The Benefits of Peer Teaching in the Early Years

The Learning Advantage in a Montessori Mixed-Age Preschool

Sep 14, 2009

The Montessori preschool classroom for 3 to 6 year olds offers plenty of opportunities for younger and older members to engage in collaborative teaching and learning.

One of the distinguishing features of a Montessori Preschool is its mixed-age grouping. Children ages 3 to 6 are placed together and each enjoys a three-year cycle programme. Pro-social behaviour is enhanced and the classroom is a rich learning environment that meets the intellectual levels of all members. Children learn through active engagement with the wide range of didactic materials and there is also much learning by simply watching the work and behaviour of others in the environment.

Older Children Benefit From Peer Teaching

When younger and older children work alongside each other, peer teaching is common. The older children who are more settled in the environment enjoy helping out the younger ones who, for example, want to know how to work with an apparatus that the older ones are familiar with. When children share their knowledge and skills with others, they are not held back in their learning. In fact, to teach requires mastery of the subject. Next, they need to analyse and organize the information, and present it in such a way that it is comprehensible to the learner. The struggles of the learner, according to Montessori (1989) become like a control of error, urging the the peer teacher to find out even more in order to meet the needs of the learner.

There is validation of what they know when they show the younger child how to arrange the flowers in the vase, feed the pet hamster, or use the letter “a” instead of “e” when building the word “hat” with the Large Moveable Alphabet. Verbal skills are enhanced in the communication process and patience may be tested. Montessori herself once said, “there is nothing that makes [one] learn more than teaching someone else" (1989, p. 69).

Some children even find opportunities to teach others, coming up with creative ways to use the didactic materials. A five year old child was once observed using the touch fabrics to conduct a lesson on colours with the three-year old, who listened most attentively and answered accordingly when the peer teacher asked, “Now, what colour is this?”

Younger Children Benefit From Peer Teaching

In a mixed-age classroom, the younger children may learn faster as they need not wait until the teacher is available to see to their needs. They find willing teachers in their older and more experienced peers. Peer teaching is also effective as it has been said that "the mind of the five year old is so much nearer than [the adult's] to the mind of a child of three" (Montessori, 1999, p. 206).

As children in the Montessori preschool enjoy a three-year cycle of learning, they start off as juniors learning the ropes from their seniors, and in time, after repeated practice with the material, the younger ones master the activities and are now ready to teach the less experienced. Opportunities abound for everyone to be teachers in the three-year cycle programme offered by Montessori preschools.

Two Examples of Peer Teaching in the Montessori Preschool Classroom

When children teach each other, there are benefits to both the teacher and the student. Take for example the case of John, age 6, and Amy, age 4. At the book corner, John reads to Amy. He painstakingly moves his index finger below the lines of the text. He enunciates the words clearly, showing the ability to translate the printed letters to spoken sounds. He reads with expression showing understanding of the story line. Amy enjoys the auditory pleasure of the language and is captivated by the tale told. She develops listening and comprehension skills and associates the printed word with the spoken language, which is a key skill for the emergent reader in the early years.

In another example, Lisa, age 3, observes Ally, age 5, as she shows her how to do up the buttons. Ally’s grip of the button is firm, and there is control and coordination as she handles the button and the flap to ease the button neatly through the hole. Lisa watches Ally’s movements with admiration, paying attention to the sequence of buttoning steps. She has to recall the movements as she in turn attempts the exercise. Ally encourages her with verbal prompts, hinting at where to hold and what to do next.

Teachers Benefit From Peer Teaching

In a mixed-age learning environment, the teacher observes the peer teaching that goes on about her, and much can be gathered about the effectiveness of the children’s learning. When the teacher observes the older child misleading the younger one, she can invite the older child to revisit the lesson with her.

Teachers can also encourage peer teaching by inviting the more experienced child to share his or her knowledge or skills with the younger ones. For example, Lee is asked to show the younger children how to put away the broad stairs. He demonstrates painstakingly to the observers how each prism is handled and replaced in order on the shelf in its rightful place.

In short, a Montessori mixed aged classroom is truly an active learning environment, with children teaching and learning from each other, as they help one another to get the most of out of the didactic materials that are readily available in the classroom.

Montessori, M. The Child, Society and the World: Unpublished Speeches and Writings. Oxford: Clio Press, 1989.

The copyright of the article The Benefits of Peer Teaching in the Early Years in Early Childhood is owned by Carolyn Marie Choo. Permission to republish The Benefits of Peer Teaching in the Early Years in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.