Thongsook College BA TESOL Teaching Tips: Using the student buddy system

Making students responsible to look out for and help each other

"While the buddy system might seem unduly strict, it allows me to spend time with students who come to class and not with those who were absent. It allows me to begin my lesson plan without too much delay, which is my overriding goal. It makes students responsible for keeping up with the class and helping each other with day-to-day assignments and homework. Finally, it allows me more time to work with students who were in class and who are trying but might need extra help".

Timothy Cornwall, PhD

Finding a Buddy

When I teach large classes, as many as 220, my goal is to spend as much time as I can teaching and not administering. Perhaps one of the biggest time killers is dealing with anything distributed in a previous class, ranging from handouts to homework assignments. To combat this administrative nightmare, I nip it in the bud by establishing a study buddy system.

At the start of each term, I instruct each student to pick a ‘buddy’, someone who will pick up handouts, explain homework assignments, and hand in their homework if they are absent.

In addition, I have each buddy pair find another pair in the event both students are absent. In this way, there should always be someone to pick things up and pass them on to the right people.

Even in small classes where I have forgotten to apply this rule, the time needed to give handouts to absent students can take away from my lesson plan and from those who were present the week before.

Handouts and the buddy system

When I distribute handouts, I make enough for the class and pass them out in mass. I do not expect any returns. If some are returned, this immediately signals that a study buddy has not taken a copy, or perhaps both buddies are absent and that their backup buddy has forgotten to take copies.

Early in the term, I will take time to ask students to make sure they have a copy for anyone missing. If no one comes forward to pick up extra handouts, I throw them away. Invariably, students are shocked by the idea that I am not keeping extra copies for those absent. However, it is effective in demonstrating that I am serious about the need to have a buddy.

In the next class, when students who were absent from the previous class or classes ask for handouts, I suggest they talk to their buddy and get what they need. As I do not keep extra copies with me, I make it clear that I will not make more or look through my documents.

If I bring a copy for myself, I mark it with a yellow highlight pen, which does not appear on photocopies, with a very large ‘TC’ (teacher copy). Originals, which I never bring to class, are marked with a large ‘O’ (original).

After the first two or three frustrated attempts to get a handout from a previous class, students give up relying on me and look to their ‘buddy’, which in turn relieves me of a time-wasting administrative task.

I should add that for the first few weeks, handouts are not that important, and if students miss one or more handouts, it does not really matter. However, two to three weeks into the term, when students have learned the system, handouts become more important.

Homework Buddies

I use the same system for homework. If students are absent when homework is due, they should give it to a buddy to hand in. If homework is late, I do not want it. As homework is always assigned two classes ahead, theoretically, this should not be a problem.

I insist on not accepting late homework, as I would like to correct it and get it back in the next class. Again, I do not have time to check if the homework being handed in late was by someone who was in class but did not do it. Most importantly, I do not want students copying homework handed in by another student and already corrected. This would not be fair to those who do it on time and on their own.

If I have less than 40 students, I give homework back individually to get to know students. However, with 50+, it is too time-consuming, and I leave the homework on a desk for them to pick up during break or at the end of the class.

Dr Tim Cornwall has been teaching EFL for over 45 years. He is currently a faculty member of the Thongsook College International Program BA TESOL. He can be reached via email at dr.tim@thongsook.college.

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