Peer Interaction
Promoting interaction with peers through individual group activities is a great icebreaker.
Sumeka,
You are correct. I have found the best way for someone to really understand the material is to teach someone else.
Susan Backofen
Peer interaction is also important becuae what I have found is that once a student gets it and it clicks and their understanding has risen to a new level and they understand the material, working with other classmates helps them to retain the information as well as recieve it better.
During orientation week we have a "Get to know your classmates" game. 20 tasks such as find a classmate whose last name starts with the same letter as yours. Then we go over them all in the end. It's just a party icebreaker, but they quickly find others with similar interests and backgrounds and begin to bond right away.
assigning students that arrive late has had great success on our campus this gets the late students more involved and also give them someone to confide in. someone to share with and experience the beginning of school together. this help with retention and drops.
I do the same. I always have a little break where I have the students sit and chat so they can get to know eachother and I also have them share a little bit of what they might be nervous about. Lets the students know that most of them have the same fears.
Peer interaction has many advantages
It alleviates anxiety & fear.
Students usually think that everybody else in the class is better than him/her. After interacting, they come to know that they may be better than many.
Students can form support groups.
They feel less scared of tests and exams
During the first quarter or semester classes should have 2 objectives. The first is toward completing the work in order to pass the course. The second is to make the new student acquainted in their new surroundings. I did not say comfortable, I said acquainted. This is forming study groups, class partners and keeping an “open door policy†to the students. A new start in a new place can be overwhelming. It can be overcome and this leads to retention.
I totally agree with this statement. In our orientation we always include the current students by introducing themselves and telling a little about there experience so far. Then we have a mix & mingle where new students can ask questions that they might have been scared to ask as they are new.
