Supplemental Instruction (SI) is a student academic assistance program that increases academic performance and retention through its use of collaborative learning strategies.
Assistance begins in the first week of the term. The SI leader introduces the program during the first class session and surveys the students to establish a schedule for the SI sessions. Attendance is voluntary. Students of varying abilities participate, and no effort is made to segregate students based on academic ability. Many underprepared students who might otherwise avoid seeking assistance will participate in SI, since it is not perceived to be remediation and there is no stigma attached.
SI enables students to master course content while they develop and integrate effective learning and study strategies. Therefore, learning/study strategies (e.g., note-taking, organization, test preparation) are integrated into the course content during the SI sessions. Immediate practice and reinforcement of these acquired skills are provided. SI collaborative sessions capitalize on the use of the "teachable moment" to apply the learning strategies to the course material.
The duty of the SI leader is to listen to their comments and then to redirect the students toward developing strategies to cope with the situation. The SI leader is not to assess the course professor or agree/disagree with student comments. If the course professor has previously invited feedback from the SI leader, the SI leader shares student comments or concerns in a non-threatening and anonymous fashion, privately with the course instructor.
The SI leader. The SI leader is a student who has successfully completed the targeted class or a comparable course. It is ideal if the student has taken the course from the same instructor for whom he or she is now providing SI assistance.
The SI leader is trained in proactive learning and study strategies and operates as a "model student," attending all course lectures, taking notes, and reading all assigned materials. The SI leader conducts three or more out-of-class SI sessions per week during which he/she integrates "how to learn" with "what to learn" (Martin et al., 1983).
The SI leader is a facilitator, not a mini professor. The role of the leader is to provide structure to the study session, not re-lecture or introduce new material.
The SI leader should be a "model student" who shows how successful students think about and process course content. He or she facilitates a process of collaborative learning, an important strategy since it helps students to empower themselves rather than remain dependent as they might in traditional tutoring.
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