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Review no.1: Peer Tutoring: A training and facilitation guide by Jesse Pirini

publisher: 
NZCER
Year published: 
2017

Review of Peer Tutoring: A training and facilitation guide by Cheryl Mitchell

As a teacher with 10+ years of experience I thought that Peer Tutoring was going to teach me to ‘suck eggs’. I was very wrong! This book of fewer than 100 pages will help anybody who needs to tutor, mentor or teach tutoring to others. Every chapter takes you on a journey of discovery, from the ideals of goal setting through to growth mindset and grit. There is a nice summary at the end of every section, an excellent chapter on the literature (for those interested in further reading) and, most importantly, all the resources to set up your tutoring system, including role play situations for training, are included in the back of the book.

I have already changed my own practice and no longer ‘help’ students set their goals. Just to clarify, that ‘help’ I once gave used to mean after a brief discussion I would set a student’s goals for them and, later, I would wonder why they didn’t achieve them. I now take the time to ensure students set their own goals, that they take ownership of them but also understanding that sometimes goals change, and that’s ok. I can already see a change in the relationship I have with the students I mentor, they are more positive, open and honest. 

The students are becoming more confident in themselves and understanding that they are in control.

This is the one stop book to help you establish a tutoring and mentoring system that will help you change your practice and the practice of other tutors. It should be sitting on the desk of every leader of tutoring programmes and available in every school teacher’s library.