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Building Bridges Closes Gaps. Tutoring At-Risk Students. A Model Incorporating Service Learning and Individualized Intervention. The Problems. Some children are not able to demonstrate their true abilities on EOG tests.
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Tutoring At-Risk Students A Model Incorporating Service Learning and Individualized Intervention
The Problems • Some children are not able to demonstrate their true abilities 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).
Partners for Success A Duke-Durham Schools Collaborative Initiative
Goals of the Program • Work with low-achieving 4th & 5th graders to raise EOG scores in reading and math. • Transform children’s 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.
Who do we work with? 4 Schools Over 20 Teachers Over 150 Duke Students Over 100 Elementary Students
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
Amy’s Reflection Journal • Read this page from Amy’s journal. • With a partner, identify three issues you see this tutor wrestling with. • Together, pick one of these issues that you think this tutor might need help with.
Focus on Self Teaching tutors how to motivate tutees and transform tutees’ attitudes about school and life
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).
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.
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).
Focus on Achievement Teaching tutors to teach tutees
As a tutor you need to: • Recognize that your child’s mind is not an empty vessel to be filled, but an active meaning maker. • Help your child link new knowledge to prior knowledge.
As a tutor you need to: • Model thinking strategies and help your child learn how to learn. Show, don’t 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.
Data & Results from School A First Year1998-1999 • Descriptive Statistics • EOG Performance • EOG Results Vs. School Expected Growth • Anecdotal Evidence of Success
Anecdotal Evidence of Success • “I found that each child has the desire to learn.” (Fall 1999 tutor) • “He sees that learning can be relevant to life as we talk about the applications of multiplication tables and area and perimeter calculations.” (Spring 2000 tutor) • “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.” (Spring 2000 tutor)
What are our tutors saying about the 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.”
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
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
We would like to thank: • John Burness, Teresa Daye, Michael Palmer, and the staff of Duke’s Office of Community Affairs • David Holdzkom of the Durham Public Schools • Principals and staff of our four partner schools • Professor Jan Riggsbee and the staff of the Duke Program in Education • The Duke Endowment