written by
Nathaniel Lasry, Elizabeth Charles, Chris Whittaker, and Michael Lautman
The effectiveness of Peer Instruction is often associated to the importance of in-class discussions between peers. Typically, a greater number of students have correct answers after peer discussions. However, other cognitive and metacognitive processes such as reflection or time-on-task may also explain this increase because students answering conceptual questions reflect more and spend more time thinking about their understanding. An identical sequence of conceptual questions was given to three groups of students. All groups were polled twice on each question. Between polls, students were asked either to discuss their choice with a peer, or to reflect for a minute (no discussion), or were given a distraction task (sequence of cartoons: no discussion and no reflection). Increases in the rates of correct answers between the first and the second poll were found across all conditions. The 'Distract' condition had a small but positive increase (3.4%). The 'Reflect' condition had a greater increase (9.7%) while the 'Discuss' condition had the greatest (21.0%). All conditions showed gains, possibly because of 'testing effects', though peer-discussions clearly yield greatest increases. Our findings show that learning gains through peer discussions cannot be explained only by additional time on-task or self-reflection.
Physics Education Research Conference 2009
Part of the PER Conference series
Ann Arbor, Michigan: July 29-30, 2009
Volume 1179, Pages 181-184
<a href="https://www.per-central.org/items/detail.cfm?ID=9480">Lasry, N, E. Charles, C. Whittaker, and M. Lautman. "When Talking Is Better Than Staying Quiet." Paper presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2009, Ann Arbor, Michigan, July 29-30, 2009.</a>
N. Lasry, E. Charles, C. Whittaker, and M. Lautman, , presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2009, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 2009, WWW Document, (https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=9480&DocID=1352).
N. Lasry, E. Charles, C. Whittaker, and M. Lautman, When Talking Is Better Than Staying Quiet, presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2009, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 2009, <https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=9480&DocID=1352>.
Lasry, N., Charles, E., Whittaker, C., & Lautman, M. (2009, July 29-30). When Talking Is Better Than Staying Quiet. Paper presented at Physics Education Research Conference 2009, Ann Arbor, Michigan. Retrieved April 8, 2025, from https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=9480&DocID=1352
Lasry, N, E. Charles, C. Whittaker, and M. Lautman. "When Talking Is Better Than Staying Quiet." Paper presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2009, Ann Arbor, Michigan, July 29-30, 2009. https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=9480&DocID=1352 (accessed 8 April 2025).
Lasry, Nathaniel, Elizabeth Charles, Chris Whittaker, and Michael Lautman. "When Talking Is Better Than Staying Quiet." Physics Education Research Conference 2009. Ann Arbor, Michigan: 2009. 181-184 Vol. 1179 of PER Conference. 8 Apr. 2025 <https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=9480&DocID=1352>.
@inproceedings{
Author = "Nathaniel Lasry and Elizabeth Charles and Chris Whittaker and Michael Lautman",
Title = {When Talking Is Better Than Staying Quiet},
BookTitle = {Physics Education Research Conference 2009},
Pages = {181-184},
Address = {Ann Arbor, Michigan},
Series = {PER Conference},
Volume = {1179},
Month = {July 29-30},
Year = {2009}
}
%A Nathaniel Lasry %A Elizabeth Charles %A Chris Whittaker %A Michael Lautman %T When Talking Is Better Than Staying Quiet %S PER Conference %V 1179 %D July 29-30 2009 %P 181-184 %C Ann Arbor, Michigan %U https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=9480&DocID=1352 %O Physics Education Research Conference 2009 %O July 29-30 %O application/pdf
%0 Conference Proceedings %A Lasry, Nathaniel %A Charles, Elizabeth %A Whittaker, Chris %A Lautman, Michael %D July 29-30 2009 %T When Talking Is Better Than Staying Quiet %B Physics Education Research Conference 2009 %C Ann Arbor, Michigan %V 1179 %P 181-184 %S PER Conference %8 July 29-30 %U https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=9480&DocID=1352
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