Herman, C. H. (2022). Group Work that Works: Peer-Assisted Learning in Large Ensemble Classrooms. Music Educators Journal, 109(1), 52–59.
In this article about peer-assisted learning, Christina Herman provides a starting poing for teachers to start integrating peer-assisted learning, or PAL, into their teaching. More specifically, the article is concerned with Reciprocal Peer-Assisted Learning, where students each have opportunities to fill the role of teacher and student in pairs or small groups. Herman discusses the benefits and potentiall pitfalls of this learning style, and provides sample units that teachers could use for peer assisted learning in large ensembles concurrently with traditional large ensemble work.
First of all, I was so happy to find such a wonderful article from a CSU Music Ed. Master's graduate! I had a lot of ideas while reading Ms. Herman's article. I think that PAL could be used so effectively if the methods are varied well enough, including student, teacher, and randomly selected groups, and with pairs and larger groups. One way to integrate this smoothly into a routine for class could be to have 20 minutes of group work at the start of class 2 or 3 days a week. The groups could be randomly chosen and shown over the projector, and each group could have a specific spot designated in the room to always go to. These group work sessions could be designated time to work on fundamentals of rhythm, sight reading, theory, or even listening and discussion. Varying the activities in ensemble classes is important, and using PAL seems to be an effective way of doing so.
Questions for Ms. Herman:
-What are some strategies for mitigating the concerns of students who are grouped/paired with students who "slack off" in group work settings?
-With chamber ensemble groups, how does the teacher ensure that all the students are on-task as this requires a lot of trust in student leaders?