"There's a Lot of Power With Peer Interaction": Teacher Learning in a Cross-Age Reading Intervention

• In Event: Research on Coaching Approaches and Teacher Education

Abstract

Research shows that peer interaction supports learners in understanding and applying new vocabulary, developing reading skills, and improving reading comprehension. Teachers play a vital role in supporting peer learning, yet we know little about teachers’ perspectives on the value of peer learning. This study explores the processes through which several teachers who participated in a cross-age peer tutoring intervention study came to recognize and appreciate peer learning as important for student growth, and the instructional moves and teacher-student interactions that occurred as teachers supported peer learning in practice.
Findings indicate that teachers’ appreciation for and understanding of cross-age peer learning grew markedly across the school year, and in fact, teachers continued cross-age learning efforts after the intervention ended.

Authors

• Megan DeStefano, University of Maryland - College Park

• Megan Madigan Peercy, University of Maryland - College Park

• Stephanie Guthrie, University of Maryland - College Park

• Melinda E. Martin-Beltran, University of Maryland - College Park

• Rebecca Deffes Silverman, University of Maryland - College Park

• Johanna M. Tigert, University of Maryland - College Park