Tutors make a difference

First-year masters students in Educational Sciences at Ghent University (majoring in Pedagogy and Educational Sciences) offer support to fifth- and sixth-year school pupils during school by helping them ‘learn to learn’.

The TutorBabbel project started in September 2008, and has been running until present, optimised and developed year on year in close consultation with the partner schools and based on the reflections of the students who are involved. Students from the first year of the masters in Pedagogy and Educational Sciences (one of the majors within Educational Sciences ) offer tutoring to disadvantaged pupils in their fifth and sixth school years, coaching them in self-regulated learning (also known as ‘learning to learn’) during school hours. This skill of self-regulation is crucial for pupils and young people to be able to acquire new knowledge and skills in a more independent way throughout the rest of their school career, to help them solve problems, as well as learning to function in our modern knowledge-based society. However, research has shown that we do not develop self-regulatory skills automatically, and that targeted instruction is essential. Moreover we know that it is vulnerable pupils who find it most challenging to develop self-regulatory skills. This is where the TutorBabbel project comes in. The project runs for a whole semester. Objectives are formulated for four target groups (pupils, masters students, teachers, parents). The students are prepared and supported as part of the course unit in Care, Coaching and Counselling in Teaching. 

Until now, this project has been partly funded by annual project-based funding from the Department of Education and Training, however extra funding is desperately needed so the project can keep running successfully, and provide support and feedback for students throughout the project. 

You too can donate via bank transfer to the following account number: BE26 3900 9658 0329 (BIC: BBRUBEBB) including the message: “FWUGhent_Tutorbabbel". For donations worth €40 or more, you will receive a tax receipt allowing you to claim back 45% of your gift in your tax declaration.