Peer Learning Report: Fostering Student Collaboration and Independence

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Added on 2020/03/28

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This report delves into the concept of peer learning, emphasizing the significance of collaboration and unity among students to foster a positive learning environment. It highlights the benefits of peer-to-peer interaction, self-assessment, and the utilization of individual experiences to enhance knowledge acquisition and promote independent learning. The report underscores the importance of student engagement, flexibility in execution, and the efficient use of peer experiences to cultivate expertise. It covers essential aspects such as student independence, collaborative engagement, and the development of self-assessment skills. Furthermore, the report explores the advantages of learning from past experiences and the attainment of expertise through effective communication and the exchange of ideas. The conclusion underscores the value of collaborative efforts in achieving active learning, developing critical thinking, and fostering a supportive educational environment. The report also provides a comprehensive overview of how peer learning enhances student engagement, promotes independent learning, and provides opportunities for self-assessment and the development of leadership skills. Overall, the report emphasizes the multifaceted advantages of peer learning in higher education.

Running head: PEER LEARNING
Learning through fellow students

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PEER LEARNING 1
Executive Summary
This report contains an overview study of learning process through companionship among students.
A report emphasize mainly on a cordial relationships and maintaining a unity and harmony. The
learning process includes study of student between peer to peer, self-assessment tasks and
ultimately a student learning through their own experiences. An effort remains countless among
student learning process. It is never ending process. Such process aims to provide knowledge and
explore individuals learning segments. Consequently, every individual’s efforts make him to rule over
his independence of learning. An individual gets a confidence within himself.
It reflects an idea of exploring creative thoughts of every individual who faces many challenges to
understand a main stream of society. Our peer plays a key role in balance emotions and
simultaneously helps in every way to attain a best knowledge. It also develops one mind in a right
track of learning process.
Such learning process ensures a one’s collaboration over basic understanding of knowledge and
shaping a one’s skill over any expertise field. Moreover an effective learning centre generates by
productivity of students fellowship process. As per learning process, one needs to focus on various
factors of learning process. Such factors of learning process are discussed below.

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Table of Contents
Introduction...........................................................................................................................................2
Student independence through Peer to Peer learning.............................................................................2
Collaboration and student engagement..............................................................................................2
Self-Assessment................................................................................................................................ 3
Flexibility in execution...................................................................................................................... 4
Efficient Utilization of Fellow student’s Experience............................................................................. 4
Learning from past experiences.........................................................................................................4
Attainment of Expertise..................................................................................................................... 4
Conclusion............................................................................................................................................. 5
References.............................................................................................................................................7

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Introduction
Learning is a never ending process in which the student can acquire knowledge through
studying independently in which the learning process takes place through motivating own self
by enabling the inbuilt skills to understand and implement the knowledge. In this report,
emphasis has been laid upon the ways in which learning takes place with the help of the peers
and their experiences. Peer to peer learning is a new concept and it involves the student
involvement and collaboration with the fellow students at the work place or an institution.
Through proper engagement with other students and co-workers, the pace at which a
particular task has to be understood increases (Rinto, Watts and Mitola, 2017). Whenever a
particular activity has to be understood, there are different ways of performing it. Since,
everybody has a different approach to accomplish it, there is a range of opinions shared
between individuals which helps the individual to be creative and innovative (Guilmette,
2007). Once the learning process is well understood and many ways to address a task are
identified, the learner acquires the knowledge with a lot of interest and the speed at which it
learns increases.
Student independence through Peer to Peer learning
Collaboration and student engagement
It is essential to develop responsibility in the learner’s mind so that the planning to execute
the particular task is done efficiently. The more the planning is clear; the better is the
execution of the activity. Fostering peer to peer learning is the best way to inculcate
independent learning which means that developing skills to find ways to work independently
along with efficient collaboration and engagement with the fellow students. Knowledge is a
repository of different point of views and different opinions which needs to be implemented
using a flexible tactic i.e. learning through peers. When the willingness of achieving a goal is
shared between many learners then the outcome is very accurate. This is due to the reason
because one might not know what the other person knows about an issue. Combination of
learning ability of different individuals develops a sense of initiative in the learner’s mind
(Topping, Buchs, Duran and Keer, 2017).

