TEACHER OF THE MONTH: INTERVIEW WITH MS. Heine
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Interviewee: Mary Zhuang
Q: Could you please introduce Peer Tutoring (e.g. when was it founded at UHill, who are the Peer students, what specific activities are Peer Tutors involved in during class time, what is the overall goal of this program)? This is a course where there is a two-way learning situation. It is where the students that are being supported are learning from the peer tutors the specific skills and strategies for doing their work, and also the concepts that are involved in the course. The Peer Tutor is learning communication skills, and these skills are: flexibility, adaptability, and how to have developed reports with the different variety of students they may tutor. This teaches peer tutors valuable communication skills that will be beneficial in university, college or employment. Q: When was it founded in UHill? Well, 1994, a long time ago. Peer tutors are fantastic, because they develop friendships with the students they support. There is quite a strong connection, and the students of peer tutors could go out into the school and meet their old tutors, which is an opportunity that many students don’t have. Q: What are the benefits of serving as a peer tutor? I said that already. They developed communication skills to be able to work as a team, so that later on in life they will have this skill. So you learn to use multi model means of communication like not just oral and visual but also kinesthetic. So as a peer tutor, you are learning deeply about a concept, because you can not explain a thing if you do not really understand it. You can’t explain English unless you really know it. and you are also learning about yourself as a person. You are learning aesthetic skills, and you are learning how to work with different types of people. Q: What kinds of students is the program looking for (to become Peer Tutors) ? The program is looking for the willing students to learn how to work with others. That’s all! Anyone can develop their skills, and it can be any students in school Q: Is there anything else you would like to add? At first, peer tutoring can be scary, because you are not used to what is necessary with other students. Yet with all the reflection I received over the years, it is the one course they learned valuable skills that they can directly apply outside of school. Time after time, the peer tutors themselves write a reflection. The other thing is that we as a staff absolutely value all of the peer tutors we had. We know there is a learning curve, but eventually, they become a leader to our own classrooms. They are great and excellent. So it might be scary, but no worries! |
Thank you Ms. Heine!