The Magic Of Peers in Learning
Peers are magicians.
No really! They can make any boring lecture interesting. And without them sometimes the most interesting lectures is boring.
Besides making learning fun, there are many ways in which your peers can transform your learning. Here are 5 ways in which peers can unlock the full potential of your learning:
1/ Lay of the Land 🏞️
Find a peer who is slightly ahead in your journey and get a sense of the lay of the land before you commit to a new learning journey.
Peers who have already explored certain areas can help navigate through the initial challenges and be great guides. Their experiences, resources, and insights can give a head start in your learning journey.
Example from my learning journey:
Before heading to Design school, I remember talking to a bunch of folks who were already in college. By talking to people across various years and various design schools - I was better prepared for what I was signing up for the next 5 years of my life.
2/ Accountability Buddies ✅
Find someone who is trying to learning something and hold each other accountable. You’ll be surprised how much you get done by becoming mutually responsible for each other’s progress.
From studying for exams, or sticking to a learning habit, having an accountability buddy keeps us motivated, focused, and committed to our learning. The best part? You can hold each other accountable for different things you’re learning.
Example from my learning journey:
2 years back I took a 30 Day Atomic Writing Challenge. ~40 budding writers - all strangers to me and each other came together on a Whatsapp group and posted links to their essays everyday for 30 days. And if I’m being honest? On some days seeing someone else’s article was exactly the push I needed to write my own.
3/ Feedback 🤝🏻
Peers can also be a great source of feedback. Whether it is fresh perspectives or alternative approaches or constructive criticism - they can help us refine our understanding.
Engaging in peer-to-peer feedback can help in developing a broader understanding of the subject matter - even for the person giving feedback.
Example from my learning journey:
At my Crossfit box, our coach often makes us pair up while learning a new skill. The idea is not just to help but to also monitor if the other person is doing the movement correctly & give them feedback.
4/ Collaborative Learning 👯
Peer-based learning can be really powerful. By working together, peers can complement each other’s strengths, get a diverse set of perspectives to learn from. Overall this diversity and collaboration helps in deepen the understanding of a topic.
Collaborative learning helps in building lateral skills like communication and critical thinking. Shared efforts also leads to inspiring, challenging and motivating each other.
Example from my learning journey:
Last year, Transcend Network organised a bunch of LXP Jams - an online event where people who work in learning could come together and collaboratively try and solve challenges they’re facing at work. From peer learning to content - the Jam hosts would bring in a specific problem/ framework they wanted to work with and we would spend a majority of the time in breakout rooms discussing and brainstorming on the same.
5/ Feyman Technique 🧑🏻🏫
The best way to see if you’ve understood something? Explain it someone else. When you explain a concept to each other, you not only reinforce your own understanding but also help the other person grasp the material more effectively.
Explaining a concept to someone else requires organising your own thoughts, simplifying complex ideas, and adapting based on your audience. In the process, you end up strengthening comprehension, memory retention, and communication skills.
Example from my learning journey:
A recent course I took - Nervous System Mastery did a great job at using the Feynman Technique in the live session breakout rooms. One person had to explain a concept while the others would pretend to be 12 year olds. It was not easy, but it led to some really interesting analogies & examples - things that have stuck around with me more than others!
In a Nutshell 🌰
From getting a quick overview ti providing accountability, from providing feedback to collaborating with them to learning by teaching - peers are the magic you need in learning. Go get them!
Knowmad Society, one my favourite books has a quote that I love (& from where I took the title of this post) -
“The Magic of peer learning is that you do not need to get a degree to become a teacher.
One just has to live”