Peer learning is a collective term for various forms of training which peers through structured cooperation acquires knowledge and skills. Peer learning emphasizes the way to solve problems, formulate problems and critically evaluate not only others but also its own work. Actively working with a peer learning can be both stimulating and challenging. Below we have tried to summarize the success factors and challenges for peer learning, the teachers’ perspective. The idea is that this will serve as a guide for teachers in the exploration of the collegiate learning.
Success factors for peer learning:
- to work actively to share knowledge between teachers, create space for educational discussions
- to find moments in everyday life where you share knowledge
- systematically tell and share, in small steps
- that all material sharing are still there and can be shared with new colleagues
- to explore and test the new knowledge, for example, in the form of small problems to solve
- to find a practical use, the use of knowledge in everyday life
- daring to admit that you can not be everywhere, and confidence in daring to question
- to arouse the curiosity of your colleagues
- to realize that everyone learns in different ways
- daring to try and fail when testing new things
- as a school leader to be the “good example”
Challenges for peer learning:
- difficult to find a time and place to share knowledge
- different skill levels make it difficult to share the same information with all teachers
- to know how to start sharing knowledge
- to go from new knowledge to practical use
- vulnerable when there is only one teacher who has the knowledge
- great competition around what knowledge should be shared and used
- it´s easy to let the expert handle such things as IT
- to know when a peer learning is needed, how do you know the other teachers’ knowledge and areas of knowledge?
- to know how to support the collegial learning in the unit, and get support in this process
- fear of new approaches and new knowledge, requires leadership to lead and show the way