From Marbles to Instant Messenger™: Implications of Piaget's Ideas About Peer Learning

PIAGET' S THEORY IS PROPERLY ASSOCIATED with educational practices that encourage students' active participation in the teaching-learning process. This article describes some of Piaget's ideas about peer relationships, which professional educators may find useful for classroom applications. Any educational practice, including peer learning, should be systematically examined and evaluated. This artidle provides a framework for such an evaluation using Piaget's theory as a basis. After describing two important goals of peer learning, the point is made that teachers need to be mindful of the sociomoral context in which peer learning occurs. Teachers also need to consider the impact of peer learning on students' thoughts and feelings about schoolwork and their classmates. Finally, peer interactions and peer learning using modern technology are discussed.