This brief essay aims to probe an accepted norm in peer tutoring hiring processes, specifically the "ipso facto" acceptance that a good student equates to being a good tutor. While this practice makes sense in many instances, perhaps a more holistic approach is warranted, particularly in light of the humanistic work we perform in…

Taking on leadership roles provides teenagers opportunities for personal growth and development. Peer-led physical activity opportunities can promote peer engagement and social support, which are crucial for promoting physical activity among students. This article presents an easy way to incorporate peer-led physical activity opportunities or…

Hands-on laboratory courses seldom appear in biomedical engineering (BME) graduate programs, thus limiting graduate students' ability to acquire wet laboratory skills like cell culturing. At large, BME graduate programs rely on ad hoc training provided by senior graduate students; however, this method cannot be extended to new or non-BME…

Heightened attention to the importance of equitable educational practices in today's schools reveals a growing number of emergent bilingual students who have not received consistent formal education and may be struggling with overall literacy. Labeled as Students with Interrupted Formal Education (SIFE), these learners require novel educational…

In this teaching tip, we describe our approach to elevating the quality of group work in an information technology (IT) project management course by implementing three practices of experiential and peer learning that work more effectively when combined. The first practice addresses slacking in group work by applying a flipped classroom style that…

Teaching new games among children should not be a new practice to many of students and yet, it does not mean that they will be able to do it well. Therefore, the teaching strategy of Learn-Teach-Play (LTP) seeks to create a simple three stage process in which students will practice their teaching and watch others model the same practice,…

Models-based practice is a standards-based way of teaching where the teacher becomes familiar with multiple different ways (i.e., model) of delivering a unit of instruction. A teacher well versed in multiple models can select the model that best promotes the intended learning outcomes of the unit. However, there is very little evidence that…

Graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) are crucial facilitators of undergraduate education, yet many begin their teaching appointments with minimal knowledge of teaching practices. Chemistry Instructional Coaching offers GTAs at the University of Michigan an opportunity to develop their instructional practice through a collaborative, nonevaluative,…

When teachers lead professional learning for their peers, it raises a challenge--presenter vulnerability. Porosoff discusses the many reasons teachers may feel vulnerable as they present PD to peers and ways school leaders can help them manage that vulnerability.

How can elementary students use Google Slides to enhance their math problem-solving skills and creativity? Usable Math offers slideshows that pose a problem, provide hints, and ultimately reveal a solution. The intent of these slideshows is to provide extended opportunities to understand and practice mathematics skills. In this fourth-grade…

Use of peer models during classroom demonstrations can be an effective teaching practice to support student learning and self-efficacy. According to social cognitive theory, modeling is a form of vicarious experience: those experiences through which students are able to learn and acquire knowledge through observation. As a critical source of…

There are many models for structuring peer interactions in the music classroom. From peer mentoring to peer tutoring, to other structured interaction models that have emerged from other areas of education, music teachers have many options when considering how to include structured peer interaction activities. This article describes the various…

For students to gain the most out of education, they need to form long-term memories from experiences gained through active learning. The greatest distinction between active learning and traditional approaches involves the types of tasks and problems the students are challenged to solve. Active learning activities should be structured with student…

Near-peer teaching has been widely implemented in medical schools and the benefits for the near-peer teachers (NPTs), the students, and the institution have been well documented. However, NPT training methods and perceptions of such have been limited. A four-year clinical anatomy and surgical training program was established (est. 2019) as part of…

Music educators are exploring ways to implement peer-assisted learning in their classrooms in an effort to foster a more inclusive and collaborative learning environment. By observing students in peer teaching roles, teachers can gain information related to individual levels of social appropriateness as well as skill comprehension, and additional…