Peer-to-peer learning or peer learning is referred as an educational approach for learning; the students in this approach learn new topics with and from each other. The students in peer-to-peer learning approach are called fellow learners that learn new topics without any applied authority (Biech, 2015). In other words, it is an educational framework in which fellow students interact with other students in order to attain educational objectives. It is related to the educational approach called cooperative learning which focuses on establishing structure positive interdependence (Lang, Craig & Casey, 2017). This report will focus on analysing whether Peer-to-peer learning strategy assists in increasing student independence. In this report, various points will be discussed regarding how Peer-to-peer learning approach increases student independence by conducting secondary research in peer-reviewed journals. The purpose of this report focuses on ascertaining the role of Peer-to-peer learning approach in student independence. Further, the report will evaluate how peer-to-peer learning promotes independence in students.
Peer learning reduces the requirement of teachers in the learning process which makes students more independent and confident about their learning abilities. A student’s independence is defined as his/her ability to learn and understand new concepts without the requirement of depending on the teacher. With effective peer learning, students become more independent and interdependent (Hwang & Hu, 2013). A large number of studies have provided that modern students are becoming more dependent on their teachers which are bad for their education because they failed to learn new topics in the future. The students lack the ability of learning because they are completely dependent on their teachers. The students who are highly dependent on their teachers face various difficulties in future where they have to learn new topics on their own. The number of highly dependable students is continuously growing because of increase in a number of ways through which students can easily connect with their teachers. However, in case of Peer-to-peer learning approach, the students learn with other students, and they also have to teach others as well. The students learn in small groups, and they learn the topics with the understanding of their peers and their experiences (Sams & Bergmann, 2013). Self-learning makes students less dependent on teachers and more independent because they can learn new topics on their own. Therefore, Peer-to-peer learning approach reduces students’ dependence on teacher and increases their ability to self-educate themselves which assist them in future and make them independent.
Peer-to-peer learning approach assists in making more autonomous students because they have to engage in the activity of learning and teaching which improve their ability of self-education. Peer-to-peer learning enables students to evaluate their own skills and knowledge about the topic (Lynch, Cil, Lehane, Reardon & Corrigan, 2014). The students are requiring evaluating others and their own learning abilities. Self-evaluation assist students in understanding their weaknesses, and they can tackle them by improving their knowledge. The students also provide recommendations to others peer and help them learn about their learning deficiencies as well. The students also learn about their abilities as well which assist them in their learning process. In Peer-to-peer learning approach, students teach other students that assist them in understanding the topics more clearly (Koles, Stolfi, Borges, Nelson & Parmelee, 2010). Positive learning is a crucial element of Peer-to-peer learning approach which provides that members share a common goal and objective while working with each other and success depends upon the collaborative participation of all the members. Therefore, Self-evaluation makes students more independent because they become aware of their own strengths and weaknesses.
The key characteristic of peer learning is that it is a reciprocal learning activity which mutually benefits the participants that result in making students more independent. According to Hanson (2011), students learn and understand a great deal by explaining the topic or ideas to fellow students, and they also have the option to learn from their peers. The students have to engage in the learning process and perform activities such as organising, planning, evaluating and analysing the course content during peer learning process. Increase engagement assist students in learning the course manager better which makes them more independence. The students develop and improve their skills by organising and planning learning activities which forces them to work collaboratively with their peers by providing and receiving feedback. The response from peers assists students in understanding and evaluating their own learning style. Many people still have the old perception that Peer-to-peer learning is not suitable since students lack experience as compared to teachers. Shih (2011) stated that with the advancement of technology and increasing role of student independence, peer learning is becoming substantially part of many courses and it is used by many universities in different countries to increase the independence of students. Therefore, growing popularity of Peer-to-peer learning approach increases the engagement of students in the learning process and it makes them independent.
In Peer-to-peer learning approach, students evaluate their learning ability which increases their confidence and makes them more independent. Learning is considered as a crucial part of people’s life and ability to learn and understand new topics assist people in addressing various issues in life. Self-education assists students in their academic career and makes them competence. Supovitz, Sirinides, and May (2010) mentioned that Peer learning assists students in learning how to learn which assist them in their future as well. The ability of students to learn new topics on their own and lack of dependence on teachers make them more confident. During peer learning, the students become more aware of their strengths and weaknesses on the topic which makes them confident. High confidence enables students to become more independent because that become sure about their skills. Self-confidence assists students in their academic career by making them confident enough to act on their ideas and achieving the set targets (Smith, Wood, Krauter & Knight, 2011). Therefore, the ability to understand and learn new topics makes students confident, and peer learning assists them in realising their potential to learn which makes them independent.
