In the extended discussion about the affordances of collaborative learning, peer-to-peer learning intrigued me the most. In the mortar and brick classrooms I often encourage peer work; sometimes it works successfully, sometimes not so effectively. However, hearing and reading more about peer-to-peer learning has persuaded me that it can indeed be used as a primary pedagogic approach in all e-learning environments with great success, if designed correctly. I am greatly interested in using peer-to-peer learning in my online classes this fall.

Peer learning comprises many activities as discussed by David Boud in his extensive work on the topic (2002). Peer learning might include any of the following: ". . . the traditional proctor model, in which senior students tutor junior students, to the more innovative learning cells, in which students in the same year form partnerships to assist each other with both course content and personal concerns. Other models involved discussion seminars, private study groups, parrainage (a buddy system) or counseling, peer-assessment schemes, collaborative project or laboratory work, projects in different sized (cascading) groups, workplace mentoring and community activities" (https://tomprof.stanford.edu/posting/418).

What all of these have in common is a "two-way reciprocal learning activity," an intentional mutuality where each member of the peer cohort has an opportunity to contribute meaningfully to the learning of other members of the group. This is different from peer teaching where there is still an implicit banking metaphor with the peer who does the teaching at a slightly higher advantage than the peer who learns and the teaching dispensing lessons to the student. In true peer-to-peer learning, students learn with each other and support each other all the way from the learning content to emotional support, help with shared resources without competition, and build on each other's strengths. When systematically integrated within the e-learning environment, peer-to-peer learning can help build students reach their learning outcomes in a collaborative manner effectively.

Peer-to-peer learning has the potential to recast traditional assignments into far more unique and singular collaborative projects that redefines the role of individual contribution in the making of the collaborative learning artefact. The following schematic shows some of the various activities that peer-to-peer learning might use in order to produce a collaborative project in which all students are able to contribute at a level that is effective for them and for the whole group:

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/152981718565975220/

One of the concepts discussed in the videos on collaborative intelligence which will help with peer-to-peer learning is the idea of "likeability" borrowed from social media as a springboard for learning. Cope discussed how the main engine that drives social media is the idea of people actively engaging with each other through responding to social media posts, "liking" posts or expressing their attitudes towards the content, and often engaging in lengthy discussions of the topic. The impetus here is to build and maintain community by working with each other, responding to each other, hearing each other, following others to be followed.

This psychological trait -- to like and to be liked as on social media, and to follow and to be followed -- is a good way to understand how to structure peer-to-peer learning activities. Whether in blogs or wikis, the learning objectives would benefit from being filtered through the social and collaborative objective of establishing an engaged response within the peer cohort group where students like and follow each other with sufficient interest in each other and in the topic.

Further benefits of peer-to-peer learning include a model where the teacher can provide a set of conceptual questions that may serve as springboards for peer cohorts to answer collaboratively. This is particularly effective in the empirical sciences and perhaps even in my linguistics classroom. Some of these activities are discussed here: https://www.slideshare.net/fpinela/ppl-pinela-seo-2015

I look forward to trying peer-to-peer more systematically in my classes this fall.

References

https://tomprof.stanford.edu/posting/418

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/152981718565975220/

https://www.slideshare.net/fpinela/ppl-pinela-seo-2015

https://www.achievementnetwork.org/anetblog/2015/9/30/peer-collaboration?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIma60l6_G6gIVjLbICh1WbQPREAAYBCAAEgKJjPD_BwE