Are you looking to involve students actively in their learning process?  Do you want students to benefit from each other’s knowledge and experiences?  Consider implementing peer teaching as a teaching and learning activity. This Education Tip explains the concept of peer teaching, its different types, advantages, and points to consider.

What is Peer Teaching?

Peer teaching is an active teaching method where students teach each other. Individually or in a group, the students take on the role of student-teacher(s) to learn with and from each other, without the direct intervention of a lecturer.  This method starts from the idea that students speak each other’s language and understand each other better. It also capitalises on students’ ability to transfer knowledge and skills to each other.

Peer teaching can take on different forms depending on the intended goals and the teaching context:

• peer tutoring: a more experienced or expert student (the tutor) helps other, less experienced students (tutees) get a grip on a specific topic or skill, either in small groups or in one-to-one sessions;
• reciprocal peer teaching: students alternately take on the role of teacher and student.  In class, they take turns presenting a topic and answering questions from their peers afterwards;
• peer mentoring: students (mentors) offer guidance, advice and support to students who need it (mentees). The mentors guide the mentees in their academic and social integration by helping them with their study strategies, time management, finding their way to on-campus facilities, etc.
• microteaching: students present something they have prepared individually or in groups to their peers.  They give their peers a simplified lecture.  The presenters receive feedback on the content or form of the presentation from the lecturer and their peers.
• co-operative learning: students are divided into small groups in which each student takes responsibility for contributing to the group. For example, you can divide a topic into subparts. Each student then becomes an “expert” in their own subpart by reading about it, looking up info... and bring their expertise to the other group members.  brengen hun expertise bij de andere groepsleden. 
• collaborative learning: students collaborate on assignments or projects in small groups. Each student contributes knowledge so the group members can learn from each other;
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Why Peer Teaching?

Peer teaching has considerable cognitive and affective advantages for the student-teacher and the other students:

1. Activation and commitment: the biggest asset of peer teaching is that it makes the most of students’ learning opportunities. Students who help others gain confidence in their academic skills will feel more motivated and also more committed to their learning process.  Taking on the role of teacher forces students to process and thoroughly understand the learning contents before they can impart them to their peers.  The actual act of teaching also contributes to a higher retention of learning content.  Students taught by peers report increased motivation to learn.
2. Tailored support: peer teaching leaves room for various learning strategies and approaches. The smaller groups enable the student-teachers to customise their classes and explanations to the needs of their peers. Students might also accept feedback from their peers more easily than from a lecturer, who is much less close to them. Peer teachers can thus give direct and personally relevant feedback to their peers.
3. Generic Competencies: taking on the role of peer teacher will boost one’s leadership skills. Peer teaching enhances communication, collaboration, and empathy, which are all highly valuable skills in both academic and professional settings.

Points to Consider

Peer teaching sessions can take many forms, depending on the type of peer teaching. Below are some general points to consider.  

• set clear goals: this will help the students focus. Students and student-teachers will participate in the sessions differently, depending on their respective goals. Practising didactic skills may call for a different kind of preparation than collaboration;
• select the content carefully: consider the topics that need extra coaching and set clear learning objectives for the peer teaching programme. Select topics based on student feedback or an analysis of the learning outcomes. We advise against conducting peer teaching sessions for content that students have already mastered;
• organise structured sessions: organise regular sessions and set clear objectives. Give the students a way to keep track of their progress and ask for support, if necessary;
• prepare the students: make sure that the peer teachers have been sufficiently prepared for their role, e.g. as regards didactic skills. Preparation is key. It will give the students the confidence they need to teach;
• group composition: sort the students into smaller groups (3-5 persons). These small groups will make it easier to involve everyone and stimulate real interaction. Consider assigning different roles to students (such as note-taker, leader, etc.) to improve collaboration. These roles will allow the peers to practice different skill sets;
• do not leave the students to fend for themselves: when engaging in peer teaching, your role changes from lecturer to facilitator. You offer support and answer questions if necessary.  Although you may not have to teach yourself, you will have to remain in the vicinity to answer questions and give feedback. Regularly check with the peers to ascertain all is as it should be.
• assessment and feedback: it is important to assess the effectiveness of peer teaching. Keep tabs on the groups and give constructive feedback where necessary. This will enhance the learning process of both peers and the peer teacher, helping them to achieve the learning objectives.