What is peer teaching?Pear teaching is a method wherein teachers use students, the capable ones, to help in instructing their fellow classmates. It is said that with the use of peer teaching, the students collaborate more at ease and it is very beneficial not only to the student tutees but to the peer tutor as well.
There are many methods in peer teaching; think-pair-share; posing a question (particularly a complex one), give students five minutes to think about it, perhaps even jot down some notes, after which you have them partner up for a quick discussion about what they think and why. After giving ample time for discussion, ask partners to share their insights with the entire class. Also, peer instruction using clickers; as one well-researched peer instruction model (see, for example, Simon et. al, 2010) involves both individual and group work. Students are assigned a reading prior to class and then quizzed on one or two of the more difficult or complex items using Clickers to submit their answers. Students then form groups, discuss the quiz question, and re-submit a group answer. Instructors can then instantaneously see where clarification is needed based on what the groups struggled with, or when they overwhelmingly chose an incorrect answer. Another one is the reciprocal peer tutoring where one student’s time in class to pair up in an in-class tutor/tutee relationship—taking turns between being the tutor and the tutee. They will benefit in two ways: 1) from explaining their own personal understanding of the material to another and, 2) from hearing the other explain, from their understanding or viewpoint, the same material.
There are many benefits of peer teaching:
• Students receive more time for individualized learning.
• Direct interaction between students promotes active learning.
• Peer teachers reinforce their own learning by instructing others.
• Students feel more comfortable and open when interacting with a peer.
• Peers and students share a similar discourse, allowing for greater understanding.
• Peer teaching is a financially efficient alternative to hiring more staff members.
• Teachers receive more time to focus on the next lesson.
By: Irene Miranda Dasigan | T-II | Bonifacio Camacho National Highschool
