Students’ reading levels should be checked first. Students should be matched in pairs, with the tutor only a slightly better reader. books should be chosen for the right reading and interest levels. Tutors are trained with a simple checklist, which shows them how to use “pause, prompt and praise” techniques. Parents are fully informed, books taken home each night, and a list kept of books mastered. Tutoring should be done daily or at least three times a week. Each pair should record their efforts on a tape-recorder provided. The teacher monitors the recordings to check progress in both reading and tutoring. Over six months the average reading gain for tutors has been four years and for slower learners just over two years.

* Details are fully covered in Peer Tutoring in Reading, by John Medcalf, Training Coordinator, Special Education Service, Hastings, New Zealand. email: medcalfj@ses.org.nz