Coaching peer-learning teams

Peer teaching occurs when children (e.g. peers) teach and learn from one another. To help peer teaching and learning succeed, you can:

- explain the purpose of peer learning to the class

- set clear and realistic goals for the learning teams

- plan specific activities and times for peer learning

- provide adequate materials and resources

- track the progress made by peer-learning teams

- plan time for "feedback" and assessment

- change peer-learning teams roughly every 4 weeks

- promote self-directed learning in your classroom

You can also enhance your chances of success by introducing peer learning slowly.

Early in the year, ask learning teams to work for 15 or 20 minutes on very focused exercises in mathematics, spelling, or reading. As the children grow more comfortable with the process, you can broaden the goals for peer-learning teams to include writing, research, and work on projects.

Journal activity: Matching learners

Create two hypothetical lists of peer-learning teams.

There are many ways of matching children as peer teachers and learners. You should try to create match-ups that are appropriate to the learning outcomes that you are seeking.

Review the different peer-learning goals below. For each goal, create a list of peer-learning teams, with two children on a team.

• Peer learning teams will complete exercise sheets in review of last week's mathematics activities and lessons.
• Peer learning teams will review and revise stories to improve spelling, punctuation, expressiveness, and clarity.

Look over the lists that you've created. What are the differences between them?

Try to note down some of the issues to consider when designating learning teams with specific goals in mind.