Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL)

Posted on by Nattasit Dancholvichit

PURPOSE

To encourage students to actively engage with one another as they work on specially-designed problems related to course content. 

DESCRIPTION

PLTL is a collaborative and active learning technique that incorporates students into an engaging community that provides encouragement for taking charge of one’s own learning.  

UNDERLYING EDUCATIONAL THEORIES

peer learning, problem-based, inquiry-based, Zone of Proximal Development, critical thinking 

PEDAGOGICAL BENEFITS 

  • As learning entails the acquisition of abilities through interaction with people, rather than accumulating knowledge that will be reapplied in later content, PLTL supports a mode of learning that can feel more natural to students. 
  • PLTL students had a high level of participation in their groups, allowing them to fully appreciate the benefits of being part of a community of learners who reflect on their learning, negotiate meaning, and establish a common toolkit of strategy. 
  • Peer leaders benefit from improved teaching skills and enthusiasm, as well as improved people skills and a collegial relationship with instructor. 
  • The PLTL model can also be used in hybrid or online settings if the model is synchronous and allows for collaborative, peer-led problem solving. 

STRATEGIES FOR IMPLEMENTATION 

  1. Prior to the activity, teaching assistants and undergraduate student (peer) leaders should receive off-site training (alternatively, they would need to have taken the course). They then collaborate closely with the instructor to create activities that complement the course content. 
  2. Students are subdivided into small groups of 4−10. It is recommended that the workshop take 90−120 min. The tasks can include discussions about various problem-solving processes as well as debates about data interpretation. These should provide socio-collaborative tasks in which participants construct meaning through their group interactions. 
  3. PLTL sessions employ a spiral approach, beginning with a detailed problem/example that becomes more open-ended as students collaborate to solve the problem. The role of PLTL leaders is to fill in any gaps that the example does not provide. In addition, using PLTL leaders can help create a dynamic of slightly more advanced learners scaffolding the education of learners. 
  4. Self or peer leader questionnaires, as well as concept mapping to indicate critical thinking, can be used to assess students. 

REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING 

Wilson, S. B., & Varma-Nelson, P. (2016). Small groups, significant impact: A review of peer-led team learning research with implications for STEM education researchers and faculty. Journal of Chemical Education, 93(10), 1686-1702.  

Biggers, M.; Yilmaz, T.; Sweat, M. Using collaborative, modified peer led team learning to improve student success and retention in intro CS. SIGCSE Bull. 2009, 41, 9−13