What is high dosage tutoring, and is it effective?

Summary

This discussion explores the promising impact of high dosage tutoring in public education, particularly in Boston. Featuring insights from Aaron McGrath, Executive Director of Boston Partners in Education, and Ashish Shaw, a mentor, the conversation highlights how intensive, personalized tutoring supports students in overcoming learning gaps, especially post-pandemic. The model's focus on relationship-building and consistent support is key, with tutors meeting students multiple times a week to address academic and social-emotional needs. While challenges like resource constraints exist, both speakers emphasize the transformative effects of this intervention, encouraging broader adoption for educational improvement.

Takeaways

• 😀 High dosage tutoring is an approach where trained volunteers or teachers provide focused support to students in small groups, typically 3-5 times per week for around 50 hours per semester.
• 😀 The key difference between high dosage tutoring and traditional tutoring is the consistency of the same adult working with the same student or group over time, fostering a strong mentor-student relationship.
• 😀 Boston Partners in Education (BPE) uses a model called academic mentoring, where community volunteers support students in the classroom with around 1 hour of tutoring per week, primarily in subjects nominated by teachers or parents.
• 😀 Mentors like Ashish Shaw focus on building student confidence and providing a safe, non-judgmental space for learning, helping students overcome barriers like lack of confidence or misunderstanding of certain concepts.
• 😀 Tutors and mentors help students work through academic challenges by breaking down problems into manageable steps, allowing students to recognize where they went wrong and build problem-solving skills.
• 😀 High dosage tutoring is seen as a promising intervention to address achievement gaps, especially exacerbated by the pandemic, by providing personalized attention to students who need additional support.
• 😀 Both the high dosage tutoring model and academic mentoring are viewed as part of a wider 'web of support,' involving teachers, paraprofessionals, and guidance counselors, each playing a role in a student's learning journey.
• 😀 A key benefit of tutoring is not just academic improvement but also the building of student confidence, as students are encouraged to keep trying, even after making mistakes, which helps them become independent learners.
• 😀 There is a recognition that high dosage tutoring may need additional resources for successful implementation, including financial compensation for tutors, proper training, and effective management.
• 😀 The model is flexible and can be adapted for different needs, from one-on-one mentoring to small group sessions, and can extend to helping advanced students who may require more challenging material to stay engaged.
• 😀 The main challenges to scaling high dosage tutoring in places like Boston include resource allocation, ensuring proper training for tutors, and managing the complexity of providing consistent support across many students.

Q & A

What is high-dosage tutoring?

High-dosage tutoring is an intensive tutoring approach where students receive support multiple times a week, typically 3 to 5 times, in small groups or one-on-one settings. Each session usually lasts about 50 minutes per semester, focusing on building a relationship between the tutor and the student while addressing academic challenges.

How does high-dosage tutoring differ from traditional tutoring?

High-dosage tutoring differs from traditional tutoring by offering more consistent and frequent sessions with the same tutor or mentor. The focus is not just on homework help but on building a relationship with the student to understand and address their learning barriers over time.

What role do relationships play in high-dosage tutoring?

Relationships are a key component of high-dosage tutoring. Having the same tutor or mentor working with a student multiple times a week helps create a trusting and supportive environment, enabling the student to feel comfortable and confident in addressing academic challenges.

How does Boston Partners in Education (BPE) approach tutoring?

BPE’s approach is known as academic mentoring, where community volunteers support students in various subjects for about one hour a week. Unlike high-dosage tutoring, BPE's model is more flexible and focuses on supporting students directly within the classroom, helping them with subjects they need assistance with, often identified by teachers or parents.

Can you provide an example of a student benefiting from BPE’s mentoring?

One example shared by Ashish Shaw, a BPE mentor, involved a bilingual third-grade student who struggled with math due to a misunderstanding of specific language in the textbook. Once the mentor clarified the meaning of terms like 'log,' the student was able to quickly grasp the math concepts and gain confidence in problem-solving.

Why is high-dosage tutoring considered effective?

High-dosage tutoring is considered effective because it provides focused, personalized attention that allows tutors to identify specific barriers to a student's learning. The consistent, frequent sessions help to build skills and confidence in students, leading to significant academic improvement.

What challenges are faced when scaling high-dosage tutoring programs?

The challenges in scaling high-dosage tutoring programs include the resource intensity of such programs. They require funding for tutor compensation, training, and managing the logistics of scheduling frequent sessions. Additionally, finding a sufficient number of trained mentors and ensuring consistent, quality tutoring are key obstacles.

What kinds of students benefit most from high-dosage tutoring?

High-dosage tutoring can benefit all students, including those with learning gaps, advanced students who need additional challenges, and students who might be struggling socially or emotionally. Personalized support helps students at all levels to improve academically and develop confidence.

Is high-dosage tutoring meant to be a temporary solution for the pandemic's impact on education?

While high-dosage tutoring has been particularly beneficial in addressing learning setbacks caused by the pandemic, it is not necessarily just a temporary solution. It can be part of an ongoing effort to close achievement gaps and maintain academic progress in the long term.

What is the significance of confidence in tutoring programs?

Confidence plays a crucial role in tutoring programs. As Ashish Shaw shared, helping students build confidence, even if they make mistakes, is an important part of their growth. Once students feel confident in their abilities, they are more likely to engage with and apply the learning, improving their overall academic performance.