The success of peer learning depends on two things:
1) Formation and maintenance of well-functioning groups - Step 1, Step 2 and Step 3
​​2) Type of problems students are asked to solve - Step 4

3) Explanation by the teacher - Step 5

Step 1 - Grouping of students

• Two to four students. There is no ideal size for a Peer Learning group. The group size depends on how long the group will stay together and what combination will be used during the lesson.

• Groups can be formed by the teacher in many ways. For example, on the basis of the abilities of the students, groups can be formed either by mixing different abilities of students in a group or by keeping students with similar abilities in the same group. This depends on the task to be done.

 

Step 2 - Seating arrangement

• Students could sit in groups like shown in the image below, i.e., by sitting ‘knee-to-knee and eye-to-eye, while all the groups face in a similar direction towards the front of the room or towards the blackboard.

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• This arrangement promotes communication between each member of the group and has a positive influence on the functioning of the peer learning groups.

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Step 3 - Group roles - every student in a group can take up any one of the following roles

• A role of a Facilitator -makes sure everyone understands each question before the team begins to discuss it, encourage everyone to participate, and help the group reach a consensus.

• A role of a Monitor - keeps everyone on task, monitors time, and moves the group along to assure that the tasks are done in the allotted time.

• A role of a Recorder - writes down the group's consensus answers to the questions.

• A role of a Reporter - makes sure the group discusses how it functioned, and reports the group's answers during the class discussion.

 

Step 4 - Steps for peer learning instruction

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1 - Choose the right question

• Ask questions that make the students think through several concepts to drive a rich peer discussion. Asking questions that let the students just recall information may not incite any discussion.

• For example, questions based on common misconceptions (e.g., “in a frictionless world, which falls faster: a bowling ball or a tennis ball?” ) drive rich peer discussion.

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2 - Ask the students to share individual responses

• Ask the question and allow students to share their individual answers in class.

• Give them time and space to form an individual response and commit to it. This creates more engagement in the peer discussion to follow.

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3 - Peer discussion (among the students)

• Observe students carefully during the first round of responses to see if the question is too easy or too difficult for peer discussion. If the question lies in the sweet spot between the two, then encourage students to turn to their peers and explain why they chose their individual answers.

• Additionally, teachers should prompt students to discuss not only their answers but the reasons behind their answers.

• Followed by the discussion, each group can be asked to present their answer to the whole class.

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4 - Explanation and answer by the teacher

Peer Instruction is incomplete without a final explanation by the teacher after the responses from the peer discussion.