Notes

Peer Teaching – The new way of learning
Peer Teaching – The new way of learning

Peer teaching is when instruction and knowledge is shared by a peer instead of a teacher. The difference being that a peer is on the same wavelength as a learner in terms of age, thinking, attitude and outlook. Learners are more inclined to grasp concepts from someone who they can associate or relate to.


Every classroom has a bunch of students who tend to grasp concepts more quickly and this is reflected in high grades, achievements or ranks. Peer tutoring happens when one of these high achievers takes on the role of explaining the concepts to other students in the class. The methodology used by the peer tutor could drastically vary when it comes to how information is communicated.

Peer teaching and peer learning happens informally through exchange of notes, conversations, ideas and activities. There is less rigidity in following plans or completing assignments within deadlines. Since the peer tutor is in the same age bracket as that of the learner, there is more alignment towards common goals.

For the peer tutor, the person sharing knowledge, there is a string intrinsic motivation to see the learner succeed. For the learner, there is also a strong intrinsic need to mee the expectation of the peer tutor. In a sense, this is a form of peer pressure being used constructively.

These dynamics make peer tutoring an important aspect of education. With the advent of the internet, knowledge is not restricted to what a teacher knows anymore. Students can pick up information from any source beyond a regular teacher. In this context, the delivery method and learning style tend to play a bigger role in how knowledge is assimilated.

Peer tutoring is a great way to enhance the knowledge acquisition process because if its inherent dynamics of peer to peer relationships. Platforms such as Coursecottage aim to augment the benefits of peer tutoring through technology.
Homepage: https://coursecottage.com/coursesitter