Course Syllabus

This course explores peer tutoring from a socio-cultural perspective highlighting the situated nature of the learning process. It is a perspective that recognizes the important role of the academic community in the achievement of individual students. Such a perspective offers peer tutors and their students the opportunity to work collaboratively and contribute to each others' educational growth and progress.

This course has three objectives. The first is to introduce a theoretical and practical framework for tutoring. Tutors will have an opportunity to apply theoretical models, such as "Cognitive Apprenticeship" or the "Zone of Proximal Development" to their interactions with students. Through course readings tutors will be expected to analyze these various theoretical models in relation to their own practices.

Secondly, tutors will share their experiences with other tutors in discussions intended to highlight the diversity in ways of teaching and learning. Reflecting on various teaching and learning processes can inspire tutors to become more innovative in their own methods and practices. These discussions will provide support for tutors to develop their own materials and activities that will be added to resources from which all tutors may draw.

Finally, this course will provide background literature and research on the specific population of students to be tutored. Student Athletes are one of the most diverse subgroup on a university campus. Issues of race, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, religion, socio-economic status and skill level all factor prominently among this population of students. This course will explore some of the myths and assumptions about "at-risk" student populations such as student athletes and will offer tutors a broad spectrum of the issues that these students and student athletes, in particular, will face in higher education.