Peer Instruction: Learning After Peer Discussion

• In Event: Poster Session 15
  In Poster Session: STEM Education in K-12 and Higher Education

Abstract

Recent work in the sciences shows that Peer Instruction (PI) is a valuable pedagogy for engendering student learning. Students in PI classes outperform those in traditional classes, learn from peer discussion, and learn from instructor explanation. The current study begins an investigation into the effect of question difficulty on the utility of peer discussion and subsequent instructor interention. Preliminary results show that instructor intervention is highly valuable when questions are difficult. We offer hypotheses for this finding and outline next steps.

Authors

• Leo Porter, Skidmore College

• Daniel Zingaro, University of Toronto