Melanie & Alexis

PALS Peer Assisted Learning Strategies

Benefits: Allows students with disabilities to spend more time in least restrictive environment and increases their access to the general education curriculum. Helps teachers accommodate academic diversity. Accelerates student achievement in reading and math. Is affordable and easily implemented. Is found to be an enjoyable activity by teachers and students.

What is PALS & How does it work?

PALS is a version of class wide peer tutoring. PALS combines proven instructional principles and practices and peer mediation so that research-based reading and math activities are effective, feasible, and enjoyable. Teachers identify which children require help on specific skills and who the most appropriate children are to help other children learn those skills. Using this information, teachers pair students in the class, so that partners work simultaneously and productively on different activities that address the problems they are experiencing. Pairs are changed regularly and all students have the opportunity to be "coaches" and "players" over a period of time as students work on a variety of skills. PALS creates pairs in a classroom, each of which is geared to the individual student's needs, instead of a single, teacher-directed activity that may end up addressing the problems of only a few children. The strategy also creates opportunities for a teacher to circulate in the class, observe students, and provide individual remedial lessons. PALS is designed to complement, not replace, existing reading and math curriculum. PALS is a 25 to 35 minute activity implemented 2

Benefits Continued...

Motivates students to do better in reading and math.

Expands instructional resources in the classroom.

Provides for positive and productive peer interaction.

Characteristics necessary for the successful use of pairs:

Clear instructional activities are planned in advance by the teacher and based on material that has been taught.

Creates opportunity for lower functioning students to assume an integral role in a valued activity.

Members of pairs differ in reading ability or English proficiency. Peers work together approximately 90 minutes per week in reading and language practice.

Procedures and routines for working in pairs are taught by the teacher in advance of peer work.

Math PALS
Reading & Math PALS Math PALS has two basic coaching procedures: coaching and practice. During coaching, students work on a sheet of problems in the skill area (e.g., adding, subtracting with regrouping, number concepts, charts, and graphs) to which they have been assigned. The coach uses a sheet Implementation:
PALS is an affordable program for public schools. There is a recommend a one-day training workshop at your site. Depending on the workshop you choose, the presenter's fee ranges from $1,000 to $1,500 plus travel expenses. All workshop participants need a PALS teacher's manual which can be purchased from Vanderbilt University prior to the training workshop. Follow-up training is also available.

that contains a series of questions, differing by problem type, designed to guide the player. Coaches also use a correction procedure. Coaching usually lasts 15-20 minutes. During practice, every student receives a mixed-problem worksheet containing the problem type just worked on, as well as easier types of problems. Students work independently for about two-thirds of the class period. Students then exchange papers and score each others' practice sheets. Practice lasts 5-10 minutes. Students earn points for cooperating and constructing good explanations during coaching and for doing problems correctly during practice.

Reading PALS
PALS Reading is a

Target Population:
Children in preschool through high school who have difficulties in Reading or Math.

structured, peer-mediated reading activity appropriate for students in preschool through grade 6 and high school. All students in a class are divided into pairs. Each member of the pair takes turns being coach and reader and are awarded points for good reading and coaching. As the reader reads aloud, the coach listens and provides corrective feedback. PALS does not require special reading material. Teachers may use library books or short stories The time commitment in the classroom for

implementing PALS reading each week differs slightly depending on the grade level and instructors have some flexibility in the scheduling. K-Pals is done 34 times per week for approximately 30 minutes per session; first grade PALS is done 3-4 times per week for approximately 35 minutes per session; Grades 2-6 PALS is implemented 3 times per week for 35 minutes per session; and High School PALS is implemented 5 times every 2 weeks for 35 minutes per session. In Kindergarten PALS, children practice letter-

sound correspondence, decoding, phonological awareness, and sight words. First-grade and grades 26 PALS emphasize decoding and reading fluency. There are four PALS activities that promote reading fluency and reading comprehension : Partner Reading Paragraph shrinking Prediction Relay Re-Telling

High School PALS is similar to PALS at grades 2-6 but uses more age-appropriate motivational strategies and helping strategies .