Equal Tutoring: Modality To Promote Cooperative Learning At A Higher Level

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Equal tutoring: Modality to promote cooperative learning at a higher level

Summary

The same tutoring is a pedagogical modality in which students, usually of more advanced semesters, accompany their peers in the orientation and reinforcement of learning processes within a disciplinary area, which allows the promotion of cooperative learning in theHigher education level. Given this approach, the objective of this article focused on evaluating the same as a modality to promote cooperative learning at a higher level. The study followed a descriptive type methodology with a non -experimental and field design, since it was necessary to study the facts where they originate to observe, describe them and apply the necessary instruments to obtain the results. The design of this research was considered non -experimental and field. The population constituted 14 students who exercised the role of tutors in equals. The data was observed and collected through the participatory observation technique, for this an instruments were used as a structure interview and a questionnaire with a Likert type scale. Among its results, the fact in which the highest percentage with 82% of those investigated indicates that the lack of teachers who support them in their work does not allow them to help their peers student students stand out. It could be concluded that the peer tutoring, as a modality to promote cooperative learning at a higher level, does not fulfill its role in the university spaces investigated by Portoviejo.

Keywords: tutoring between peers, cooperative learning, teacher and students.

Introduction

Equal tutoring is a strategic modality of a pedagogical nature in which students of the upper semesters, accompany their peers to reinforce and give guidance about the planned or already achieved contents in academic matters, this occurs in small groups. For its part, the teaching staff supports and values the tutoring work with the material they require leaving them sufficient autonomy to carry it out without a teaching guide.

Topping (2000), explains that the same is widely used in many countries, both in formal and informal education, as well as at all educational levels and curricular areas. It is recommended by experts in education, for example UNESCO, as one of the most effective instructional practices for quality education.

Tokuhama and Col (2009) also add that students learn 5% of what they hear, 10% of what they read, 20% of what they see, 30% in demonstrations, 50% in groups discussion,But when practicing doing so they learn up to 75% and if they teach others up to 90%, hence it is always said that he learns more that teaches than the one who learns.  This premise allows us to think that there is cooperative learning as a pedagogical tool, which strengthens learning processes. However, in Portoviejo universities, it is possible to observe students who require this type of support without the conditions for it, despite finding tutors in their peers. This position allowed to evaluate the peer tutoring as a modality to promote cooperative learning at a higher level.

 Developing

Cooperative learning methods organize small groups with the objective of establishing the necessary links and requirements for cooperation. But despite having that in common, each one represents a different way of managing teaching -learning activities, which makes some more suitable than others to develop certain learning in different curricular areas. There is no better or more adequate method than others, it is about using at all times, the one who adapts more to our needs depending on the group of students and the activity to be developed in a way that the factors that facilitate cooperation and cooperation are enhancedThe learning. However, when it comes to working in pairs, we could point out the “equal tutoring” the tutors of each couple teach and/or help their partner in carrying out exercises or activities proposed in a certain area of knowledge.

Equal tutoring

The equal tutoring model, evaluated at the University, was based on the following pillars, presented by Morales (2009).

Flexibility: allows responding to the adaptation to the diverse needs of a diverse student. The students’ profile requires a system that can adapt from their personal, professional and family reality. This flexibility must be reflected in the evaluation model, in the work plan of the subjects, that of access to information sources, that is, it must be designed to satisfy students who need a system that adapts to theirneeds and not vice versa.

• Cooperation: refers to the teaching accompaniment that students require so as not to be alone in their learning process. All this, doing teamwork, or with consultants, or with diverse people from the university community in the creation of interest groups.
• Personalization: facilitates the individual treatment of each student’s training needs. Refers to a manifestation of personalized treatment in the learning process, in which both the multimedia learning materials and the consultants personally treat the student in their training needs.
• Interactivity: interaction is multiple since it not only covers teaching action, but also established between students and among them with the University itself. 

Equal tutoring plan fields

For Álvarez (2009), the same tutoring serves four different intervention areas:

• Academic scope: it implies the prominence of students in their own training process. It is intended to advise new students about academic training options, the meaning of subjects in the curriculum, the demands of each subject and how to respond to them;All this from the vision and experience of the "veteran" student.
• SCOPE OF MANAGEMENT: which is intended to inform about the different organs of university life management and promote students’ participation in the same.
• Administrative scope: in which knowledge and access to the administrative information that is generated will be facilitated, as well as the media, channels and resources that will have for transmission.
• SCOPE OF SERVICES: In which students will be announced and motivated towards the use of the different services that university makes available to their disposal.

Cooperative learning

Cooperative learning has always been part of human interactions, however it is in the 80s when cooperative learning struck strong as a teaching method through the first meta -studs on the effects on the schools of the United States. Mayer (1929), cited by Morales (2010), showed that cooperation is more effective than competition and Johnson and Johnson (1975, 1987 and 1990) than the cooperative structure, in relation to the competitive and individualisticIn students’ learning, it develops more positive attitudes towards school and towards teachers and classmates, higher levels of self – esteem are achieved, and favors the development of intrinsic motivation more. 

