Due to the global pandemic and continuous lockdowns, educational institutions have switched to online learning. This sudden shift to e-learning tarnished the quality of education provided and negatively affected students’ academic scores. Schools rushedly started giving zoom classes without proper instructions. That is why online learning starts to have a poor reputation among the public. The primary issue with passive learning is that the strategies introduced are not facilitating students to learn well. Remote learning is lonely and frustrating when lectures filter through a computer screen, making it difficult for students to make the best of online classes. It is why online learning should be engaging and innovative so that the students rely on their peers to get knowledge and skills. Peer learning is what makes online learning workable.
Peer learning allows students to gain more knowledge
Studies show that students don’t find online learning boring, but rather it is challenging to understand lectures online compared to in-person classes.
Students are more likely to acquire knowledge when surrounded by fellow students in an active setting like classrooms than remotely studying in their rooms. Offline studying sessions inspire students and help them explore, conclude, and create new ideas. Active studying proves to be more efficient than passively studying and speeds up knowledge retention.
One strategy that encourages students to learn is enabling them to play the role of teachers. Once you get hold of the concepts, you automatically develop the skills to deliver them as a lecture. Studies prove that students can easily understand a subject when students teach it to others. That’s why seminars conducted by students are a great way to help them learn the concepts.
Peer learning yields better results.
Students grasp knowledge faster when proper attention is given. But the issue with online learning is that teachers and students rarely have one-on-one conversations. It creates a gap in teacher-student relationships, leading to hindrances in acquiring knowledge.
Peer learning allows students to interact and exchange feedback with each other. Such individual attention helps students identify their weak points, and thus, make improvements. Students have the right motivation to complete their tasks and give their best performance when studying in groups. And this is how peer learning is the future of remote learning.
By introducing a class-wide peer-review process, many students get feedback that help them improve gradually. When reviewing fellow peers’ work anonymously, the reviewer critically analyzes the work to provide detailed feedback. And in the same way, the reviewer gets to share thoughts on the given feedback.
Peer learning helps create a group.
For college and high schoolers, remote learning is isolating and stressful. But peer learning helps students connect and share ideas on the course. Building a community, connecting, and sharing knowledge with fellow peers is what makes college/high school an effective mode of education. It also explains why these institutions demand thousands of dollars of fees.
Fortunately, establishing online learning communities helps fight all the psychological problems that come from remote learning. Learning in groups helps build networking circles, allows students to work in groups, form relationships, learn, and grow. Such collaborations make students value peer learning even more.
Creating discussion boards is an excellent means to create bonds between students, and it encourages them to give critical opinions even in online learning.
Peer learning is scalable.
Besides peer learning in your classroom, you can introduce technology and upscale it to the desired size.
Many learning strategies are unworkable when dealing with a big class because a single instructor can not handle them. That’s why peer learning is primarily helpful in big-scale classes. It provides boundless opportunities for individual interactions, feedback, and group responsibility, and accountability.
Students significantly improve their grades and learning when they apply peer learning techniques. Peer learning isn’t limited to huge classes. Yes, careful planning and infrastructure can help introduce peer learning in schools.
Peer learning is the alternative to passive online learning
Due to COVID-19, online learning has been introduced everywhere around the globe. But it has several drawbacks that result in backlash from students. It is crucial when educators have to step in and bring makeshift online learning strategies to level up academic quality.
In this mess, peer learning turns out to be a lifesaver. It has the capabilities to fight future online learning methods very well. It brings significant change by allowing students to switch from passive learners to active class participants. This change is very advantageous for everyone, including the students struggling with remote learning and educators who find it difficult to manage online classes.
