There’s no doubt that expectations for student achievement have increased exponentially over the past two decades. To help students meet these expectations, schools have shifted to more evidence-based strategies, like peer teaching.
Peer teaching isn’t a single strategy — it is a full menu of learning techniques that can enhance student achievement, content knowledge, and student engagement. However, peer teaching can also be problematic for teachers, because employing this particular method means that students will be teaching each other.
You might be thinking…
- My students aren’t experts. How can they teach this content to one another?
- What if they teach and learn the information incorrectly? Even if they do get it right, will the learning be superficial?
- What if parents bristle at the idea of students learning from students when the stakes are so high for student assessment?
- What about my professional responsibility? I’m the teacher, after all. Isn’t teaching my job?
All of these are valid concerns and worthy of some debate. But equally valid is the wealth of research that shows peer teaching works.
Are you ready to explore peer teaching in your classroom?
Whether you’re ready for just a taste or a full menu of strategies, we’ve got something for you to try!
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