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Course 143 · Life course 30

Tutor a Peer Through an Academic Skill

Practice diagnosing a misconception, offering useful hints, and checking a peer’s independent understanding.

Before you start

Basic division with money amounts; a calculator is optional. All peer responses are fictional, so a partner is not required.

See everything you’ll need

Practice materials and a worked example · Free download. Download the starter pack

What you’ll leave with

A 15-minute peer-tutoring plan with a learning goal, error diagnosis, hint ladder, feedback script, transfer check, and evidence log.

Start course Start without an account. Sign in to save lesson progress across devices.

Your project

Start with the practice files. Build your project one lesson at a time.

Practice files are free without an account. Sign in to save your project record in My Proof: a description, checklist, and optional work link. Keep the original files in your own app or notebook; saving a project record does not upload them.

  1. Get your materialsDownload practice filesStart with the supplied materials, follow the lessons, and compare your work with the annotated example.
  2. Make your projectView the project checklist Work in your own notebook, document, or software. Use the supplied practice examples when you prefer.
  3. Keep a private recordSave a project record Sign in to save a description and checklist, then return to update them.
Optional course overview

Watch an introduction.

This overview from Kathleen Jasper introduces ideas you’ll practice in the lessons.

Watch directly on YouTube
Kathleen JasperQuestioning Techniques in the Classroom | Kathleen JasperYouTube
Course handbook

Know the route before you begin.

Here’s what you’ll need and what you’ll make. You can return to this guide during any lesson.

Who this is for

For learners 14+ exploring practical skills for school, work, and everyday life.

Prepare before lesson one
  • Basic division with money amounts; a calculator is optional. All peer responses are fictional, so a partner is not required.
  • Use the time shown for each lesson; it includes the supplied practice, changed-input work, and applied questions. Keep the six lesson outputs for the final project. Optional videos, setup, and any optional real-world extension take extra time.
Your final project

Finish with proof you can use.

A 15-minute peer-tutoring plan with a learning goal, error diagnosis, hint ladder, feedback script, transfer check, and evidence log.

Save a project record in My Proof
See project checklist and review criteria

Keep your working files in your own notebook or software. Save a private description, checklist, and work link in My Proof.

What to include

  • Define the academic goal and an independent-work boundary.
  • Distinguish the concept error from the arithmetic slip.
  • Provide a three-level hint ladder and specific feedback script.
  • Check the new task and document any support used.
  • Assemble a timed session plan, evidence log, and next step.

Review and revise

Use these criteria to check your work and choose what to improve.

  • Prompts address the observed misconception.
  • Hints preserve a meaningful task for the learner.
  • Feedback names actions and respects processing time.
  • The log distinguishes assisted performance from independent transfer.
Three ideas to help you along the way
Three useful ideas

The rules behind the steps.

01

Diagnose the step

Use the learner’s actual reasoning to choose the next prompt.

02

Support progressively

Give the smallest useful hint and record assistance honestly.

03

Check without the model

A new independent attempt offers stronger learning evidence than repetition.

What do these words mean?
Key words

Key terms worth knowing.

Misconception
A mistaken idea that leads to a pattern of errors.
Hint ladder
A sequence of increasingly specific cues.
Wait time
Space for a learner to think before someone speaks again.
Transfer check
A new task testing whether a skill can be applied.
Academic ownership
The learner remains responsible for their own assessed work.
Your route

6 lessons.
One useful project.

Work in order the first time. Each lesson makes something the next lesson can use.

  1. 1
    Up next

    Set a peer learning goal

    Define a narrow academic goal and the boundaries of peer help.

  2. 2
    21 min

    Diagnose the error without labeling

    Use an explanation to distinguish a concept error from an arithmetic slip.

  3. 3
    24 min

    Build a hint ladder

    Offer progressively more specific hints while preserving learner effort.

  4. 4
    21 min

    Use wait time and useful feedback

    Allow thinking time and give feedback tied to a visible step.

  5. 5
    24 min

    Check independent transfer

    Use a new unassisted task to distinguish supported success from transfer.

  6. 6
    30 min

    Assemble a peer tutoring session

    Plan a short academic peer session with diagnosis, hints, and a transfer check.

Use the tools

Tools to help you practice.

See all tools
ZIP · practice files

Tutor a Peer Through an Academic Skill practice files

Start with the supplied materials, follow the lessons, and compare your work with the annotated example.

Text worksheet

Your course project worksheet

A downloadable text worksheet with each lesson’s working output, space for your answers, and the shared final-project checklist. Save your own copy.

Source transparency

Sources and further study.

Explore the references behind the lessons and take your learning further. Source notes explain access and reuse.

Sonoma State: The Three Primary Strategies
Source & access notes · checked 2026-09-12

Inspected wait time, redirecting questions, and checking independent understanding.

Access: Public page or PDF inspected without payment or institutional sign-in on September 12, 2026. Optional external accounts are unnecessary for this course.

Reuse: Link and original paraphrase only. Public access does not grant blanket reuse; no provider text, figures, or exercises are reproduced.

University of Waterloo: Question Strategies
Source & access notes · checked 2026-09-12

Inspected single meaningful questions, response time, and opt-out considerations.

Access: Public page or PDF inspected without payment or institutional sign-in on September 12, 2026. Optional external accounts are unnecessary for this course.

Reuse: Link and original paraphrase only. Public access does not grant blanket reuse; no provider text, figures, or exercises are reproduced.

Harvard: Providing Wait-Time
Source & access notes · checked 2026-09-12

Inspected classroom considerations and evidence for allowing processing time.

Access: Public page or PDF inspected without payment or institutional sign-in on September 12, 2026. Optional external accounts are unnecessary for this course.

Reuse: Link and original paraphrase only. Public access does not grant blanket reuse; no provider text, figures, or exercises are reproduced.

Questioning Techniques in the Classroom | Kathleen Jasper
Source & access notes · checked 2026-09-12

Watch URL discovered through web search or an inspected official page; YouTube oEmbed returned this exact title and channel. Metadata verified; full playback and captions were not tested.

Access: Public YouTube metadata returned without sign-in on September 12, 2026. The video is optional; playback and caption availability were not tested.

Reuse: Link and original paraphrase only. Public access does not grant blanket reuse; no provider text, figures, or exercises are reproduced.

Ready when you are

Start with the first useful move.

You’ll always know what to do, what to make, and where to go next.

Start lesson one