Virtual Peer Tutoring

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VIRTUAL PEER TUTORINGAND TEACHABLE AGENTS

• Mike Faherty
• GE 555.01
• November 13, 2010

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TUTORING, AS WE KNOW IT

• Traditional tutoring involves a student working
  with a more advanced individual, like an older
  student.
• Peer Tutoring involves two students of similar
  status working together.
• With technology, tutors and students can connect
  online.
• It can be scheduled or on-demand as students need
  assistance.

http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tutor http//en.wikip
edia.org/wiki/Peer_tutor
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VIRTUAL PEER TUTORING

• Virtual Peer Tutoring makes the student the
  tutor, with the help of technology.
• With Virtual Peer Tutoring, student-tutors
  teach virtual characters in state-of-the-art
  computers programs.
• Why is it good for students? According to
  research, teaching begets learning for the
  student-tutors.

http//www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2010/10/28/10ava
tar.h30.html
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ADVANTAGES OF PEER AND VIRTUAL PEER TUTORING

• Heres a short video on Peer Tutoring. The
  same advantages apply to Virtual Peer Tutoring,
  as well as, incorporating students love of
  technology.

• Other advantages include promoting
• Self-regulatory skills
• Self-monitoring skills
• Self-assessment skills

http//www.youtube.com/watch?vGiuxZk5Zo5Yfeature
channel http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betty27s_Br
ain
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PROS AND CONS OF VIRTUAL PEER TUTORING

• PROS
• Peer tutoring reinforces the subject material for
  student-tutors.
• With Virtual Peer Tutoring, student-tutors
  interact with technology and practice essential
  social behaviors.
• Student-tutors are not dependent on answer
  feedback like with other virtual tutoring
  programs.
• Student-tutors gain knowledge, as well as,
  meta-cognition of their own learning.

• CONS
• Since characters are only virtual, student-tutors
  must buy in to the experience.
• Programs with Virtual Peer Tutoring are
  relatively new and expensive to implement on a
  large scale.

http//www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2010/10/28/10ava
tar.h30.html
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CASE STUDY Teachable Agents

• Researchers at Stanford and Vanderbilt
  universities have developed Teachable Agents, or
  computer-based learning environments, combining
  computer science, psychology and education.
• This study posits that students will work
  harder, reason better and ultimately understand
  more by learning to teach someone else.
• http//www.teachableagents.org/
• http//www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2010/10/28/10ava
  tar.h30.html

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Teachable Agents CONTINUED

• According to David Schwartz of Stanfords AAA
  Lab, kids know the characters arent alive, but
  they get engaged with the narrative and play
  pretend, and it brings out a lot of good
  behaviors.
• The Stanford and Vanderbilt teams have
  created six different computer programs where
  student-tutors build a virtual student and teach
  appropriate science and math concepts. Results
  thus far have been very promising.

http//www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2010/10/28/10ava
tar.h30.html
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Teachable Agents CONTINUED
With Bettys Brain, students are able to tutor a
virtual character using a graphic map of Bettys
thoughts and teaching her to make logical
chains. http//www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2010/10/
28/10avatar.h30.html
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APPLICATIONS FOR TEACHERS

• For teachers, Virtual Peer Tutoring and Teachable
  Agents programs highlight students common
  mistakes and allow teachers to review specific
  material more closely.
• Teachers can work with colleagues to create
  Virtual Pen Pal groups where students can discuss
  material and test students from other schools.
• In the absence of Virtual Peer Tutoring programs,
  teachers should create peer tutoring learning
  environments for different subjects.

http//www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2010/10/28/10ava
tar.h30.html
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APPLICATIONS FOR STUDENTS

• In Virtual Peer Tutoring, student-tutors feel
  less threatened.
• If classrooms have Virtual Peer Tutoring
  capabilities, students should use it throughout
  the year to teach, review and test information
  from the teacher.
• When you are looking at something yourself, you
  can fool yourself into thinking you know
  everything, but when you have to communicate it
  to someone else, you realize that youre really
  not being precise enough, said Schwartz. With
  Virtual Peer Tutoring, student-tutors stress
  explanation to their virtual students. Likewise,
  the student-tutors have adopted similar
  strategies with their own work.

http//www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2010/10/28/10ava
tar.h30.html
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WORKS CITED
Bettys Brain. Retrieved from
http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betty27s_Brain Spark
s, Sarah D. Researchers find that students
learn by tutoring virtual peers. Education
Week, November 3, 2010. Retrieved from
http//www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2010/10/28/10ava
tar.h30.html Peer tutor. Retrieved from
http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peer_tutor The
Teachable Agents Group at Vanderbilt University.
Retrieved from http//www.teachableagents.org/ Tu
tor. Retrieved from http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki
/Tutor Tutoring. Retrieved from
http//www.youtube.com/watch?vGiuxZk5Zo5Yfeature
channel