“Docendo discimus …By teaching we learn”
In a letter to Lucillius, Seneca the Younger gave voice to a truth which many contemporary professors have affirmed, students learn most deeply when they teach to others the material they are learning (Kirkegard, Gulz & Silvervarg, 2014). When students teach course material, multiple benefits arise: students develop a strong sense of commitment to the subject matter (Miller, Groccias & Miller, 2001); students “actively construct a shared sense of meaning about course concepts with their instructor and teaching partners” (Wagner & Gansermer-Toft, 2005); and students have deeper and more enduring comprehension of the material (Fiorella & Mayer, 2014). Peer to peer teaching occurs when students deliver small sections of course material, when they instruct each other in small groups, when they peer-review each other’s written assignments, when they work with the community beyond the traditional walls of the university, and when they can speak out of their cultural traditions and experiences that are unique to their situation.
The presenters of this session represent a cross-section of disciplines from literature to mathematics. The authors have developed a wide variety of teaching techniques that place students in a “teaching role” including in-class debates, modified team-based-learning, games, and on-line peer reviews of papers. In the opening section of the presentation we will discuss a variety of practical, transferable teaching techniques that allow students to take on a teaching role. Beyond the classroom setting, presenters have also developed forums in which students become active presenters and advocates through community engagement and service learning. Helping students succeed requires that they receive feedback, and during the presentation we will review different techniques of peer-assessment that help students understand how their work as teachers affects others (Boud, Cohen, & Sampson, 1999).
References:
Boud, D., Cohen, R., & Sampson, J. (1999). Peer learning and assessment. Assessment and Evaluation In Higher Education, 24(4), 413.
Fiorella, L., & Mayer, R. E. (2014). Role of expectations and explanations in learning by teaching. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 39, 2, 75-85.
Kirkegaard, C., Gulz, A., & Silvervarg, A. (2014). Introducing a callenging teachable agent. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 8523, 53-62.
Miller, J. E., Groccia, J.E., and Miller, M.S.. (2001). Student-Assisted Teaching. Bolton: Anker Publishing.
Wagner, M., & Gansemer-Topf, A. (2005). Learning by teaching others: A qualitative study exploring the benefits of peer teaching. Landscape Journal, 24(2), 198-208.
