Trained volunteers tutored youth and adults who were reading below fifth grade level. Pre- and posttest measures of reading, verbal language, listening comprehension, and locus of control were taken. Experimental subjects, but not controls, made significant gains in general reading and discrete reading subskills. Trained volunteers can ameliorate…

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)

Discusses various ways microcomputers can increase the efficiency of classroom instruction and learning, including, among others, reducing administrative/clerical tasks and conducting drill/tutoring sessions for students. (DC)

Provides resources for teachers who wish to establish programs of peer or cross-age tutoring. (FL)

Describes the Senior Adult Volunteer Program of the Howard County, Maryland, public school system, which brings older adults and middle school students together in a tutoring situation. Reports that the program has produced student gains in both the cognitive and affective domains. (FL)

Describes the Student Learning Center at the University of Missouri, Kansas City, which identifies and provides support services for high-risk courses, rather than high-risk students. Presents an evaluative research study of the supplemental instruction provided to an American history class and the effects of students' achievement and persistence.…

Results of a Canadian study show that students with mild to medium reading disabilities benefited from tutorial remediation and continued to make normal progress the next nine months. (Author/RL)

From tape recordings of 30 tutorial sessions at the Open University it is concluded that the teacher's role is less than the ideal of facilitator of learning; there is great pressure from students for the teacher to instruct rather than discuss the course material. (MSE)

Experiences of small group tutorials in biology courses with the leader acting as participant rather than leader are summarized showing that the material used must stimulate discussion and be at the correct level for the group. Other significant factors include skills of the tutor, physical surroundings, and student preparation. (JMF)

Experience with a year-long tutorial for minority medical students suggests that cognitive problems of students having academic difficulty may not be resolvable without dealing with affective considerations. Recommendations are given for dealing with affective issues. (Editor/LBH)

Peer coaching was evaluated with 22 preservice special education teachers (PTs) who designed and implemented skills-remediation lessons for children. Data from 132 observations and three case studies indicated the PTs improved their interrater reliability and teaching skills as measured by the Scale for Coaching Instructional Effectiveness (SCIE).…

The effects of three grouping formats (1:1 [one teacher with one student], 1:3, and 1:10) on outcomes for second grade struggling readers was studied. All students received the same reading intervention for the same number of sessions and made significant gains. Both 1:1 and 1:3 were highly effective intervention group sizes but 1:1 was not…

This study evaluated the adaptation of individual reading tutorial methods to small-group instruction with 24 low-achieving readers in Grades 2 and 3. Students were instructed in phonemic awareness, phonetic decoding, high-frequency sight words, application of word identification strategies, and rereading of familiar text. Results support use of…

The Center for Distance Education at the University of Oldenburg began offering online tutorials with mentors in the 1990s. Virtual study centers using Lotus Learning Space as the online learning management system were created in 1999. Appropriate technical support, technology training, and preparation of mentors to be online teachers were…