A Report on the Decline of the Peer Teaching Strategy Introduction There are many ways to learn effectively. A few students learn well straightforwardly from an educator. Others are independent learners. Peer teaching and learning, on the other hand, is one of the most efficient methods of active learning. In simple terms, peer teaching-learning occurs when students instruct one another. This kind of education promotes communication and teamwork as well as retention. The process by which students learn from and with one another is known as peer learning. Peer learning is a teaching method that encourages students to share their knowledge with one another. Students mentoring each other in a directed climate can bring about better learning and maintenance. Why? One must first fully comprehend the concept themselves before teaching others. Expressing an idea and imparting the knowledge to a companion effectively supports the information acquired. Typically, teaching and learning activities like student-led workshops, study groups, peer-to-peer learning partnerships, and group work are used to facilitate this strategy. It has been proven effective by many evidence-based studies. Advantages Researches by Puente & Swagten (2012) and Suppapittayaporn, et.al, (2010) demonstrated that peer instruction improved critical thinking, quantitative and qualitative problem solving, conceptual learning, decision-making abilities, and meaningful learning. Lasry, et.al (2008) stated that students who dropped the physics course were less likely to do so due to peer instruction. According to Schell, et.al, (2013), students' conceptual learning on concept test questions and open-ended questions was enhanced by peer instruction. Edwards, et.al, (2015) found out that 42 postgraduate students from a variety of fields showed quantitative and qualitative improvements in their performance, motivation, and interest as a result of peer instruction. A few advantages incorporate, improvement of students coordinated effort and relational abilities, upgrade of student certainty and the capacity to assume command over their own learning (Biggs, 2003). Peer instruction provides instructors and students with the following fundamental advantages: peer guidance expands the calculated comprehension, critical thinking execution, decisive reasoning, dynamic techniques, and logical abilities to think of the students in the mental area. The interactions between students and teachers are enhanced by peer instruction, as is the concentration and retention of students. Students like to utilize peer learning since it is conservative and simple to apply to various degrees of instruction. Students feel more open to working with their friends, so may communicate and participate truth be told and investigate thoughts more profoundly than in an educator drove climate. Reasons Why There is a Decline in Peer Teaching Peer instruction has some drawbacks for both instructors and students. Some of these drawbacks include the following. First, some students, particularly weaker ones, require additional time to consider. Some students dislike discussing taught subjects or concept test questions with their peers. In addition, if they respond incorrectly to a concept test question, they may embarrass themselves in front of their classmates; as a result, the levels of peer instruction might not be sufficient. Peer learning has many advantages, but it also has some disadvantages, such as distraction and a lack of respect for feedback. Distraction is inevitable when working with groups. It can be exciting to learn from your peers. However, this excitement can cause distraction, particularly for younger students. Some students have a tendency to wander off track, behave inappropriately, and focus on things other than learning when they are working with their friends. In addition, it is possible that students won't value the opinions of their peers. On the off chance that an educator gives criticism, the students is bound to painstakingly tune in. After all, the instructor is the classroom authority and the resident subject matter expert. On the other hand, it is much simpler to disregard feedback from peers. The instructors struggle with student engagement, which may be especially challenging during classroom peer discussion (Brooks & Koretsky, 2011). Fagen, et.al, (2002, p. 208) revealed there is a difficulty in captivating students’ attention in class discussions." As a result, instructors should encourage students to discuss their ideas with peers, walk around the class during peer discussion, and motivate students to answer concept test questions. If there are more than 50 students in the classroom or if they do not use higher-tech devices like classroom response systems, teachers also have trouble assessing how well their students are doing. In addition, instructors face difficulties if they fail to prepare and design concept test questions that are related to desired academic objectives and goals. Smith, et.al, (2011) discovered that students who are achievers benefit more from this strategy compared to other students. Educators need to think about high-and low accomplishing students as one entirety while creating a lecture. At this point, the instructors ought to improve the structure and organization of peer-to-peer discussions. Michinov, et.al, (2015) detailed that the learning outcome of the students typically stay at a medium level. If necessary, the teachers may combine peer instruction with another method in this situation. Michinov, et al. (2015) compared the efficacy of individual instruction, traditional peer instruction, and stepladder peer instruction on straightforward and challenging performance questions. It has been concluded that stepladder peer instruction and traditional peer instruction were ineffective for difficult discussions. Accordingly, the educators might consider the difficulty level of the lessons. Conclusion and Recommendation In conclusion, peer teaching and learning strategy invigorated students to effectively realize, which taught a profound methodology toward learning. Students gained an understanding of teaching and learning in preparation for peer teaching, which may help them become better learners and improve their knowledge retention. However, students expressed concern about receiving incorrect information and complained that formal lectures were boring and did not accommodate a variety of learning styles. In addition, students were overwhelmed by a variety of emotions as a result of having to present and be evaluated. Executing the peer teaching prior in the educational plan will furnish students with the valuable chance to understand and appreciate the art of instructing and learning. Students will be encouraged to take a more self-directed approach to learning as a result of this, which can be honed during the first few years of study. The utilization of an assessment and feedback tool for students to assess their companions might improve the meaning of the activities of the students gaining from their friends and hence make a more noteworthy level of interaction between the students. During the making of plans for the peer teaching educational program, different teaching techniques and procedures should be investigated and adjusted to incorporate different learning styles of students and inspire methodologies that instigate more discourse between the instructor and student. Long term followups to students might give understanding into the impact peer educating and peer learning had on their way to deal with learning and besides, to investigate in the event that this experience helped them in the groundwork for their future job. References Biggs, J. B. (2003). Aligning Teaching and Assessment to Curriculum Objectives. Imaginative Curriculum Project, LTSN Generic Centre. Brooks, B. B. J., & Koretsky, M. D. M. (2011). The influence of group discussion on students’ responses and confidence during peer instruction. Journal of Chemical Education, 88(11), 1477-1484. Edwards, B. I., Aris, B., Shukor, N. A., & Mohammed, H. (2015). Using response system through voting in peer instruction for learning sustainability. Jurnal Teknologi, 77(13), 147-157. Fagen, A. P., Crouch, C. H., & Mazur, E. (2002). Peer instruction: Results from a range of classroom. The Physics Teacher, 40, 206-209. Lasry, N., Mazur, E., & Watkins, J. (2008). Peer instruction: From Harvard to the two-year college. American Journal of Physics, 76(11), 1066-1069. Michinov, N., Morice, J., & Ferriéres, V. (2015). A step further in peer instruction: Using the stepladder technique to improve learning. Computers & Education, 91, 1-13. Puente, S. M. G., & Swagten, H. J. M. (2012). Designing learning environments to teach interactive quantum physics. European Journal of Engineering Education, 37(5), 448- 457. Schell, J., Lukoff, B., & Mazur, E. (2013). Catalyzing learner engagement using cutting-edge response systems in higher education. In Wankel, C., & Blessinger, P. (Eds.) In Increasing Student Engagement and Retention Using Classroom Technologies Classroom Response Systems and Mediated Discourse Technologies Vol. 6, pp. 233-261, Bingley, UK: Emerald Publishing Group. Smith, M. K., Wood, W. B., Krauter, K., & Knight, J. K. (2011).Combining peer discussion with instructor explanation increases student learning from in-class concept questions. CBE- Life Sciences Education, 10, 55-63.Suppapittayaporn, D., Emarat, N., & Arayathanitkul, K. (2010). The effectiveness of peer instruction and structures inquiry on conceptual understanding of force and motion: A case study from Thailand. Research in Science & Technological Education, 28 (1), 63-79.
