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The PLTL Workshop Project
David Gosser, Project Director

It is an exciting time for the Peer-Led Team Learning model. In less than a decade of development it has been recognized (in the words of one NSF reviewer) as “a well established, documented model with sufficient flexibility to be utilized in multiple circumstances” and “has the potential to have broad, substantive impact” not only in chemistry, where it was initially developed, but also in physics, biology, mathematics and anywhere instructors are searching for an alternative to the one-dimensional and limiting “lecture-only” format.

What are the unique characteristics that bring such enthusiastic responses from students, faculty, and reviewers alike?    

1)         The technical answer: Critical Components form the basis for certain tested core convictions. Our project evaluation is based upon a careful examination of the presence of these components. Continuously examined and dynamic, they provide opportunity for feedback and refinement of the PLTL model.

The Critical Components are:

   The PLTL Workshop is integral to the course, coordinated with the other elements;

   The faculty teaching the courses are closely involved with the Workshops and the Workshop leaders;

   The Workshop leaders are students who have successfully completed the course. They are well trained and closely supervised, with attention to knowledge of the Workshop problems, teaching/learning strategies, and leadership skills for small groups;

   The Workshop materials are challenging at an appropriate level, and integrated with the other course components, intended to encourage active learning and to work well in collaborative learning groups;

   The organizational arrangements including the size of the group, space, time, noise level, teaching resources, etc. promote learning;           

   The institution, at the department level and beyond, encourages innovative teaching and provides sufficient logistical and financial support.  

What the PLTL model offers is a well-defined instructional format that is consistent with many approaches to content and style. The Workshop Project faculty have developed materials, but the key to the success of the model is not “our” materials, but a creative and faithful interpretation of the Critical Components.

2)         The emotional answer: The interlinked roles of the students, faculty and learning specialists; working as teams; appreciating the wisdom of teams; and a willingness to provide leadership roles for students.

If we visit our local bookstore's computer section, we are likely to see several titles such as Delphi Unleashed!  or  Linux Unleashed! What can unleash students from their traditional role as passive learners? A key to the effective implementation of active learning may be found in the pioneering research of Vygotsky*, in which it is argued that the most effective learning takes place when students are offered assistance in solving challenging problems by more capable peers. In light of this, faculty should consider shifting their role in teaching from being the sole authority and presenter of information to that of a facilitator of peer-assisted learning. An important way this can take place is in the weekly meetings of the faculty and the peer-leaders. This is an excellent opportunity to impact on the quality of the workshops. Not by lecturing to the student leaders(!) but by modeling practical ways to solve problems and understand the content in the context of a small group – a fascinating and open-ended quest. Faculty are freed in unexpected ways: since we no longer have to accomplish every single educational goal within the confines of the lecture, we can approach even lectures in a more creative and personal fashion.            

Another change from a typical approach to teaching a PLTL integrated course is the opportunity to collaborate in the design with someone who has specialized expertise in pedagogy and learning theory. This can be especially fruitful, since faculty often have limited training and experience in small group collaborative learning. It is also a case where 1+1>2.  Through this collaboration the mutually shared goals of both the faculty and  learning specialist, to enhance student learning, are satisfied beyond what can be accomplished in traditional isolation.

            For the peer-leaders the leadership role provides a unique opportunity for personal and professional growth. Working together with the faculty, they prepare for the PLTL workshops. They also provide vital feedback on the success of the workshop materials and methods in actual practice.

As peer-leaders, they can form much closer ties with the college and university. They have a positive experience with teaching that can lead to an interest in a career in science/math teaching, a critical national need.

            Students and student leaders have played a valuable role in the dissemination of the model. I have been regularly amazed at the eloquence, refreshing candor, and passion with which they embrace the PLTL model. Their presentations have by far been the most compelling at professional conferences and workshops. Some of these have even been breakthroughs at the national level, especially the meetings in which peer leaders led interested faculty in a workshop and discussed the details of PLTL with these participants.

            All the evaluation results tell us this is true – we can “unleash” the power of students as leaders and participants in courses, by providing them with a well structured but open environment where they are free to make mistakes and learn from, and with the guidance of, their leader and their fellow classmates. Participating PLTL students gradually develop a greater poise and self-confidence in the pursuit of understanding.

            But the greatest strength of the PLTL model is that it presents a structure that creates a real sense of community of scholars, where students can realize the ultimate goal of taking responsibility for their own learning. 

From Progressions, Fall 1999

Vol. 1, No. 1, Progress Notes

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