Many tutoring programs hire tutors who have gone to college but don’t have any teaching training. These tutors can be helpful, but they could still use feedback to improve their work. Normally, coaches watch teachers and give them feedback during meetings. But these meetings take up a lot of time and don’t always cover all the new things observed. With an automated approach, coaches and tutors can get feedback more often, based on data, all at a lower cost. A new research paper talks about a new technology called human-tutor coaching technology (HTCT). HTCT looks at recordings of tutoring sessions and shows the information in a way that helps coaches give detailed advice to tutors. The main goal is to improve tutoring and help students do even better in school.
Researchers worked with Saga Education to test HTCT with coaches tutoring high school math in low-income areas. They looked at how coaches used HTCT, what they felt about it, and if students’ communication got better when coaches used HTCT data for feedback.
High-impact tutoring is different from regular teaching. It is frequent and takes place during school hours with appropriate tutoring materials. Paraprofessional tutors can benefit from coaching to enhance their skills. Coaching also helps teachers get better at what they do. However, more research is needed to see how coaching can help tutors. This study wants to see how coaching can assist paraprofessional tutors.
Teachers and tutors help students learn, but their jobs are different. Teachers have a whole class of students, while tutors work with only one or a few students at a time. Tutors can provide tutoring during school, in-person, or online. They can even tutor during regular school hours! According to the US Department of Education, the most effective tutoring occurs frequently, at least three times a week for 30-50 minutes, and uses appropriate learning materials.
Tutors don’t have formal teaching training, therefore coaches can assist them. Coaches are like specialists who give tutors advice on how to improve. Coaching helps teachers enhance their skills, and researchers are exploring how it can benefit tutors too!
Picture having a coach who listens to your classroom lessons. They advise how to have more engaging discussions with your students. That’s exactly why artificial intelligence (AI) tools like HTCT can help teachers!
These AI coaches wouldn’t replace teachers. Instead, they can help teachers learn and identify new teaching strategies. Here’s how it might work:
Some studies have already been done on these AI coaches, and the results are encouraging. Teachers like getting feedback from the AI, and some studies even showed that teachers used talk moves more often after using the AI coach. While research has been done on helping experienced teachers, AI coaches can be great for new teachers or those with little training. Teaching assistants and tutors who are new to teaching can also benefit from these coaches. AI can help teachers improve their classroom discussions and help more students learn. Future research will need to see if AI coaches can work well in different teaching situations and with different types of teachers.
Key Takeaways: Increased student absenteeism: The pandemic has caused a significant rise in student absenteeism, particularly among Latino, suburban, and rural communities. This is a major concern for educators and
If you missed our event, you can watch it here on demand. Struggling to implement high-impact tutoring (HIT) programs in your school? Worried about funding your tutoring initiatives after ESSER funds
