There is a saying that the
best way to learn something
is to teach it. In schools across the
world, students become better
learners as they take on the role of
teachers and mentors to younger
children. Peer tutoring is also
valuable because students can often
forge stronger bonds with other
students than with adults and are
more easily able to develop interest
and motivation in the younger
learner. While there are some
problems with this approach
including the fact that not all
students are good teachers and also
that the quality of instruction may
not be as high as desired, there are
many advantages to peer tutoring as
set forth by University of Western
Australia below:8
• Involves students directly in the
teaching and learning process;
• The act of teaching others
enhances student's own
learning;
• Encourages collaboration
between learners;
• Enriches learning environment;
• Shares responsibility for teaching
between teacher and learners;
• Uses expertise in the learning
group;
• Can be viewed as a strategy for
dealing with individual
differences in the classroom