Summary

For courses in Cooperative Learning. 

Peer-Led Team Learning is an innovate model in science education. Student leaders (peers) guide the activities of small groups of students in weekly Workshop meetings. The students work through challenging problems that are designed to be solved cooperatively. The peer leaders are trained to ensure that the students are actively an productively engaged with the material and with each other. This methodology offers a number of educational opportunities: the supportive format encourages questions and discussions that lead to conceptual understanding;
students learn to work in teams and to communicate more effectively; peer leaders learn teaching and group management skills. 

Two of the five books in this series provide students, instructors, learning specialists, and peer leaders with all of the materials they need to successfully implement this new teaching methodology. Three other books provide specific materials for introductory chemistry courses. 

This book, On Becoming a Peer Leader, is designed for peer leaders. Part I provides background, advice, and scenarios on areas such as learning theory, group dynamics, and conflict resolution. Part II is an extensive anthology of readings in related areas. 

Features

• Comprehensive—Contains all the material a peer leader needs to learn about and implement a peer-led team learning workshop in any chemistry course.
• Instructors will find materials that cover the core curriculum of the typical organic course.
• Versatile—The material in the guidebook has been tested and evaluated at a variety of
  institutions and fine tuned for efficacy and accuracy. 
• The material in this guidebook forms a strong base of material that can be used as-is and at once. 
• Extensively class tested—The material in the guidebook has been tested and evaluated at a variety of
  institutions and fine tuned for efficacy and accuracy. 
• The material in this workbook forms a strong base of material that can be used as is and at once.
• Extensive anthology of readings included, organized to correlate with chapters in Part I. 
• This book is a complete resource for peer leaders and contains most of the relevant readings from a
  variety of sources.

Table Of Contents

Part I. 

1. The Workshop Philosophy. 
2. The Role of the Workshop Leader. 
3. Getting a Group Started, Keeping It Going. 
4. Learning Styles and the Workshop. 
5. Basic Learning Principles. 
6. Learning Theory and the Workshop Leader. 
7. Race, Class, Gender, and the Workshop. 
8. Students with Disabilities and the Workshop. 

Part II. 

1. The Workshop Chemistry Project: Peer-Led Team Learning. 
2. Twenty-Five Ways to Get the Most out of Now. 
3. Student-Leader Relationships. 
4. Dealing with a Question That Stumps the Leader. 
5. How Do I Get My Students to Work Together? Getting Cooperative Learning Started. 
6.The First Day. 
7. Helping a Group That Won't Talk Much. 
8. How Do I Handle a Student Who Gets Everything Right? 
9. Reaching the Second-Tier—Learning and Teaching Styles in College Science Education. 
10. Are Our Students Conceptual Thinkers or Algorithmic Problem Solvers? 
11. Concept Maps in Chemistry Education. 
12. Gender and Silence: Implications of Women's Ways of Knowing. 
13. The Student's Experience. 
14. “Rare Bird.” 
15. Consequences of Ignoring Gender and Race in Group Work. 
16. Addressing Homophobia, Biphobia, and Heterosexism in Workshop. 
17. William Shawinski. 
18. Some Common Myths about Learning Disabilities. 
19. Troubleshooting. 
20. Index. 
21. Helpful Websites.