When everyone’s a learner and teacher
Divya Choudary You’ve been through this. You wrack your brains over a particular concept or problem and still find the solution elusive. And then, a friend comes by, and over a cup of coffee explains it to you and you find yourself having an “Aha!” moment. Simply put, this is peer learning – an effective means to gain deeper understanding of concepts through informal and formal means. Sometimes, a peer’s explanation is just easier to understand. The peer can use examples drawing from real life experiences that you’ve shared and can understand better where the doubts lie based on their own similar experiences. It is no different with students. Aditya, a student of class 6, says, “Sometimes, when I haven’t understood what the teacher has said, I just ask my friend. He helps me with maths and I teach him science.” Aditya also ‘coaches’ his friends on the football field. “Because I go for football training, in school I also teach my friends what I’ve learned from my coach.” Children often ask their classmates questions after the class so as not to draw attention to themselves by disturbing the class and asking the teacher. “My class teacher is very open to questions and when we miss classes she takes the time to help us catch up. But sometimes our doubts are small, and it is just easier to ask a friend. And if they don’t have the solution either, then we ask the teacher to go over the concept again. Often though, the smart students in class have the answers and help me figure it out,” says Sanjana, a student in class 9 at an international school in Hyderabad. “How does it feel to ask a friend a doubt?” I ask. She replies with a smile, “Well at times, they tease you about not understanding something so simple, but after that they explain it, you find it simple too!” And does she teach her friends? “I make sure my notes are up-to-date and I make note of all the key points and mark the areas that I’d had doubts. So my friends come to me for notes, especially before the exams.” Madhumati had studied ‘Special education in visual impairment’ to be able to teach her son Sai Teja at home. With her personal experience and her degree, she began teaching in a school for children with visual impairment. “My students have fun learning when Sai Teja visits. They talk to him about topics that they