What is the difference between collaborative learning and Peer-to-peer learning?

• Collaborative learning is learning with each other.
• Peer-to-peer learning is learning from each other.

(Reference: http://www.itworx.education/collaborative-learning-vs-peer-to-peer-learning/)

(Reference: https://www.haikudeck.com/quotes-about-my-self-uncategorized-presentation-UmPKFqxK7d#slide9)

Peer-to-peer learning can be used to:

• Build an active and cooperative learning environment.
• Encourage students to give and receive feedback and evaluate each other's' learning.
• Promote positive interdependence and accountability.
• Increase participation, motivation, and student engagement.
• Improve communication skills, achievement, and productivity.
• Promote ownership of learning and deeper understanding of new concepts.

(Reference: https://www.techsmith.com/edu-k12-peer-to-peer.html)

I believe Peer-to-peer learning environments foster a strong learning experience.

“There is no better way to learn than to teach.” Benjamin Whichcote, Moral and Religious Aphorisms

(Reference: http://www.slideshare.net/Satuystil/2015-peer-learning-and-ethical-principles-of-teaching)

We are being asked to work in a peer-to-peer learning environment through this course using Coursera and Scholar.

Through participating in this course, I’m learning I prefer a more intimate learning environment, like a web conference or flipped classroom study. In my research for this update, I ran across an interesting peer-to-peer learning concept that seemed like a good fit for me.

Introducing P2PU

Peer 2 Peer University (p2pu.org/en) is a non-profit organization that facilitates learning outside of institutional walls. Designing and leveraging open education tools and resources, P2PU strives to cultivate a high-quality, low-cost model for lifelong learning.

In this image, P2PU shares the traditional model of learning where the instructor transfers knowledge to the students. They then share different ways peers can share their projects and learn from each other.

The P2PU “Learning Circles” (Learn more: https://learningcircles.p2pu.org/en/) are peer-led study groups for learners who want to take online courses together and in-person.

I think this P2PU project is very interesting. It connects high-quality resources available on the Internet with the desire to learn while addressing our human need for social connection and adding deeper connection in-person.

"Being socially connected is our brain's lifelong passion," says Matthew Lieberman, a professor of psychology in the UCLA College of Letters and Science and a professor of psychiatry and biobehavioral science at UCLA's Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior. "It's been baked into our operating system for tens of millions of years."

Lieberman suggests that our institutions — from schools and sports teams to the military and health care institutions — would perform better if they were structured with an understanding of our social nature.

"Some day, we will look back and wonder how we ever had lives, work and schools that weren't guided by the principles of the social brain," he writes.

(Reference: http://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/we-are-hard-wired-to-be-social-248746)

It is important for us to recognize the rise of a new Generation P, for ‘participatory.’

(Reference: https://education.illinois.edu/newlearning/new-basics.html - Mary Kalantzis and Bill Cope  / Gee, James Paul. 2003. What Video Games Have to Teach Us about Learning and Literacy. New York: Palgrave Macmillan; —. 2004. Situated Language and Learning: A Critique of Traditional Schooling. London: Routledge; —. 2005. Why Video Games are Good for Your Soul: Pleasure and Learning. Melbourne: Common Ground; Jenkins, Henry. 2006a. "Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century." John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Chicago; —. 2006b. Fans, Bloggers and Gamers: Exploring Participatory Culture. New York: NYU Press; Kalantzis, Mary. 2006. "Changing Subjectivities, New Learning." Pedagogies: An International Journal1:7-12; Cope, Bill and Mary Kalantzis. 2009. "Ubiquitous Learning." Champaign IL: University of Illinois Press.)

(Reference: https://www.smore.com/5xqta-ideas-resources)

As stated in the article by Amber Rinehart (referenced above), Generation P “will be frustrated by a curriculum which expects them to be passive recipients of formal, generic textbook content.”

She goes on to add more thoughts as to what this generation will become:

• be knowledge producers, drawing together a range of available knowledge resources – instead of a knowledge consumer, fed just one source, the old textbook.
• work effectively in pairs or groups on collaborative projects, creating knowledge to be shared with peers.
• continue to learn beyond the classroom, using social media to learn anywhere and anytime – a phenomenon called ‘ubiquitous learning’.
• critically self-assess and reflect upon their learning.
• give feedback to their peers in ‘social-networking’ interactions.
• be comfortable players in environments where intelligence is collective – not just the sum of things that can be retained in the individual’s head, but with a capacity to source knowledge online or from other students or from experts, parents and community members.

“Technology is just a tool. I terms of getting kids working together and motivating them, the teacher is the most important.” Bill Gates

For me, I do see value in Peer-to-peer learning. I still find, and place, incredible value in a teacher’s presence and authority. I believe peers can learn from each other. However, it’s my belief that if everybody is the expert, nobody is the expert. In my humble opinion, the teacher is the most credible source of learning in a classroom setting. For me, I’m finding it important that the instructor be more involved in my learning experience than to just organize the process. That said, I do strongly believe there is high-potential value in working and learning alongside peers.

As Dr. Kalantzis said, “Collaborative work produces collaborative intelligence.” As we work in community it does built a sense of commitment to each other and ensuring each other’s success. And as Dr. Hope said, “We want success for everybody,” and we don’t want any student left behind.