PEERS AS TEACHERS
Professor David Gosser
Teaching introductory courses at the City College presents a number of
challenges. The class size is much larger than the more advanced classes,
so that there is less opportunity for faculty to establish mentoring relationships
with individual students. Students come to the class with a wide variety
of learning styles and it is difficult within the constraints of traditional
lecture to connect with many of the students. Finally, in a commuter college
such as City, it is difficult to form a collegial network of learners. These
are significant barriers for students as they engage in their first few
years of coursework. In the process of grappling with the challenges of
teaching, we have too often overlooked a tremendous untapped resource within
the college - the students themselves.
The Chemistry Department at the City College has been a leader in developing
a peer-led team-learning approach to teaching and learning chemistry, the
"Workshop Model." This has been supported by the National Science
Foundation's "Systemic Change in the Undergraduate Chemistry Curriculum"
program (1). In the workshop model, students
who have successfully completed the course can become peer-leaders in two-hour
workshops that complement the lecture and laboratory components of the course.
The following are essential components of a successful workshop course:
- Small groups of six to eight students meet each week as an integral
part of the course structure.
- Each student group is assigned a workshop leader, who guides the students
through a set of workshop problems.
- The workshop leaders are trained in group dynamics and basics of learning
theory.
- The faculty meet with the workshop leaders each week to discuss problem-solving
strategies and model the activities of the workshops.
The workshops are an effective strategy in overcoming many barriers to student
learning (2). In the workshops, the student
leaders have a mentor who they often look to as a role model and to whom
they can easily relate. In the workshops, the small group environment provides
the opportunity for all the students to express themselves and to learn
from each other. Over the semester, group cohesion develops and students
gain the sense that they belong to a community of learners.
In focus groups and surveys, students enthusiastically endorsed the use
of workshops. In contrast to lectures, where students were reluctant to
ask questions, students found that in the workshops anxiety is reduced,
leaders are accessible, and peers are supportive. In the workshops, students
noted the way in which learning is deepened through the expression "If
you can explain it, you understand it."
Assessment of student learning has been a major focus of our project evaluation.
The preponderance of data collected so far by the project evaluator over
a wide variety of implementations of the workshop model indicates that student
performance is higher in the workshop courses than in non-workshop courses.
As the project continues to grow and evolve, more studies are planned on
student assessment and also on how workshops can better serve the students.
A study at the University of Rochester showed that students who rated their
workshop leader high in "Leader Autonomy Support" performed at
a much higher level than students who rated their leaders as low in this
attribute (3). "Leader Autonomy Support"
is defined as the workshop leader listening to and encouraging students
rather than acting in a controlling manner. This kind of study is very important
in knowing how best to select and train leaders, and also has broad implications
for understanding how students learn best.
Faculty who have implemented a workshop course have found that it is fun
and that the effect on the leaders is impressive. As one faculty member
remarked, "At the end they are just magnificent in terms of what they
know and the way they communicate." It can, however, require a lot
of time and effort to get started. As part of our project, we are working
with the Center for Teaching and Learning at City College to help provide
some of the tools necessary to adapt a workshop model to other courses.
For instance, several times a year we hold a college-wide introductory leader
training course for prospective workshop leaders and faculty interested
in this approach. We also invite faculty from other disciplines to visit
our Web Site (http://www.sci.ccny.cuny.edu/~chemwksp)
and to stop by and observe the workshops in action.
Professor David Gosser
Department of Chemistry
Marshak Science Building, Room J1132
(212) 650-8375
E-mail: gosser@scisun.sci.ccny.cuny.edu
Footnotes