Peer Assistance

Recently in our BIM 1 classes we had to stop using headphones in order to get more efficient at Microsoft Excel.  But do not despair, we have a plan to get our headphones back.  And that plan is Peer Assistance.

The PA program encourages students to help students on assignments by giving them an added incentive - the chance of a free day and a party!  Each 6-weeks, the class with the highest class average gets a day off when the other classes are working and gets to have a class party.  PA is a chance to make the class's average even higher.  For each time a student helps another student, they get one point.  For each time a student asks for help from another student, they get one point.  It quickly becomes a cascade as more people complete their work and begin helping others.  At the end of the 6-weeks, students turn in their PA sheets and I tally the points.  Whichever class has the most PA points gets 3 extra points added to their class average in the running for a party.  Plus, if more students are completing their work and getting better at Excel, the grades will be higher anyway.

Peer Assistance helps EVERYONE in class.  It helps the students who need more practice to become Excel pros.  It helps the students who are pretty good at Excel because teaching always helps the teacher become more comfortable with the material too.  And it helps me, Ms. Davis, because I can only be in 1 place at a time.

Please give me some good ideas for incentives that people would like to get for Peer Assistance.  I'm open to suggestions, and I appreciate your assistance. :)

Peer Assistance Form