CrossAge Mentoring

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Cross-Age Mentoring

• Michelle Brandenburg
• Extension Educator YD/4-H

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What is Cross-Age Mentoring?

• Teens share their skills, knowledge with person
  who are either younger or older
• Teach to a class, part of a group, or one-to-one
• May be based on
• Academics
• Sports
• Music
• Arts
• Etc.

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Benefits of Cross-Age Mentoring

• Students
• Teachers
• Both

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Student Benefits

• Gaining confidence and improved self-esteem
• Positive role models
• Strengthened academic abilities, improved
  performance, increased confidence, success
• Learn new skills
• Experience energy, enthusiasm and idealism

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Teacher Benefits

• Opportunity to share special talents and
  abilities with others
• Gain new perspectives
• From older students, acquire a sense of history
• Excitement of a student learning
• Serving as a role model
• Become a valued friend
• Learn new information in preparation for teaching

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Student and Teacher Benefits

• May help eliminate or reduce stereotypes or
  misconceptions that people have about others who
  are older or younger than they are
• Opportunity for everyone to learn about and
  appreciate the abilities, experience and
  perspective of persons of different ages
• Sense of belonging

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Starting a Cross-Age Program

• Determine your focus
• Age of students
• What to teach
• Find students
• Research your subject
• Teach only current and accurate information
• Learn effective, age appropriate teaching
  techniques
• Etc.
• Develop lesson plans
• Seek advice teachers
• Practice

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Teens as Teachers

• Why science Science literacy among school-age
  children is a state and national concern p. 209
  smith et al

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Sustainability of a Cross-Age Program
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Challenges

• Finding enough time to plan and teach lessons,
  provide feedback to students, evaluate your
  program
• Volunteers need to understand the significant
  time commitment required
• Finding program support (supplies, finances, etc.)

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Evaluation

• Decide up front what you want to evaluate and how
  youll do so

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Remember

• Reward volunteers
• Make learning fun
• Vary lessons
• Recruit new teachers on a regular basis
• Keep lessons fresh and interesting
• Maintain energy and enthusiasm

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References

• Benard, B. (1990). The Case for Peers. Available
  at http//www.cce.umn.edu/pdfs/NRRC/THE_CASE_FOR
  _PEERS.pdf
• Lee, F., Murdock, S. (2001). Teenagers as
  teachers programs ten essential elements.
  Available at http//www.joe.org/joe/2001february/
  rb1.html\
• Nicholson, H.J., Collins, C., Holmer, H. (2004).
  Youth as People The Protective Aspects of Youth
  Development in After-School Settings. Available
  at http//ann.sagepub.com/cgi/reprint/591/1/55
• Russell, S.T., Polen, N., Tepper, K.H. (2002).
  Cross-age Teaching. Available at
  http//msg.calsnet.arizona.edu/fcs/content.cfm?con
  tentCrossAge