CWPT
(Classwide Peer Tutoring)
Why
use CWPT?
CWPT
is based on many validated instructional procedures such as cooperative
learning and peer tutoring. It incorporates features that enable
schoolwide application for diverse environments. It rewards the
individual performance of both the tutor and the tutee, motivating
peers to help each other and keeping them engaged in the learning
process. Also, alternating tutor-tutee roles and changing partners
prevents boredom and keeps students interacting with others. CWPT
has also been found to be more effective than conventional teacher-mediated
instruction, such as lecture and worksheets, with African American,
Hispanic, bilingual, and learning disabled students.
The
approach facilities learning by accelerating student attention
on and engagement in academic content. "Engagement," or what is
traditionally referred to as "time on task," is a strong indicator
of high student achievement. In addition, CWPT requires no additional
costs, is easily modified, and can be integrated into classrooms
with varying curricula.
How
do I implement CWPT?
At the beginning of each week, all students in a class are paired
for tutoring, and these pairs are then assigned to one of two
teams. The teams may then compete for the winning total score
determined daily, weekly, or both. Tutees can earn points by responding
to the tasks that the tutors present to them. It is important
that the tutor and tutee roles be highly structured. Tutoring
also needs to be reciprocal, so students switch roles halfway
through each session.
The
teacher organizes academic content of each session into weekly
units, and prepares materials to be used daily within the CWPT
format. For example, when applied to a reading passage, a tutee
reads a brief passage from the curriculum to his or her tutor.
The tutor then provides points for correctly read sentences (2
points) and error correction (1 point). Teachers may assess the
fluency of the students reading using oral reading rate measures.
When applied to reading comprehension, the tutee responds to who,
what, when, where, and why questions concerning the passage provided
by the tutor. When applied to spelling, the tutee writes and spells
words orally. The tutor dictates the words from a list to the
tutee, and then checks the tutees' performance. Similar variations
can be applied to other academic areas.
PALS
(Peer-Assisted Learning Strategies)
This
classroom model is very similar to CWPT and carries the same principles
of peer-tutoring. However, PALS is a one-on-one peer tutoring
program which specifically focuses on partner reading, paragraph
summarization, prediction, and other peer activities that have
been shown to enhance reading comprehension. CWPT is a more general
model that can be applied across curriculum. It is important to
note that PALS has also been effective in improving reading comprehension
for students without learning disabilities.
