In this case-study, an educational psychologist trained three primary
teachers to give feedback to three 11-12 year-old low progress readers who
were each tutoring one low progress classmate, with the Pause, Prompt and
Praise procedures. After themselves learning the Pause, Prompt and Praise
procedures the teachers were provided with written instructions, and then
trainer feedback on how to provide feedback for the peer tutors. Results of
the eight week program indicated substantial gains for both tutees and
tutors on the Dunedin Teachers College Informal Prose Inventory, and on the
number of successive book levels read to criterion. With the written
instructions alone, teachers use very intrusive prompts when giving feedback
to peer tutors. However, when teachers also received feedback on their own
performance they used far less intrusive forms of prompts, encouraging
tutors to remember and explain their own tutoring behaviours and implement
the procedures accurately without becoming dependent on teacher support or
supervision.