Tutors Get a Taste of ‘Cross-Age Learning’

An hour before starting classes at Redwood Intermediate School, eighth-grader Kyle Malinowski heads to nearby Madrona elementary to work as a tutor in a third-grade classroom.

As he conducts a math warm-up exercise and guides the younger children through long division, it’s hard to tell who is learning more.

“When I try to explain something and they don’t listen, I know what my teacher goes through,” Kyle said. “I used to talk a lot in class too.”

The 14-year-old has just experienced “cross-age learning,” a popular program that pairs students of different ages in an effort to help them learn from each other. The concept is not new.

“Remember the old, one-room schoolhouse? It’s a good idea,” said Carol Bartell, dean of Cal Lutheran University’s School of Education. “The older kids serve as a role model and the younger students get extra attention. Everyone benefits.”

Many schools are trying some form of cross-age learning, whether it’s an informal “study buddy” system within an elementary school that uses higher grades to assist the lower ones, or a structured program that is part of the curriculum.

Redwood farms out 34 eighth-graders to area elementary schools, offering the experience as elective credit. Students who want to tutor have to give up the chance to take other electives, such as band or art, and have to start school an hour early.

“The kids have to be really self-motivated to do it,” said Sydney Stein, coordinator of the Redwood tutoring program. “This is a career-education opportunity, and some of these kids will grow up to be great teachers.”

Stein gives the new tutors a two-day orientation, in which she discusses rules and expectations as well as tips in dealing with kids and basic techniques such as scoring papers.

The success of cross-age learning depends on how well the tutors are trained and prepared, Bartell said.

“You can’t simply put a student tutor in a class and expect learning to occur,” Bartell said. “There needs to be very specific direction in order to accomplish something other than the tutor just going in to play and be a friend.”

Krista Brandt, a fourth-grade teacher at Madrona, said her eighth-grade tutor is a class asset.

Thirteen-year-old Brianna Rooney administers spelling tests, grades papers and works with small groups on art projects.

“She’s my right arm--I don’t know what I’d do without her,” Brandt said. “The kids look up to Brianna and go to her for help. They adore her.”

One student whom Brianna has especially helped is 9-year-old Alexis Callan, who was having trouble with spelling.

“She made the word into a song and I like singing, so it made the word easier to remember,” Alexis said. “I used to get F’s on spelling, and now I get A’s. Brianna really helped.”

But despite her success as a tutor, Brianna said she doesn’t want to be a teacher.

“I don’t know if I’d have the patience,” she said. “It can be kind of frustrating when you try to teach things the kids don’t understand, like math.”

“I have a lot more respect for teachers now--it’s so hard,” she added. “I can’t believe they do it all the time. I think they should get paid a lot more.”

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In Imelda Wagstaff’s second-grade class, 14-year-old Andrew Moriates is hailed as “Subway Man” by the students who beg for his piggy-back rides.

“He’s like a big brother to the kids,” Wagstaff said. “They love him. He relates very well to the children and helps the ones who need an extra boost.”

Andrew said he likes teaching, but that wasn’t his only motive for joining the tutor program.

“Honestly, I’m doing this because you don’t have any homework and it’s definitely better than taking wood shop,” he said.

His friend Kyle said the experience has been rewarding.

“It feels good that I encouraged and helped these kids advance,” Kyle said. “It’s like I’ve really been teaching them.”

Back in Wagstaff’s second-grade class, the students are grateful.

“If we don’t understand something on a worksheet, Andrew comes over and explains it,” said 8-year-old Karly Noblitt.

“Yeah,” said classmate Justin Sullivan. “It’s like we have two teachers, except one is a little younger.”