Peer tutoring has a long historical precedent in western civilization. Since its reemergence in the United States during the 1960s, it has been used for every age group, subject matter, and level of intelligence. Numerous research studies have shown the benefits of peer tutoring, its efficacy in the college writing center has caught the attention…

This paper presents a brief overview of research relevant to early childhood education, reviews some recent intervention programs for preschool and kindergarten children, and investigates the need for policymakers to establish programs based on research findings. Particular attention is given to an intervention research study conducted with…

Describes a tutoring practicum that is an integral part of a content area reading course, focusing on tasks for building the capabilities needed in tutoring and techniques for ensuring that those capabilities are used. Cites formal and informal evidence of the practicum's effectiveness. (FL)

Private tutoring is a phenomenon that has escaped the attention of researchers, educational planners, and decision makers. Very little is known about its scope, scale, and effects on pupils' achievement and equality of opportunities. Because of its size in a number of countries, and due to it nature--that of a private service oriented at improving…

Reviews research results and arguments supporting Keller's Personalized System of Instruction (PSI) as a paradigm for distance learning, describes a project at Athabasca University which compared various PSI configurations for distance learning, and discusses the advantages, disadvantages, and flexibility of PSI for such use. Nineteen references…

Reflective tutorials used in supervising nursing student teachers raised several questions: What is the link between reflection and quality of practice? Can tutorials be used for assessment as well as personal development? Is reflection dependent on context? and How do the roles of supervisors and students change? (SK)

Everyman's University (EU) in Israel acts as a social safety valve by providing an avenue for education to students who are unable to attend conventional universities; however, the heterogeneity of EU's student population creates many problems for course developers and coordinators. Differing from other Israeli universities, EU operates by…

Providing a complex representation of a beginning writing tutor's role, this monograph, written as a journal, was drawn from a tutor's own perceptions and those of her students. While refinement of composition skills frames the entire narrative, the day-by-day record of the tutor's first quarter also emphasizes such skills as goal setting,…

Describes generic problem-solving model constructed by D. Koberg and J. Bagnall that can be used by writing center tutors and that progresses as follows: (1) accept situation, (2) analyze, (3) define, (4) ideate, (5) select, (6) implement, (7) evaluate. Provides tutors with coherent framework and with way of breaking larger framework down into…

Describes tutoring models and compares instructional strategies classified as organizational, delivery, and management strategies, in those models that have been found effective: Literacy Volunteers, Laubach Literacy, Structured Tutoring, Programmed Tutoring, Peer-Mediated Instruction, and the Audio-Tutorial System. Tutoring cost-effectiveness and…

Examines reasons for community colleges' return to mandatory testing and placement in courses/programs where students have a reasonable expectation of success. Looks at the use and success of other retention strategies, including orientation programs, tutors, and integrated support services. (DMM)

As a result of the America Reads Challenge Act of 1997, numerous tutoring programs have been established to help ensure that every child reads independently by the end of third grade. This book describes exemplary America Reads programs across the country as well as other effective early literacy interventions, including Reading Recovery, the…

Argues that while the writing laboratory cannot solve all problems inherent in teaching writing, it is a rich resource for both student and instructor. (MM)

Argues for the academic performance and retention benefits of Supplemental Instruction (SI). Among other things, SI increases retention, increases final course grade averages, increases overall GPAs, improves thinking and study skills, and increases graduation rates. Compares a list of Chickering's 7 Principles to the practices of SI programs.…

Critics of student writing in British lecture courses as "mere rehash of lecture notes" are reminded that (1) by its nature, the lecture course focuses on and is limited to information conveyed in lectures, and (2) professors refuse to use materials such as U.S. textbooks that could supplement the information conveyed in class. (MSE)