Courtesy of San Benito High School:
Recognizing the impact and value of peer interaction, some San Benito High School math teachers this semester have encouraged students in upper-level classes to serve as tutors during Academic Focus Time (AFT) sessions.
Adapted from a similar effort at a high school in Temecula, the tutorial sessions have garnered positive feedback from Algebra 1 students who received tutoring from their peers enrolled in Pre-Calculus, Advanced Placement Statistics and Calculus classes.
“We think of tutoring as a great way to inspire our own students to become teachers in the future and improve their math skills at the same time,” said math teacher Marco Orozco, who organized the AFT sessions along with fellow teacher Kathy Picchi.
In October, 20 tutors from the advanced math classes each worked with four Algebra 1 students after the tutors received training on the topics they’d review. Orozco said the Math Department plans to expand the number of student math tutors and continue to offer the peer-to-peer help during AFT sessions, which are held each Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday.
