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UMD Tutor Helps Those in Need |
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Tutoring is a job like no other. Quality tutors are a valuable asset not only to grade level students but to college students as well. One University of Maryland student has taken peer tutoring to the next level by not only offering his knowledge and experience to the school he attends but also to his alma mater and area high school students. Adam Wiater, 20, has worked as a tutor for two years and received his tutor certification nearly one year ago. "I find tutoring to be very helpful to myself as well as the students themselves," said Wiater. Studies have been done by researchers around the world that show how students that go in for peer tutoring are not the only ones that reap the benefits from every session. It has been proven by several researchers including Debbie Robinson, Janet Schofield and Katrina Steers-Wentzell in their paper entitled Peer and Cross-Age Tutoring in Math: Outcomes and Their Design Implications that tutors also benefit from this interaction. "I benefit in two ways: I get the material reinforced for myself and I also get the experience of working with others," said Wiater. He believes that "the students obviously benefit because they get free help from students already familiar with the subject material." Wiater has experience with tutoring math, economics and history, which is his undergraduate major. He began tutoring at Anne Arundel Community College (AACC) from which he graduated from in May 2007. When he started at University of Maryland (UMD) this fall he continued his belief that "tutoring is an important resource for students." Not many students consider tutoring let alone tutoring for both the institution that they are attending and the institution they just graduated from. Wiater has taken on this sometimes challenging work by devoting hours of his time to helping his fellow students. "At AACC, I work in a Math Lab, where students can come in for free help in all levels of math," Wiater said. And at UMD he has been tutoring student athletes several times a week mainly in history and some math if needed. UMD tutoring is available to all graduate and undergraduate students in all areas of study. Wiater tutors student athletes in primarily history and some mathematics as well through the Academic Support and Career Development Unit (ASCDU). Sharon Staples is responsible for assigning tutors to the tutees. At AACC tutoring is offered to all students free of charge with three separate labs for accounting, math and writing and peer tutoring is readily available. There are also several different areas where students can access tutoring. Wiater currently works at the university's math lab at Arundel Mills. This is also where he gathers with high schools students that are in need of help with Advancement via Individual Determination (AVID). AVID is a program that teaches high school students how to prepare themselves for college. Wiater again primarily focuses on math but helps each of the students with study habits, time management and other basic things high school students should be aware of before starting a four-year college. “It’s rewarding to help students prepare for the future,” said Wiater. Tutoring is a service that all students should become aware of and if compelled, a service that is a good opportunity to volunteer for. It is clear to see that peer tutoring is both academically and cost effective, bringing a number of benefits for both the student and the tutor. (575 words) |
Adam Wiater not only tutors for the University of Maryland but also for Anne Arundel Community College, of which he is an alum.
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University of Maryland student Adam Wiater tutors Anne Arundel Community College student, Shera Burnett, at the Arundel Mills location.
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