Natural interest among students to interact with each other can be leveraged to an academic benefit, through peer learning:
- Technology is changing education from being a teacher-centred instruction to a learner-centred education, where students take greater initiative and responsibility to manage their own learning. In these developments how can we integrate peer learning strategy to improve learning outcomes.
- Peer learning refers to students learning with and from each other as fellow learners without any implied authority to any individual.
- Peer learning pedagogy is part of an active learning strategy.
- Students who engage in an environment of open and free communication, study well and perform better academically.
- In peer learning students will engage with each other intellectually, debate each other’s views, reaching an agreement or a disagreement.
- What is happening in most of the schools? . Currently students learn in 'silos". In business language silos refers to a situation wherein departments or management groups do not share information, goals, tools, priorities and processes with other departments. In the similar sense students are not sharing knowledge with each other. There is an absence of interactivity, students are becoming passive receivers of information. This can make them completely dependent on teachers for all their learning needs.
- How will peer learning benefit student learning?
Studies have demonstrated that the cognitive process of doing exercises together, raising questions and arriving at conclusions will greatly help assimilate knowledge, which enhances a student’s understanding of the lesson.
- The peer learning develops collaborativenes rather than unhealthy competition.
- What is the challenge?
Peer learning cannot be fully volunteer or self driven. Not every student is keen on participating in a peer learning activity. So, the teachers have to step in to subtly motivate these students. Teachers need to monitor students participation and learning.
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