Nobody
can argue that studying with friends is more fun than learning alone. However,
educational research has found that the benefit of working with peers extends far beyond the social aspects. In fact by helping each other
in the classroom and outside it, you are more likely to fully understand and
remember the topics you share.
Whether
it’s working in pairs, revising together in the final weeks, interacting in a
Facebook study group or helping out a perplexed classmate, all types of peer
learning have been shown to be highly
effective in terms of boosting motivation, focus and depth of understanding.
You
may have come across a situation where a friend is unable to figure out a
difficult accounting problem in class. Where possible, I’m sure you’ve lent a hand by taking them through the correct method.
Clearly, this is of great benefit to your friend because they
can move on with their work, but it also has inherent benefits for you too.
Studies
have shown that the cognitive process of explaining the solution and dealing
with your classmate’s
questions and misunderstandings will actually embed
that knowledge further into your own memory and enhance your own understanding of the subject. This process can result in ‘deep learning’, the type that is
retained by the long-term memory rather than ‘surface learning’ which can cause
information to dissipate from memory, shortly after class.
Peer Work in a Classroom Environment
Fully
aware of the extensive benefits of peer work, your classroom teacher may seek
to harness these by integrating peer related tasks as part of your learning
process. You
may find yourself delivering presentations, marking and
feeding back the strengths and
weaknesses of a
class mate’s work, producing quiz questions or even interacting in
team debates.
These
student-centred
activities have been linked to more effective learning because you will need to actively engage
with the material in
order to participate- a factor that is missing when learning is
passive such as listening and taking notes in a traditional lecture. Inclusion of this type of activity adds
variation to learning, but can also enhance your interest and motivation levels, encourage
group cohesion and should ultimately result in a better
comprehension of the topic.
Misgivings
Some
students can be reluctant to undertake peer related tasks. They may feel it is
the job of the teacher to provide knowledge and that is the purpose of them
attending college. However, they are likely to be unaware that in addition to
the teacher’s expertise, the process of listening to
a classmate’s interpretation of a subject, hearing it spoken in a
familiar voice and expressed in a different manner can actually enable that
information to internalised more readily. Research has shown that complex ideas
can be processed more easily when communicated via a range of sources -your
teacher’s explanation is just one of these.
Others students find they are hesitant to trust the opinions or views of their
peers. They may feel that any feedback given is subject to strong friendship
bias. This concern can be alleviated by tasks, which provide a level of
anonymity, for instance, blind marking of each others written work or through
use of online interactive platforms.
Employability
Adding to their worth, it is argued that student led
classroom activities such as group presentations can provide a supportive
environment to help you to develop those business critical skills that CIMA
outline in their paper, Ready for
Business Bridging the employability gap
[available online]
Peer work develops communication skills, confidence and
instils the use of effective language. These are employability factors that
employers are actively seeking alongside exam results.
Peer Assessment
Extending peer interaction into the area of
assessment, the act of marking one another's work can lead to enlightenment and
provide a marvellous insight into how exam candidates can miss marks through
easily correctable errors in exam technique. For example, as you provide
feedback on your classmate’s work, you will begin to generate ideas and see
from a different perspective just how you can improve your own grades. With
practice, you can start to view your own exam script through the eyes of the
marker. Your teacher can explain until
they are blue in the face the importance of allocating the correct amount of
time to questions based on marks available. However, there is nothing quite
like seeing, firsthand, the disastrous impact on the overall grades of
classmates when they have not followed this guidance.
Employability
and personal growth
Providing honest feedback on a classmate’s efforts can
be character building and prepares you for the day when you must tactfully
appraise staff or communicate sensitive issues in the Boardroom. Finding a way
to criticise results without offending or dismissing efforts is a delicate
balance that requires immense interpersonal skills.
Faced yourself with constructive feedback from a peer
assessment– you will start to develop the ability to respond positively to
criticism and utilise comments to improve, this is far better than regarding
them as a personal affront. Nurturing that key quality of resilience you will
be equipped to begin the continuous cycle of self-improvement that underpins
professional and academic success.
So next time you
are stuck needing help, don't hesitate to ask a nearby classmate if they could
talk through the method. They are likely to be happy to help and in fact you will be benefitting their learning as well as your own.
Catherine
Shirley ACMA
Lecturer
of Accounting
Newcastle
under Lyme College,
Staffordshire.
*Catherine's article will also feature in the next issue of CIMA (Chartered Institute of Management Accounts) magazine this October.
