum success will result from a financial investment made by the school.
A tutoring program that succeeds will result in an increase in school spirit and students who are much closer to each other. More measurable results will also be higher grade point averages across the board, a higher percentage of graduates going on to post-secondary institutions, and fewer dropouts. All of this success really depends on the efforts that both the students and the faculty are able to put into the program.
Beth Kaminski is the co-author of Curing Your Anxiety And Panic Attacks which detailed treating anxiety disorder as well as tips on the various anxiety disorder medications available at anxietydisordercure.com.
