There are several educational, social, and economic trends that converge to increase the need to understand how adolescents can best become more involved in the education of younger children. Many educators have pointed to the benefits of the rich and complex learning that occurs during cross-age tutoring. Current reforms in public school…

Described perceptions of the effective teaching dynamics of adolescents placed in the role of science teacher for young children in an after-school program. Data from observations, instructor portfolios, focus groups, and interviews with children identified five perceived reasons for adolescent effectiveness. The nature of child science was…