Model for Active Learning: Collaborative Peer Teaching

Abstract

Gargantua, to Dewey's reflective thinking (1930s), to Bruner's discovery method (1960s). Again and again, the idea of learners getting involved in their learning, instead of passively receiving informa tion from an instructor, has been consid ered the essence of education. No doubt good teachers have always known that learning is enhanced when students get involved?to discover, manipulate, or personalize information. To be sure, teacher-centered instruction, such as lec ture, has the advantage of communicating information in a complete, orderly form. However, student-centered methods, such as discussion, are considered more effec tive in developing higher-order intellectu al skills, such as synthesis and problem solving (Bloom 1953, 167-69). Indeed, recent empirical studies have found student-centered methods to be superior to teacher-dominated practices in the following respects: application of concepts, problem solving, attitude, moti vation, group membership and leadership skills . (McKeachie, Pintrich, Lin, and Smith as quoted in Sorcinelli 1991, 17).