The Power of Peer to Peer Learning

As Stephen Covey insightfully explains it, ‘When you expect to teach, your mind is prepared to learn.’  Teaching is undisputedly one of the most effective ways to learn.  This is why BYU-Idaho has adopted the practice of peer to peer learning.  This type of learning is applied with methods like online collaboration, group projects, student presentations, and student-led organizations.  Peer to peer instruction provides an opportunity to be an active participant in the learning process rather than a passive absorber of information.   Romans 2:21 puts it simply, “Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself?”

The BYU-Idaho Learning Model describes the responsibility that students have to be prepared to teach.  “Students prepare for class,” it reads, “by completing assignments beforehand, seeking additional information that might pertain to class discussions, finding opportunities to teach course material to peers, and actively applying core concepts in their individual lives.”

For students to be prepared to teach does not diminish the teacher’s role.  Brother Kusch of the Business Department addresses this issue.  “At the end of the day,” he asks, “who has the GREATER responsibility – the student or the teacher?  I believe the greater responsibility lies with the teacher.”  Brother Kusch supports peer to peer learning by asking his students to be prepared, participate, and seek opportunities to teach one another.  Ultimately though, it is the duty of the teacher to officiate over what is being taught.

What are the students saying about peer to peer education?  Janelle Magnusson, a junior studying English Education, was hesitant about taking class time to learn from other students.  However, her attitude changed as she discovered she was learning in new and unique ways.  “The classroom,” she says, “has turned into an application center instead of a lecture hall.  I have found myself becoming more familiar with the material we discuss because I am so involved in its presentation.” 

Written by Krislyn McCandless

October 17, 2007