Peer Assisted Learning Strategies, Article Review Example

Dunn. B. (2009). PALS: Peer Assisted Learning Strategies. Online Submission. Retrieved June 22, 2010, from http://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/ED507452.pdf

Summary

The discussed article is the account of personal experience of the author with implementing Peer Assisted learning Strategies (PALS) in school on the example of first graders. The author insists that there is a high possibility of poor results for some struggling readers in the class resulting from the inability to allocate enough time for those who fall behind the class, lack of resources etc. (Dunn. 2009). However, the success of PALS application is shown on the experiment that will be discussed further – the secret for PALS efficiency is in increased trust and communication simplicity that may exist between peers than between learners and the teacher. After half a year practicing both PALS with student pairing and teacher-related PALS, the author indicates high results in reading advancement for students of the PALS-led class as compared with a similar class in which PALS was not implemented. The conclusion that the author makes is a strong recommendation of the peer approach to instruction and its effect on all students in the class without exception (Dunn. 2009).

Analysis of Research/Methodology

The research was conducted in the form of an experiment, with two focus groups taken as a sample. Class 1 consisted of 19 students (11 of which were Hispanic English learners, and others – native speakers) – this was the class in which no PALS instruction was used. Class 2 consisted of 21 students (12 Hispanic students); it was instructed with the application of the PALS method after Christmas holidays (Dunn. 2009). The PALS instruction comprised 54 hours of peer instruction and 54 hours of teachers’ instruction. The results were assessed at the end of the schooling year. The assessment tools used were the DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) testing (class 1) and AIMS (Academic Improvement Monitoring System) (class 2) (Dunn. 2009). Both assessment scales had similar indicators but the second one could assess the level of advancement, i.e. the progress of students measured in mathematical terms. The ending goal was 50 words per minute (wpm), but by the end of the year only 89% of students in class 1 could achieve the level of 60 wpm, while class 2 showed the 100% statistics (Dunn. 2009).

Recommendations for Implementation

The approach offered for increasing the reading potential of small struggling learners is surely a highly promising one, especially regarding the complete account of the experiment held in a school and yielding positive results that certify the indisputable efficiency of the PALS approach. It can be successfully implemented in all first grades and not only in reading classes but in many other as well. Peer instruction has always had a powerful potential because of reduced restraints, fewer hierarchy considerations, fewer concerns about non-understanding etc. Nonetheless, the approach may also conceal some hidden complications, especially in case the class is divided into instructional groups upon a certain period of learners’ interaction (e.g. as it happened in the course of the experiment, after Christmas). It may happen that some children find the common language and become friends, while others dislike each other and feel uncomfortable communicating. Such relationships should be detected by the teacher, and the division into groups has to be done in a strategically wise and thoughtful way in order to avoid conflicts and not to reduce the chances of some groups as compared to others. In all other aspects the approach seems to offer many more advancement opportunities for learners in contrast to conventional learning practices, so its efficiency has to be proven by further research and then implemented in the course of studies in schools.