The History of Peer TutoringFrom the author: I wrote this article for Bobbi Kirby-Werner's peer counseling internship. The history and psychology of peer tutoring interested me because throughout the course I had been wondering, “Where did this method of learning/teaching come from?” The answer was of course England. I also liked the idea that you didn't have to be a "professional" to be a consultant: that in fact, the point was that you ARE NOT a professional, and therefore, in some cases it was much more difficult. it is easier for students to build relationships with their consulting peers. Which helped them write.From the teacher: Brendan's text partially met the requirements for WRT 331 to prepare a paper as well as a 15-minute presentation on aspects of his experience as a writing consultant by peers. In his proposal for this project, Brendan noted that his peer status allowed him in many cases to build better relationships with his clients and have more productive sessions than he otherwise would have. This experience inspired him to investigate the history of peer counseling. The ideas Brendan shared in his article and presentation were valuable additions to the class. From the Editors: The author takes you on a historical journey of the evolution of peer tutoring. What its roots are and how far the peer tutoring system has grown over the past three hundred years are explained while the author provides insight into a little-known facet of the SU writing program : peer consultants. History The textbook definition of peer tutoring is “a system of teaching in which learners help each other and learn (themselves) by teaching” (Goodlad and Hirst 13). Key to this definition is the word peer, denoting a person of the same or almost the same status as the person being supervised, who, as such, is not a professional instructor. Peer tutoring has played an important role in education and has likely existed in one form or another since the beginning of civilization. But the first recorded use of an organized, systematic peer learning project in the Western world did not occur until the late 1700s. Following the budgetary difficulties of schools in the late 18th and early Since the 19th century, peer tutoring has become an effective way of giving disadvantaged children (at present, unfortunately, only boys) a reasonable chance of access to education. The first systematic approach to peer tutoring is attributed to Andrew Bell, who was the superintendent of the military asylum for men in Egmore, England (Goodlad and.