Raising Standards in Reading
What is it?
A range of approaches in which learners work in pairs or small groups to provide each other with explicit teaching support.
In cross-age tutoring an older learner takes the tutoring role and is paired with a younger tutee or tutees. Peer-Assisted Learning is a structured approach for reading with sessions of 25-35 minutes two or three times a week.
High impact = +6 months!
A study of cross-age peer tutoring showed that the lowest attaining pairs actually made most progress, and a two-year gap seems to support both tutee and tutor learning. One way of matching pupils across classes is to match the highest attaining pupil in the older class with the highest attaining child in the younger class through to the lowest attaining pupil in the older class
being matched with the lowest attaining pupil in the younger class (making adjustments if necessary – teachers to have this discussion about the best pairings before the intervention starts). This enables the adults to focus support on lower attaining pairs.
What do the children do?
Children choose a story to read together. The tutor supports this reading (listens to the tutee read/reads sections of the text to the tutee/shared reading between the tutor and tutee) and asks questions to assess understanding. There is lots of talking about the text during the session. Adults to circulate and facilitate discussions, extend thinking etc.
Our peer tutoring sessions
After last year’s success, where some children made 6 points progress in reading, the peer mentoring programme is back for 2014/15! All KS1 and KS2 classes are involved (including more than 150 specially selected readers) and the sessions take part on Tuesdays and Thursdays 8.45-9.10am.
Sessions have now started and take place twice a week for a 10 week period. Sessions last 25 minutes during our dedicated morning reading time. The Literacy co-ordinator will then assess the impact of the intervention and make any necessary amendments after this trial run.