Peer-to-Peer Service Learning Opportunity for Students Ages 6 - 18
Are you struggling to help your child with school?
Or
Do you have a child who would make a great peer tutor?
ACT Microschools fundamentally believes in the power of peer-to-peer learning. We have seen successes in our own classrooms of students who have responded extremely well to the help of a peer tutor. We’d like to extend that help to more families, as a means to grow our community of believers in progressive education.
How does it work?
For tutees (children between the ages of 6-12):
You fill in a form explaining the areas of learning support your child needs. We connect you with a peer tutor and facilitate the scheduling of weekly (or 2x/week) online sessions.
Our team checks in with you and your tutor to ensure that everyone is benefiting from the experience.
That’s it! It’s that simple! Fill in the application form:
For peer tutors (ages 12-18):
You fill in an application explaining why you’d like to be a peer tutor and in what subject areas you believe you would best succeed and you submit one teacher recommendation from a teacher who has worked with you for at least 1 year.
You undergo a peer tutoring training with teachers from our ACT Microschools team.
You are connected to a tutee with whom you work at least once per week.
At the end of each month, you receive a certificate of the community service hours you have earned.
It’s that simple! Fill in the application form:
Have a trusted teacher complete this recommendation form:
FAQs:
Is there any cost to peer tutoring?
Peer tutoring is community service and thus comes free of charge. However, there is a commitment involved in peer tutoring. Missing sessions without prior notice or canceling of more than 3 sessions in the month will lead your child to lose the service.
Do peer tutors make money?
Peer tutoring is community service and therefore it is not an activity that is done for financial gain. Peer tutors gain experience, responsibility, communication skills, and the love and respect of a child who needs their help. Tutors, therefore, gain tremendously from the experience, but they do not gain monetarily. Peer tutors will receive monthly certificates from ACT Microschools that communicate the number of community service hours they performed throughout the month. Peer tutoring is an important commitment. Tutors who cancel sessions without notice or who forget sessions will be removed from the position.
Why should I enroll my child with a peer tutor?
Oftentimes, children who struggle in school resist getting the help they need, yet, when that help comes from another student, they tend to respond positively and want to impress. This can help them get the help they need without a struggle.
As parents, especially during the pandemic, we may feel overwhelmed providing our children with the help they need. We also may not, during this difficult time, be able to afford bringing in additional support. A peer tutor may take the load off of parents without adding an additional financial burden.
Why should I encourage my child to be a peer tutor?
You shouldn’t! If you mention this opportunity to your child, and s/he gives you a sour face, then this is not the right fit for your child. However, if you mention this opportunity to your child, and you see a spark in his/her eyes, then this could be a good fit!
Peer tutoring helps give children a sense of responsibility and pride. Peer tutors develop a better understanding of their own learning and develop better communication skills that will help them throughout their lives. For HS students, they will be able to put the community service certificates they earn on their college applications. Students who participate in a variety of extracurricular activities are more likely to be selected by competitive universities than those who do not.
How can a peer tutor help my child?
Peer tutors will have access to the wealth of online curricular resources through ACT Microschools. Should your child need remediation or support in English, Arabic, or math, our ACT team will direct the peer tutor to assist your child’s learning with these high quality resources.
Peer tutors are also able to help your child manage his/her school assignments/homework. They can follow up, answer questions, help your child meet deadlines, and help them to organize their work and schedule.
Peer tutors will base their help on input from parents, children, and the ACT Microschools team. Together, we create a plan that meets the needs of your child.
Is my child eligible for peer tutoring?
If your child is between the ages of 6 – 12 and if s/he has access to a device with internet connection, and if your child would benefit from academic support, then s/he is eligible.
Is my child eligible to be a peer tutor?
To be a peer tutor, your child will need to be between the ages of 12 and 18, will need a teacher recommendation (explaining why your child would be a good peer tutor), and will need to dedicate at least one hour a week to the service. Peer tutors need a device with good internet connection, must be self-motivated, highly responsible, and strong in at least one academic area.
PARENT VOLUNTEERS
ACT Microschools sees parents as an integral part of the its small learning community. Parents who enroll their children with ACT commit to volunteering a minimum of four hours a month throughout the school year, either in the microschool or virtually, through the social learning platform. ACT students see parents as valuable mentors who contribute to their Education. More importantly, parent volunteers serve as powerful role models for students who, they themselves, are asked to volunteer and serve their communities. A commitment to service is an essential part of the ACT community. Having parents who share this value system is essential to ACT’s success.
OUR SOCIAL LEARNING PLATFORM
At ACT microschools, we believe that small is beautiful. We also believe that small + connected = powerful. Thus, thanks to our social learning platform, we see our microschools as both beautiful and powerful organizations.
Our social learning platform is the mechanism within our organization that connects students, teachers, and parents across microschools, co-ops, and homes of those that have subscribed to ACT courses. Students connect to each other to celebrate learning and community outreach. They connect to learn more about each other in an authentic environment. Students connect to teachers to have access to coursework that may not be available in their microschool (a student in Nairobi connecting to an Arabic teacher in Cairo to study Arabic, for example) or to just to get additional support. Teachers connect with teachers to share activities and ideas and to co-teach when appropriate. Parents connect in the network to share expertise with students and teachers and to have full access to the rich learning environment that ACT provides.