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A NEW CONCEPT OF PEER TEACHING IN EDUCATIONAL
PROCESS Arzieva D.T.1, Matveeva I.A.2
1Arzieva Dilfuza Tashlanovna - Senior Teacher;
2Matveeva Irina Aleksandrovna - Senior Teacher, CHAIR OF LANGUAGES, PEDAGOGY AND PSYCHOLOGY, ANDIJAN STATE MEDICAL INSTITUTE, ANDIJAN, REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN
Abstract: a new approach to the concept of partnership in education, known since Aristotle's time, has taken on new forms these days. The basic concepts of this technique were reflected in the works of its founder, Harvard University professor Eric Mazur. The experience and results of work in this area at world renowned universities, as well as their own point of view on this aspect, are presented in this article. It helps to intensify the educational process and elicit medical students to go ahead in their learning medical English.
Keywords: peer-learning activities, peer-teaching programs, California State University, effectiveness of peer teaching.
Relevance of the topic. Peer teaching can be traced back to Aristotle's use of "archons", or student leaders, and to the letters of Seneca the Younger. It was firstly organized as a theory by Scotsman Andrew Bell in 1795, and later implemented into French and English schools in the 19th century. Over the past 30-40 years, peer teaching has become increasingly popular in conjunction with mixed ability grouping in K-12 public schools and an interest in more financially efficient methods of teaching[1,5].
Goodland and Hurst (1989) and Topping (19x^98) note that academic peer tutoring at the college level takes many different forms.
The main benefits of peer teaching include, but are not limited to, the following:
Students receive more time for individualized learning.
Direct interaction between students promotes active learning.
Peer teachers reinforce their own learning by instructing others.
Students feel more comfortable and open when interacting with a peer.
Peers and students share a similar discourse, allowing for greater understanding.
Peer teaching is a financially efficient alternative to hiring more staff members.
Teachers receive more time to focus on the next lesson[3].
Research also indicates that peer-learning activities typically yield the following results for both tutor and tutee: team-building spirit and more supportive relationships; greater psychological well-being, social competence, communication skills and self-esteem; and higher achievement and greater productivity in terms of enhanced learning outcomes[6].
The Peer Tutoring Program at Duke University in North Carolina offers up to twelve hours of free tutoring each semester to Duke undergraduates who are in enrolled in select introductory-level courses. Students meet with a tutor weekly in a convenient public location on campus such as an empty classroom, the library, or a dorm common area. All peer tutors receive on-going training both in best current tutoring practices and on tutoring strategies relevant to their tutoring discipline[2,4].
Despite the continued popularity of college student peer tutoring, there exists little comprehensive research on its effectiveness and benefits. What research does exist, however, has found that peer tutoring is highly cost-effective and usually results in substantial gains for participants, both academically and socially.
A reciprocal peer tutoring (RPT) program at California State University, Fullerton has been evaluated extensively. The program requires students in a large introductory psychology course to meet with student partners periodically throughout the course to quiz each other and discuss the main ideas for each unit of the course. Largely a commuter
college, the program seeks to increase academic success, as well as to increase the social integration of the students. The program has been highly successful in both respects: when compared to control students who participated in other supplementary activities, RPT participants showed higher academic achievement on unit tests, rated themselves as more satisfied with the class, were better adjusted psychosocially, and frequently used their RPT partner as a supportive resource in the course[3].
Carsrud (1984) describes an example of a surrogate teaching method in which doctoral students supervised undergraduate psychology students in conducting research projects. One of the major goals of this program was to encourage highly motivated and well-prepared students to become interested in pursuing research through skill development and exposure to first-hand experience. The undergraduates worked closely with the graduate students in designing and implementing the research, and were required to produce a professional-style report at the end of the study. The program was considered a success, based on participants' self-reports[5].
During "English in Medicine" lessons in ASMI, we use this method in any stage of the class. It is reasonable to carry out such a method on the stage of new theme's acquirement as well as on pre-lesson stage with the aim of controlling studied material. It helps to intensify the educational process and elicit medical students to go ahead in their learning medical English. We think this method will be developed further in language teaching practice and it is worth to be the point of future scientific research[6].
References
1. Mazur E. (1997). Peer instruction: A User's Manual. Upper Saddle River, N.J., Prentice Hall.
2. Benson P., & Ying D. (2013). Peer teaching as a pedagogical strategy for autonomy in teacher education. Chinese Journal of Applied Linguistics, 36(1), 49-67. Boud, D., Cohen, R., & Sampson, J. (Eds.). (2001).
3. Richards J.C., & Lockhar, C. College English curriculum requirements. Peking: Peking Foreign Language Education Press. (1996).
4. Peer teaching: A description and evaluation. Teaching Sociology, 2(2), 133-146. Murphey, T., Australia (1996).
5. Near peer role models. Teacher Talking to Teacher, 4(3), 21-23. Mynard, J., & Almarzouqi, I. (2006).
6. Teachable moments build relational memory. Kappa Delta Pi Record, Spring, California, USA, (2007).