Conclusion
This report found that peer-to-peer learning is an educational approach in which students learn new topics by teaching and learning from with and from their peers. Peer learning assists in making students more independent because it increases their engagement in studies and it assists them in self-evaluation which provides them information about their strengths and weaknesses. It also increases students’ ability to learn and increases their self-confidence. The students become less dependent on teachers that make them independent. The students face various challenging during peer learning as well such as lack of experience, unnecessary criticism and lack of motivation. To address these issues, universities should promote peer learning activities, students should carefully select their peers for learning and schools should use role-play to improve students’ peer learning skills. These factors can assist students in becoming independent which positively influence their academic career and increase their future growth.
Following recommendations can be implemented by students during peer-to-peer learning process which can assist in making them more independent learners by addressing its challenges.
The universities should encourage students to become self-directed learners and independent through the responsible, cooperative endeavour. Various programs such as PASS (Peer-Assisted Study Sessions) assist in promoting of Peer-to-peer learning approach between students. The efforts of universities can encourage students to engage in peer learning activities which make them self-dependent learners (Ahn, Weng & Butler, 2013).
During the peer learning process, the students should carefully select their peers to ensure that they have a positive peer learning experience or else they can face the issue of unnecessary evaluation from peers. It will assist them absorbing the criticism more effectively (Li, Liu & Steckelberg, 2010).
People and educational professionals are requiring realigning their perceptions regarding traditional methods of learning. They should promote Peer-to-peer learning among students to make them more competent and independent learners.
Schools should perform role-play exercises in early education stage in which students teach other students of the class. This strategy can make them more confidence during the higher education stage of their academic career (Thomas, Martin & Pleasants, 2011).
References
Ahn, J., Weng, C., & Butler, B. S. (2013, January). The dynamics of open, peer-to-peer learning: what factors influence participation in the P2P University?. In System Sciences (HICSS), 2013 46th Hawaii International Conference on (pp. 3098-3107). IEEE.
Biech, E. (2015). Peer?to?Peer Learning. 101 Ways to Make Learning Active Beyond the Classroom, 204-212.
Hanson, K. (2011). Blog Enabled Peer–To–Peer Learning. American Dental Hygienists Association, 85(1), 6-12.
Hwang, W. Y., & Hu, S. S. (2013). Analysis of peer learning behaviors using multiple representations in virtual reality and their impacts on geometry problem solving. Computers & Education, 62, 308-319.
Koles, P. G., Stolfi, A., Borges, N. J., Nelson, S., & Parmelee, D. X. (2010). The impact of team-based learning on medical students’ academic performance. Academic Medicine, 85(11), 1739-1745.
Lang, C., Craig, A., & Casey, G. (2017). A pedagogy for outreach activities in ICT: Promoting peer to peer learning, creativity and experimentation. British Journal of Educational Technology, 48(6), 1491-1501.
Li, L., Liu, X., & Steckelberg, A. L. (2010). Assessor or assessee: How student learning improves by giving and receiving peer feedback. British Journal of Educational Technology, 41(3), 525-536.
Lynch, N. P., Cil, T., Lehane, E., Reardon, M., & Corrigan, M. (2014). Transatlantic peer-to-peer learning: An initial feasibility analysis. Surgical innovation, 21(6), 643-648.
Sams, A., & Bergmann, J. (2013). Flip your students’ learning. Educational leadership, 70(6), 16-20.
Shih, R. C. (2011). Can Web 2.0 technology assist college students in learning English writing? Integrating Facebook and peer assessment with blended learning. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 27(5).
Smith, M. K., Wood, W. B., Krauter, K., & Knight, J. K. (2011). Combining peer discussion with instructor explanation increases student learning from in-class concept questions. CBE-Life Sciences Education, 10(1), 55-63.
Supovitz, J., Sirinides, P., & May, H. (2010). How principals and peers influence teaching and learning. Educational Administration Quarterly, 46(1), 31-56.
Thomas, G., Martin, D., & Pleasants, K. (2011). Using self-and peer-assessment to enhance students’ future-learning in higher education. Journal of University Teaching & Learning Practice, 8(1), 5.
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