Negative Effects of Peer Tutoring

Negative Effects of Peer TutoringFor most of us, peer tutoring is a good way to improve the grades in our school. Whether it's helping children with their spelling, math or the arts, it's an effective way to help them get a head start on their educational career. It also provides an opportunity for parents to see what students in their class are doing well and to see if they can take some steps themselves to help improve their own students' skills.There are many positive aspects to peer tutoring. Often, it will be the first time that the parents of the students that their child is helping learn are able to see how well their child is learning at home. If parents see their child excelling in their own class, and if the teachers that they interact with are also showing good results, it's a great feeling for parents to know that their own efforts are starting to pay off.Unfortunately, one of the major negatives to this type of learning is that there are many students who are more focuse d on their self-esteem than their academic abilities. They often won't get ahead in their classroom unless they can prove themselves to be an excellent student, as opposed to merely succeeding where other students have failed. Many times, this comes across as a personal attack by the teacher or administrator against the student.Fortunately, there are ways to counteract some of the negative aspects of peer tutoring. Parents can try to provide examples of their own successes in the classroom, to show the students how far their own self-esteem has come. They can do this by comparing themselves to examples in the student's own class, and by complimenting their students for the quality of work that they produce.Other parents can make their classroom a friendly and welcoming place for the students to hang out, giving the students a chance to express themselves and earn the parent's attention. They can become especially gracious toward the students who may be struggling with English gramma r or comprehension, and ask the teacher to work with the student to work up their confidence. They can encourage the students to turn in their homework early, so that they'll be able to practice what they've learned, and they can let the students know that they appreciate the effort that they're putting into the class.Parents should also be sure to follow the teachers' directions about the activities that will be assigned to their children. The teachers need to know when the students will be permitted to use their own laptops or not, and they need to be sure that their students aren't allowed to sneak off and do homework outside of the classroom. Teachers will be watching for any attempts by students to circumvent the rules, and they may get upset with the students.Another issue that parents need to be aware of is that their children may be less motivated to work if their teacher is interfering with their concentration or they sense that the teacher doesn't really care about the stu dent. Many parents will tell their child, 'You just have to study hard,' but the truth is that it takes a certain amount of mental preparation to focus on a subject in the classroom. If that preparation is hindered, it may cause problems that the student may never be able to fix on their own.In spite of the negatives to peer tutoring, there are many positive effects to the positive effects of it. It can actually be an avenue for parents to support their children's academic achievements, and it can offer the opportunity for students to gain insight from seeing how the learning process is unfolding in their class.