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PEER LEARNING 4
Motivating own self to gather information and come out with the idea encourages ability to
exchange feedbacks, question each other on matters misunderstood which further enhances
understanding at a deeper level. The individual when understands a concept in detail builds
an ability to think more. This helps the learner to be more independent in taking initiative and
be more proactive in identifying ways to remember things. In addition to this, learning from
peers helps an individual to self-assess the style of learning and understanding because the
feedbacks and other’s way to solve a particular problem help in making a comparison to own
style of solving (Boud, David, Cohen and Sampson, 2014). The individual realises its
shortcomings to address a particular task and tries to make improvements proactively through
self-analysis and motivation.
Self-Assessment
The term independence in this context reveals that the individual through keen observation,
questioning and sharing of knowledge develops confidence to carry out any activity by taking
initiative to outperform in the area of improvement with the help of collaboration, group
work and exchange of knowledge. Along with self-assessment and monitoring, the learner
also encounters instances when it is given an opportunity to provide a comment to other peers
on their way of executing a plan. When a person gets a chance to make a judgement for
other’s work, the individual develops leadership skills in the learning process which is very
essential in today’s work environment. Having a skill set when other peer support and follow
your ideas is equally important to monitoring own performance. This helps in exchanging
knowledge with an open mind which encourages a learning environment in any organisation
or an institution (Mullings, 2015).
Apart from attaining good knowledge and developing initiative along with innovation, the
learner becomes more empathetic which is also a part of independent learning. The individual
becomes a team player rather than learning in isolation. Knowledge and learning is not
limited to own self and the exposure to know the efforts of others gets enhanced too. In case
there is an instance when a fellow student is not in a position to take initiative to take up an
activity, then there is an understanding developed between peers to help each other which
helps in attainment of better planning. Unity and team building ability is a very essential tool
to achieve independent learning. When a work or a goal is distributed and allocated between
the people then, there is an integration of various ideas, thoughts and methods leading to
active learning (Brame and Biel, 2015). The source of getting information about a specific issue

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or objective gets widened and the learners feel the support of other’s in gathering various
point of views.
Flexibility in execution
Flexibility and adjustment is another very important characteristic which fosters independent
learning. This is due to the fact because the learning or acquiring knowledge to perform takes
place beyond the limitation of traditional way of working and thinking. When the information
is shared it tends to nurture and flourish with the help of new approaches and methods
gathered from shared efforts (Bushra, 2012). This inculcates the habit to make required
changes as and when required in a particular thought process. The imagination and thinking
ability of an individual widens and the learner embraces new challenges. This encourages the
person to be more confident and self-reliant because his acceptance to face challenges
independently increases. The process of flexibility in execution deals with a matter of great
delicacy as it includes one’s mind over putting thoughts into practicality (Sheldon 2007)
Efficient Utilization of Fellow student’s Experience
Learning from past experiences
There is a big difference in acquiring information or understanding a concept theoretically
and practically. Whenever a learner is challenged to accomplish a target, than it is evident
that an experienced person would be able to handle it promptly in comparison to a new
learner who is never performed it practically before. Therefore, learning with the help of
peers through efficient utilization of other’s past experience is the best way to encourage
learning. This further means that when an individual takes help of his colleague or a fellow
student who is well equipped with the know-how and methodology to carry out a task, then
the learner is enabled with finding out concepts which have scientific reasons behind them
(Hernandez, 2010). These scientific reasons are already tested and proven as the concepts are
practiced in the daily routine activities. This is due to the reason because an experienced
individual has already learned and rectified his past mistakes (Wiggins, 2017).
Attainment of Expertise

