Cross-age peer tutoring of thinking skills in the high school

Teaching thinking skills has been characterised by the teacher-directed ‘embedded’, ‘infusion’ and ‘bolt-on’ approaches, for which outcomes have been mixed. Peer tutoring in thinking skills offers a fourth way of wide applicability. This study evaluated such a method (Paired Thinking) in a high school setting. A substantial gain in reading comprehension was found for tutees. Triangulated subjective feedback indicated development in thinking skills, self-esteem and social skills for tutees and tutors. Paired Thinkingappeared to yield considerable potential impact for minimal time input. Recommendations for refining organisation and for future research and practice were made