The present investigation examined cross-age peer tutoring in the context of organising a technology-enhanced STEAM project aimed at bringing elements of maker culture to a lower secondary school. We examined how 8th graders tutored 7th graders in programming skills. The participants were peer tutors (n = 15) studying in a technology-oriented class, along with their teachers (5) and the researchers (2). By interviewing the tutors, we studied skills that the tutors had experienced as being essential to overcoming the challenges encountered. To trace the tutors’ social support network and the sharing of expertise, we asked the participants to draw a personal social network map. Three key tutors were identified, whose centrality in the network was socially validated by the number of peer tutors seeking their advice. Two case studies of key tutors’ learning networks were carried out. The findings revealed that the tutors needed versatile technological, social, pedagogical, and reflective know-how in the project. It is concluded that cross-age peer tutoring provides significant support for implementing practices of making and STEAM education at school.

本次调查在组织技术增强的STEAM项目的背景下研究了跨年龄的同伴辅导，该项目旨在将制造商文化的要素带入初中。我们研究了八年级学生如何辅导七年级学生的编程技能。参加者是同伴导师（n = 15），他们在技术类课程中学习，以及他们的老师（5）和研究人员（2）。通过采访导师，我们研究了导师所经历的技能，这些技能对于克服所遇到的挑战至关重要。为了追踪导师的社交支持网络和专业知识的共享，我们要求参与者绘制个人社交网络图。确定了三位主要导师，他们在网络中的中心地位得到了寻求导师的同伴导师的数量的社会认可。对关键导师的学习网络进行了两个案例研究。调查结果表明，导师在项目中需要广泛的技术，社会，教学和反思专业知识。结论是，跨年龄的同伴辅导为在学校实施制作和STEAM教育的实践提供了重要的支持。