Morgan, Robert L.

Rees, M.

English

DigitalCommons@USU

From Tutor to Teacher:For Some Peer Tutors, the Experience Can Lead to a Teaching Career4 2   M a y  2 0 0 8  •  T h e  U t a h  S p e c i a l  E d u c a t o r“When I was 16 I volunteered in a special education class. It was a bit intimidating at first until I settled in. Then I loved it. I knew then that I wanted to be a special education teacher.”“I worked as a peer tutor for a girl with Autism Spectrum Disorder for two years in high school. I became fascinated with autism and special education.”“I really enjoyed peer tutoring in high school in the special education program. When I learned there was a shortage of special education teachers, I knew I wanted to be one. I would hate to think these students go unhelped or get taught by someone unqualified. They need great teachers.”“I had absolutely no interest in special education until I spent some time in a high school special education classroom. I didn’t want to, but just by circumstances, I had to help out. I was immediately hooked.”“I always wanted to be an elementary teacher, but when I saw the potential of students with disabilities, the new research, and the passion of special ed teachers, I changed my mind. This is definitely what I want to do for my whole career.”T h e  U t a h  S p e c i a l  E d u c a t o r  •  M a y  2 0 0 8 4 3These are the stories of a few peer tutors who became special education teachers. They are stories of watching one’s agemates strugglebut desperately strive to get a chance to contribute as valued students in their schools. Some peer tutors initially approach the task with appre-hension and uncertainty. Perhaps it is finding their way as peer tutors that convinces them that students with disabilities must have the opportunity to do the same. Each year, 25-40% of special education teacher trainees admitted tothe on-campus portion of preservice education at Utah State University(USU) indicate they began as peer tutors in high school. Most accompa-nied students to general education activities or worked in individual skilldevelopment lessons. The majority of these special education teachertrainees reported that the peer tutor experience was the tipping point in the decision to pursue a career in teaching.Concurrent Enrollment Course for Peer TutorsAt USU, the faculty have established a USOE-approved course in the Department of Special Education and Rehabilitation entitled SpecialEducation 1000, Principles of Effective Peer Tutoring. This two-creditconcurrent enrollment course is available to selected peer tutoring classrooms in Utah. High schools with supervising teachers who collabo-rate with Department of Special Education and Rehabilitation faculty areeligible. The requirements include (1) working with recruitment projectstaff, (2) presenting information on teaching careers to the peer tutors, (3) teaching lessons on “how to be an effective peer tutor,” (4) settinghigh standards for tutors as role models of academic achievement and scholarly behavior, (5) establishing and implementing evaluation procedures for peer tutors, (6) assigning grades, and (7) accompanyingthe peer tutors to USU for a tour and lunch with the faculty. All concur-rent enrollment courses must be pre-approved by school districts. What Supports and Opportunities are Available?USU project staff will provide samples of syllabi and course materialsto supervising teachers who teach peer tutors. Project staff are developinga website for sharing of curriculum materials for teaching peer tutoringstrategies, examining sample syllabi and tutor evaluations, etc. TheDepartment of Special Education advisor at USU provides information to interested students on special education careers. Given that schedulesand transportation can be arranged, supervising teachers and peer tutorsare invited to the USU campus to meet faculty, tour facilities (includingthe ASSERT preschool and PROJECT PEER post-high school programon campus), eat lunch with staff, and ask questions. The ProjectCoordinator (Melanie Rees) assists interested high school teachers inplanning and developing course sections; tailoring content to the specificneeds of the teacher, peer tutors, and high school students with disabili-ties; and sharing materials used by other teachers with similar courses. What Is The Track Record?The course started in 2002 at Mountain Crest high school in Cache School District. Peer tutors assisted students with Mild/Moderatedisabilities in special and general education classes. The SpecialEducation 1000 course was approved by the school district and studentsreceived two credits leading towards teaching support credits and/or electives at Utah State. The supervising teacher worked with USU faculty to develop and refine the course content based on feedback frompeer tutors and data on student skill acquisition. In 2003 and 2005, newsections of the course were added at Sky View and Logan High Schools,respectively. The new sections involved peer tutors working with studentsin life skills classrooms and community transition settings. Each highschool trimester, students were invited to USU for tours and lunch withfaculty. Numbers of tutors taking concurrent enrollment credit increasedfrom 20 per year to 60 per year based on the Mountain Crest, Sky View,and Logan sections of the course.Does Peer Tutoring Link to Future Special Education Teacher Training?Given that the course was first offered in 2002 to high school seniors,the first year that students would have been eligible to apply to the specialeducation teacher licensure program at USU (their junior year) was 2005.While no former peer tutor entered the program that year, one formertutor entered in 2006 and three tutors entered in 2007. The former peertutor who entered in 2006 is graduating soon and planning on teachingspecial education in Washington County. With heightened recruitmentactivities (e.g., tutors who become teachers, increased numbers of Special Education 1000 courses), USU faculty are encouraged about the prospect of additional “tutors turned teachers.” Project staff willexpand the program and evaluate its effectiveness in producing future teachers in special education.If interested, please contact Melanie Rees at melanie.rees@usu.edu.Leave a message stating “I supervise peer tutors and I’m interested inSpecial Education 1000 as a concurrent enrollment class.” Leave yourcontact information and your school district. Our project staff will be in touch.Bob Morgan and Melanie Rees, Department of Special Education and Rehabilitation, Utah State University■

From Tutor to Teacher: For Some Peer Tutors, the Experience Can Lead to a Teaching Career

https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1251&context=sped_facpub

From Tutor to Teacher: For Some Peer Tutors, the Experience Can Lead to a Teaching Career

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