Peer Tutoring and Response Groups

Peer Tutoring and Response Groups aims to improve the language and achievement of English language learners by pairing or grouping students to work on a task. The students may be grouped by age or ability (English-only, bilingual, or limited English proficient) or the groups may be mixed. Peer tutoring typically consists of two students assuming the roles of tutor and tutee, or coach and player roles. Peer response groups give four or five students shared responsibility for a task, such as editing a passage or reading and answering comprehension questions. Both peer tutoring pairs and peer response groups emphasize peer interaction and discussion to complete a task. Before implementing peer tutoring groups, students are trained to interact as tutor and tutee or to work in small groups. Specific instruction on tutoring procedures or how to assume individual roles in a group is required before implementing the routine use of this practice.