Exploring Peer Learning: Lessons from Sal Khan
As the winter semester draws to a close, the cold wind howls outside, and the darkness is pierced by the warm glow of the university building’s lights. Inside, a group of PhD students from the Department of Distance Learning gathers in a classroom, captivated by their professor’s passionate tale. She speaks of a unique organization born under the sunny skies of California, destined to transform education worldwide. The discussion doesn’t end with the class; it spills into the department room, where students eagerly debate and dream.
I vividly remember the first time I heard about Khan Academy in 2009 during a postgraduate seminar. Back then, the idea of accessing more information about it or participating in this initiative seemed almost unreachable. I was living in Europe, focused on defending my PhD to continue my family’s tradition of scientists and university professors.
Fast forward 15 years, and it feels surreal. I now live in California, attend Khan’s events in person, and my children actively use Khan Academy on their devices to supplement their school education. I’m a regular donor to Khan’s inspiring nonprofits and even had the chance to interview for a job with them twice.
In preparation for one of these interviews, I revisited Sal Khan’s book and found its insights as relevant today as they were in 2012. With the continuous development of educational technology platforms, its message resonates even more deeply.
Summary
- Peer learning starts playing a role when a learner is stuck. Every learner struggles at times.
- Teaching others is also learning. Peer tutoring is a prerequisite for mastery.
- The discovery of gaps in prior knowledge, coupled with the celebration of “Aha” moments, contributes to mastery and confidence.
- Since tutoring is an intimate process, it is recommended to refrain from judgmental reactions and face time during tutoring sessions.
- Personal responsibility arises from mastery learning, not necessarily from peer accountability.
- Automate everything except the human touch. Optimization is essential due to the considerable time and effort required for fostering human connections.
- Instead of segregating learners of the same level of mastery or course progress into distinct cohorts, consider allowing advanced learners and peers who may be falling behind to be part of the same community. This approach creates opportunities for peer tutoring.
- If dealing with kids, inspire their desire to learn. When it comes to adults, facilitate their active choice to learn. Support both children and adults in mastering learning habits.
Lessons Learnt
1. Peer learning starts playing a role when a learner is stuck. Every learner struggles at times.
‘There is no such thing as a ‘perfect’ learner. Every student, no matter how bright or motivated, struggles now and then’ (p. 53). Generally, kids are asked to work in a vacuum. When ‘they do not understand the material and no one is there to help or give feedback,’ learners experience frustration (p. 117). When a person is stuck, peer learning takes on importance. Students who catch on faster could assist those who are struggling (p. 116). During peer tutoring sessions, partners identify gaps in prior knowledge or skills and collaboratevely work on achieving mastery and confidence.
2. Teaching others is also learning. Peer tutoring is a prerequisite for mastery .
Peer tutoring is helpful not only for tutees but also for tutors. ‘We learn by studying, but we also learn by helping others, by sharing and explaining what we know’ (p. 12). Moreover, ‘teaching others is a prerequisite for mastery: once a certain level of proficiency is obtained, the learner should attempt to teach the subject to other students so that they themselves develop a deeper understanding’ (p. 85).
3. The discovery of gaps in prior knowledge, coupled with the celebration of “Aha” moments, contributes to mastery and confidence.
Peer tutoring should aid learners in not only attaining mastery but also in cultivating confidence. Confidence emerges as a consequence of mastering concepts and celebrating accomplishments. Implementing the principle of ‘You are not allowed to guess’ (p. 23) during tutoring sessions ensures that knowledge gaps are identified and addressed, rather than overlooked. Over time, the tutee begins to experience ‘Aha moments’, which should be acknowledged and celebrated with the tutor (p. 23). The resolution of knowledge gaps and the recognition of ‘Aha moments’ culminate in mastery and confidence, both of which are significant outcomes of peer tutoring.
4. Since tutoring is an intimate process, it is recommended to refrain from judgmental reactions and face time during tutoring sessions.
Unstructured experimentation with group sizes led to the subjective conclusion that one-on-one tutoring is more effective than tutoring in small groups (p. 25). The likely rationale behind this could be the specific intimacy of the tutoring process. Sharing the tutor’s video during the session is suggested to be avoided, as faces can be ‘powerful distractors’ (p. 34). While face time is valuable for fostering better connection and trust, it’s recommended not to have it during class. Additionally, it is recommended to maintain a judgment-free environment.
5. Personal responsibility arises from mastery learning, not necessarily from peer accountability.
Personal responsibility arises from mastery (p. 43). This idea is particularly interesting to me as the mainstream approach in learning community management often centers around promoting personal responsibility through holding learners accountable within a group of peers.
6. Automate everything except the human touch. Optimization is essential due to the considerable time and effort required for fostering human connections.
Tutoring is a human part of the learning [p. 136]. Other processes have the potential to be automated, thereby liberating time and energy. ‘The use of technology had, somewhat ironically, made a traditionally passive classroom more interactive and human’ (p. 116), enhancing the human aspect through facilitating one-on-one interactions and enabling teachers to identify students who require their attention the most (p. 145). Moreover, an even more effective approach could involve pairing a student who has already mastered a specific concept with one who is struggling. Alternatively, two students encountering the same challenge could collaborate to overcome the obstacle. In all of these instances, the primary focus would be on enhancing the quality of supportive interactions (p. 145).
One way to automate and optimize engagement is by gamifying the learning process, such as awarding electronic achievement badges to learners as they progress through concepts. Gamification serves as a cost-effective means to enhance motivation and confidence (p. 165).
7. Instead of segregating learners of the same level of mastery or course progress into distinct cohorts, consider allowing advanced learners and peers who may be falling behind to be part of the same community. This approach creates opportunities for peer tutoring.
Today, cohorts are a popular way to structure online courses. However, by isolating learners who are taking the same content, we miss the opportunity for cross-pollination. Instead of segregating learners of the same level of mastery or course progress into cohorts, consider allowing advanced learners to tutor peers who are falling behind (p. 145). Peer tutoring can effectively address the issue of knowledge gaps. Similarly, in a community of school children, it would be advantageous to mix children of different ages (p. 194). Older or more advanced students can become allies of the teacher by mentoring and tutoring kids who are struggling. Younger students benefit from having a diverse range of role models, serving as big brothers and big sisters. Older kids refine and solidify their understanding of concepts by explaining them to younger peers. In this context, no one is just a student; everyone is also a teacher, deserving of the respect that accompanies that role (p. 194).
8. If teaching kids, inspire their desire to learn. When it comes to adults, facilitate their active choice to learn. Support both children and adults in mastering learning habits.
Distinct motivational approaches are needed for adults and children. For adults, our focus should be on prompting them to choose to learn rather than simply wanting to learn. Andragogy places the emphasis and responsibility on the learner themselves. Adults opt to learn, and this deliberate choice, coupled with the underlying motivation, serves to enhance our focus and subsequently make the learning process smoother. ‘If we know why we are learning and if the reason aligns with our perceived needs, we will learn quickly and deeply’ (p. 176). Conversely, with children, our aim is to cultivate their intrinsic motivation to learn. Pedagogy highlights the importance of nurturing curiosity, fostering a sense of wonder, and instilling confidence (p. 180). Learners of all ages should learn how to learn.
References
- Book on Amazon: https://a.co/d/faSaaik.
- TED Talk ‘Let’s teach for mastery, not test scores’ by Sal Khan [link].
