Reading in pairs: Peer tutoring for reading and speaking in English as a foreing language

Reading in pairs is an educational programme based on peer tutoring to improve the reading and speaking skills in English as a foreign language, in Primary and Secondary schools, particularly from 10 to 14 years old. Based on previous programmes (such as Leemos en pareja, a book that is also part of this series of publications), Reading in pairs organises students in pairs and makes the most of the difference in ability of the members, so that they both learn from each other. One of the students acts as the tutor, the person who helps their partner by facilitating the learning process, and the other fulfils the role of the tutee, who learns from the help offered by the tutor.The activities that go with this programme are based on authentic texts, and aim to help improve the participants’ fluency and reading comprehension in English. These activities also maximise the time the students are exposed to and can practice the language. There are also supporting resources, such as conversation scripts or guidelines, which encourage active listening, and the exchange of feedback between the members of the pair. Reading in pairs also encourages the involvement of the participants’ family members as a way to give the students more exposure to the language outside the classroom.This publication describes Reading in pairs in detail, and offers practical materials and resources for the students and their families. You can find the Audio File of each Activity Sheet in the GRAI webpage grupsderecerca.uab.cat/grai/. The objective of this book is to encourage teachers to put this programme into practice, and to adapt it to their students’ needs and profile.