Advantages of cooperative learning

•  Motivation, interactions are increased, students collaborate and learn from each other, balancing the pace of work in a general environmental environment.
•  Students are motivated to do their best to contribute to the successes of others or, where appropriate, of the team.
•  Promote self-learning, since students select information and create their own content.
•  Helps improve empathy and assertiveness.
•  Produces educational environments that favor interest and involvement.
• Disadvantages of cooperative learning
• The stages prior to setting objectives and the elaboration of a clear work scheme can be extended with discussions and disagreements.
•  Much of the work is done in the absence of the facilitating teacher, in which some doubts may take to clarify, worsen the class environment.
•  The groups have internal imbalances that are complicated to compensate. Subgroups and the leading effect are produced.
•  It is easy for demotivation for the feeling of loss of time.
•  The groups are pigeonhus and work systems, even when they are inefficient.

Methodology

The study followed a descriptive type methodology, in it the tutoring between equals was considered as a modality to promote cooperative work in universities of the Canton of Portoviejo in the province of Manabí. Descriptive research according to Silva (2010), seeks to characterize the object of study in a specific situation, describing things as they occur in the present. The design of this research was considered non -experimental and field, since it was necessary to study the facts where they originate to observe, describe them and apply the necessary instruments to obtain the results. The data was observed and collected through the participatory observation technique, for this purpose an instruments were used as a structure and a questionnaire with a Likert type scale, which was applied to 14 students who meet the role of tutors.

Results

Among the results can be mentioned:

• In relation to the structure interview, it could be verified:
• Cooperative learning, according to 72% of the students who fulfill the role of tutors works well when they manage to properly prepare the environment, stating that they have not suitable spaces, so that students to attend can move away and approach.
• 82% of those investigated, indicate that the lack of teachers who support them in their work does not allow them to help their students more effectively, because on some opportunities they require knowing according to cases of programmatic content to teach which one could be the bestand more practical application method.
• It could be verified among the 14 students investigated that 50% of them, consider it necessary that after their work, they must be evaluated by their peers in order to analyze how the work has been, that roles have been assumed and what inefficiencies have beenObserved, all to improve or cover those that have been given during tutoring.

The results of the frequency descriptive analysis of the equal tutoring variable are presented;It shows that 43% of those investigated indicated that sometimes it is fulfilled, followed by 36% that indicated the alternative sometimes. As for the cooperation indicator, it is indicated that 50% consider that there is almost never the teaching accompaniment required by tutors. For the customization indicator it was found that 58% of those investigated consider that they almost never manage to customize the treatment of their peers. Finally, in terms of interactivity indicator, 65% affirmed that they almost never achieve it with their peers or teachers.

Conclusions

Equal tutoring as a modality to promote cooperative learning at a higher level, does not fulfill its role in the university spaces investigated in Portoviejo. This fact finds its evidence, by not guaranteeing the preparation of their academic spaces to perform as tutors of their peers and the little interest that teachers of the different chairs demonstrate to support this process, so they request to be evaluated and in a self-styleCorrective Improve this role.

Almost always flexibility, in the same tutoring, achieves its adaptation to the diverse needs of a diverse student, which requires knowing the profile of the students to be able to adapt to the personal, professional and family reality of each of themand in this way facilitate the tutorial process

Almost never, in the same tutoring, the Pilar de la Cooperation is fulfilled, lacking the teaching accompaniment that students require so as not to be alone in their learning process.

Only sometimes it is possible to comply with the pillar of customization during the same tutoring, which allows to facilitate the individual treatment of the training needs of each student and that must be of their knowledge for the personalized treatment during the learning process.

The interactivity pillar is almost never fulfilled during peer tutoring, the interaction is multiple since it not only covers the teaching action, but also established between students and among them with the University itself. 

Bibliographic references

1. Álvarez, p.R. et al. "Equal tutoring as a strategy for the acquisition of generic competencies in higher education". V International Congress of Work Training. CD-Room Publication, Granada 2009
2. Arc, j. L.;Fernández, f.D. "Effectiveness of a peer tutoring program for the improvement of the study habits of university students". Psychodidactic magazine. 2011, vol. 16, no. 1 p. 163-180
3. Fernández, f. D., Arc, j. L., Ortega, s. And Heilborn, V. A. (2011). Prevention of university academic failure through equal tutoring. Latin American Magazine of Psychology, Vol.43 (1), 59-71.
4. Morales Hernández (2009). Personal interview. Administrative Director of the Institute of Distance Education. Consultation by email made on 15-MAR-2009.
5. Silva, Jesús (2010). Research methodology: basic elements. Caracas Venezuela. Editorial Litho-Tip, C.A. P. 20, 21.
6. Tokuhama -Espinoza, Tracey, Mosquera, Jean -Michael and Virginia Sanguinetti. (2009) How do adults learn? Available at: http: // www.EDUCATION Paratodos.com/pdf/2.PDF 
7. Topping, k.(2000). Family and volunteers. Geneva: International Bureau of Education, UNESCO. Available at: http: // www.Ibe.UNESCO.Org/Publications/Practices.htm