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Going further, generalisations and conclusions are well identified based upon the shared
experiences between a new and an experienced learner. This type of learning helps in
mastering a particular concept. In order to attain expertise and specialization, in a particular
area with the help of detailed study and exchange of ideas, it is essential to make the best out
of the experiences of the fellow students (Nolte, 2016). There are many methods of utilization
of experience of others. The most efficient way is effective communication amongst the
learners or fellow students. Communicating in the form of clarification, argument, discussion
and justification are the methods to explain any point. Whenever peer to peer learning takes
place, the students get an opportunity to utilize the experience of fellow students with the
help of explaining own way of perceiving to other students. This is done with the help of
communication techniques stated above. These techniques enhance the student’s ability to
counter other’s opinions in case of any contradiction leading to development of learning
ability. Giving justification to clarify and taking responsibility for any thought given by the
student helps in independent learning. In addition, it is the experiences of other fellow
students which further lead to create more ideas in the mind to give an argument, discussion
or a conclusion (Falchikov, 2013).
Through exchange of each other’s contributions in terms of their practical capabilities and
expertise, students are able to develop an ability to debate, question and find better solutions
to the problems as they learn from the past mistakes rectified by the other students. There are
instances when students come across situations which disagree with their point of view. By
observing and utilising the fellow student’s experiences, it is possible to gain an
understanding and insight as to how to deal with such situations. Therefore, through
exploring on areas where there is confusion with the help of other’s experiences is an
efficient way of attaining a skill set like thinking at a higher level based on rectification of
past errors (Buchem, 2014).
Conclusion
Learning and gaining knowledge in the form of collaborative efforts of students help in
allowing a comfort of attaining team work. No task can be successful unless the concepts,
ideas from various sources are gathered together and discussions are done upon them. This is
the most efficient ways to inculcate active learning in the student as the best solution out of
variety of solutions is derived with the help of combined learning. Learning through peers
gives an opportunity to explore, develops an ability to think and question. The teaching

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process is better attained when one student tries to explain its approach of carrying out a task
to another. This leads to an exchange of different ways and approaches to handle a situation
leading clarify any doubts, miscommunication and misunderstandings.

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References
Boud, David, Cohen, R., and Sampson, J. 2014. Peer Learning in Higher Education: Learning from
and with Each Other. UK: Routledge, Pp. 21-35.
Brame, C. J., and Biel, R. 2015. Group work: Using cooperative learning groups effectively.
Accessed on: 30th September, 2017. Accessed from:
https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/setting-up-and-facilitating-group-work-using-cooperative-
learning-groups-effectively/
Buchem, I. 2014. Learning and Diversity in the Cities of the Future. UK: Logos Verlag Berlin GmbH,
p. 258.
Bushra, 2012. Advantages And Disadvantages Of Pair And Group Work. Accessed on: 1st
October, 2017. Accessed from: https://www.tutorhunt.com/resource/3199/
Falchikov, N. 2013. Improving Assessment through Student Involvement: Practical Solutions for
Aiding Learning in Higher and Further Education. UK: Routledge.
Guilmette, J. H. 2007. The Power of Peer Learning: Networks and Development Cooperation. US:
IDRC, p. 16.
Hernandez, R. 2010. Benefits and Challenges of using self and peer assessment. Accessed on:
1st October, 2017. Accessed from https://www.ucd.ie/t4cms/UCDTLA0033-1.pdf
Mullings, C. 2015. Developing independent learning skills to improve outcomes. Accessed on: 30th
September, 2017. Accessed from: http://blog.irisconnect.com/uk/9-tips-for-encouraging-students-to-
become-independent-learners/
Nolte, B. 2016. Collegiate Entrepreneurship – Learning through sharing and Collaboration.
Accessed on: 30th September, 2017. Accessed from:
http://universityinnovationfellows.org/learningthroughsharingandcollaboration/
Rinto, E., Watts, J., and Mitola, R. 2017. Peer-Assisted Learning in Academic Libraries. US: ABC-
CLIO, pp. 1-4.
Sheldon D.H. 2007. Lean Materials Planning and Execution: A Guide to Internal and
External Supply Management Excellence. USA: J. Ross Publishing
Topping, K., Buchs, C., Duran, D., and Keer, H. V. 2017. Effective Peer Learning: From Principles
to Practical Implementation. UK: Routledge.
Wiggins, G. 2017. Students Learn Best When You Do This. Accessed on: 30th September, 2017.
Accessed from: https://www.teachthought.com/pedagogy/students-learn-best/