Harvard physics Professor Eric Mazur developed Peer Instruction in the early 90s, after noticing that many of his students weren't deeply understanding concepts despite performing well on traditional exams. He wanted to explore the nuts and bolts of that discrepancy. 

In this episode, I talk about my dealings with Peer Instruction to date, what the research says, and some potential pitfalls.

Literature etc. I consulted for this episode includes:

Mazur, E. (1997). Peer instruction: A user’s manual. Prentice Hall.

Crouch, C. H., & Mazur, E. (2001). Peer instruction: Ten years of experience and results. American Journal of Physics, 69(9), 970–977. https://doi.org/10.1119/1.1374249

Fagen, A. P., Crouch, C. H., & Mazur, E. (2002). The effects of Peer Instruction on student learning gains: Evidence from a range of classrooms. The Physics Teacher, 40(4), 206–209. https://doi.org/10.1119/1.1474140

Lasry, N., Mazur, E., & Watkins, J. (2008). Peer instruction: From Harvard to the two-year college. American Journal of Physics, 76(11), 1066–1069. https://doi.org/10.1119/1.2978182

Smith, M. K., Wood, W. B., Adams, W. K., Wieman, C., Knight, J. K., Guild, N., & Su, T. T. (2009). Why peer discussion improves student performance on in-class concept questions. Science, 323(5910), 122–124. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1165919

Crouch, C. H., Watkins, J., Fagen, A. P., & Mazur, E. (2007). Peer instruction: Engaging students one-on-one, all at once. Research-Based Reform of University Physics, 1(1), 40–95. https://per.colorado.edu/articles/Crouch-2007-PRSTPER.pdf

Freeman, S., Eddy, S. L., McDonough, M., Smith, M. K., Okoroafor, N., Jordt, H., & Wenderoth, M. P. (2014). Active learning increases student performance in science, engineering, and mathematics. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111(23), 8410–8415. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1319030111

Zhang, P., Ding, L., & Mazur, E. (2017). Peer instruction in introductory physics: A method to bring about positive changes in students’ attitudes and beliefs. Physical Review Physics Education Research, 13(1), 010104. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.13.010104

If you have a topic you would like covered, write to me: [email protected].

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Curious about what happens to your students when they leave the classroom and start uni life? This episode covers some of the factors that impact on smoothness of school to university transition.

If you have a topic you would like covered, write to me: [email protected].

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In the last episode of season 4, I answer three listener questions and discuss the plan for season 5 of the podcast.

Enjoy, and happy new year!

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I've got a system for writing report comments, but it takes forever and isn't particularly efficient. Naturally, my problem-solving brain starts looking for solutions during the school holidays when we're both meant to be resting. 

The result? I have a system to recommend. It still allows for tailoring of comments so that each student receives the bespoke comment they deserve. But it streamlines various aspects of the process to save me time. Win win.

Enjoyed this discovery? Write to me: [email protected].

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Next year, I'll be moving to a new school. The process is bittersweet - whilst there is excitement at the prospect of learning new things, it has been hard to say goodbye to colleagues and students.

As you can imagine, these last few weeks I have spoken with many colleagues and friends about the move. Everyone seems to have their own unique view on this life event, based on their experiences. So, when do teachers move schools, and why?

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Visit the website: https://www.spongeeducation.com.

In this episode I talk about two things I do to reduce my marking workload.

Automarked quizzes are a blessing but can be curse so proceed with caution. Exploit the good bits, and don't expect them to solve all your problems.

Peer marking in class is a winner if you set it up right. And if your students aren't too exhausted... like anything, you've got to have buy in if you want it to yield results.

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In this episode I talk about the importance of letting students chart their own course, with guidance of course.

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School holidays are here.

Cue picnics in parks with people, sleeping in (c/o operation recovery from the term that was entirely on Zoom), and changing tyres. 

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In this episode, I talk about some Zoom wins. Top of mind is the Zoom conference we held for Year 12 Science Extension students last week, where they presented their work to Year 11 students. Breakout rooms and shared screens were the next best thing to the in-person poster session we usually run.

This episode is dedicated to our beloved cat Sampson. May he catch many rays of sun wherever he's off to next.

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"I hope this email finds you well sane."

In this episode, I'm talking about the joys of remote teaching. Again.

If you're sick of this topic, don't worry, so am I. 

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