Importance of learning from peers. (course work)

Learning from peers is extremely important and something we do from the beginning of life. We learn how to walk and talk from imitating our patients. We perhaps learn to tie our shoes from watching a sibling do it and then trying ourselves. Half of what we learn in life is because we experienced it ourselves the other half is what someone else has learned and has chosen to share.

I attended the eLearning Guild’s Annual Gathering this year and one presentation really hit home for me. The speaker mentioned that since he had started blogging, a year previous, he had learned more from blogging and reading the blogs of peers than he had in his entire academic career. I though to myself “Ya, right? Who’s going to believe that?” He knew the audience was thinking the same thing and said to just try it and experience it yourself.

So the first thing I did upon my return was start my own and behold he was right. I truly believe I have learned a great deal from this simple process. Blogging is a wonderful way to learn directly from one another. Each day I read many different postings from people I then can summarize, analyze, draw my own conclusion and post my own ideas and thoughts on those same topics. By doing this one simple example of peer-to-peer learning/teaching I am able to learn a many new things each day and expand my existing knowledge on those topics of which I am already aware .

“By sharing (writing about it) it you’re helping others learn. It’s always easier for us to learn from other people’s hard work and mistakes” (Yoskovitz, December 20, 2006).[i]

[i] Ben Yoskovitz, Inspiration Through the Learning of Other. Retrieved June 18, 2007 from: http://www.instigatorblog.com/inspiration-through-the-learning-of-others/2006/12/20/