Group teaching strategies may serve as an effective means for mainstreaming mildly handicapped students. Such strategies, including cooperative learning, peer tutoring, and reciprocal teaching, can develop social skills, provide a framework for instruction, and link the special and general class. (Author/DB)

This review of the literature on peer, cross-aged, and reverse-role tutoring postulates that reverse-role tutoring is an effective intervention for use with students with learning disabilities. Critical components for a successful tutoring project include organization, planned activities, training for tutors, high behavioral expectations, and…

Developing coping skills for preventing substance abuse and promoting interaction and role modeling among older and younger children were the goals of the P.I.E.D. (People Involved in Education about Drugs) Pipers project. Nurses taught content to student trainees who presented information to peers and younger children. (SK)

Presents a new approach to spelling instruction, "cued spelling," that gives children greater control over their own learning. Describes the procedure designed for two individuals working together, whether parent and child or two children. (SR)

The five-phase students-as-teachers model has advantages (increased empathy for student teachers, recognition of effective techniques, careful listening and attentiveness) and disadvantages (uneven preparation of material, the delicate role of the instructor). (SK)

Describes evolution of peer support groups in one high school formed in response to the suicide by one of the school's students. Explains role and responsibilities of peer coordinator and the development of the peer tutoring program. Included are discussions of selection and training of peer facilitators, topics, getting started, and group bonding…

An alternative model of AIDS prevention for women, now being tested in Botswana, uses peer education/support groups coordinated by a nurse. The groups focus on counseling, referral to health services, and support for lasting behavioral changes that prevent transmission. (SK)

A well-planned formal mentor program established for continuous peer support is the ideal system for both tenured and untenured faculty. A Pennsylvania program has six full-time mentors to help teachers during and after school. The program is rooted in the concepts and practices of peer coaching, counseling, and support. Mentors' qualifications,…

Investigated effects of structured peer tutoring program on social acceptance of students. Paired third and fourth graders perceived as not socially accepted with students rated as well liked. Both served as tutors and tutees. Findings were significant for type of student (liked, disliked). Findings suggest that, regardless of role (tutor or…

A well-designed peer or cross-age teaching program can significantly improve academic achievement and interpersonal growth among middle-level students. Effective peer programs are the result of systematic planning, training, supervision, and evaluation. When planning peer-helping program, administrators must consider need, philosophy, design, and…

Discusses different ways authority is defined and understood both in the classroom and in the various programs designed to improve student writing. Argues that bringing tutors into the classroom forces teachers to reanalyze their thinking about authority through their interactions with students. (SR)

Reports results of a year-long reflective coaching project involving a school district and a university. The project involved workshops on instructional techniques and peer coaching skills and 10 coaching cycles pairing a doctoral student coach and a teacher preparing to become a peer coach the following year. The program positively influenced…

The use of reinforcing strategies can help to ensure that homework for students with disabilities is a meaningful learning experience. This article describes peer-assisted homework strategies, the role of home computers in homework, enhancing self-concept, the role of authority figures, the role of teacher education programs, and monitoring…

Peer training in the workplace can be effective if it is structured; if trainers are carefully chosen, trained, and rewarded; and if transfer of training is supported. Peer training has the advantages of credibility, speed, and cost savings. (SK)

This review concludes that peer tutoring is a very powerful intervention for special education because it increases students' opportunities to respond, reduces teacher-pupil ratio, individualizes instruction, improves students' social skills, and increases students' academic achievement as well as aiding in the integration of disabled students…