Pair Learning: Undeniable Scope of Personality Development

The Indian education system and classes have been categorized into two polar ends: group and personal. The effectiveness of both was estimated by the number of students competing for a tutor’s attention, with solitary classes gaining preference. The neglected part of the whole process was the facets between interacting with students and its impact on learning.

Hence, the solution is “pair learning” the phrase may be a recent coinage, but the philosophy has been around in the world of programming. The core idea of “pair programming” is to enhance the achievement of outcomes when two programmers work as a pair instead of independently. So does the “pair learning.” 

Pair programming enhances results by leaving room for minimum errors and increasing optimized thinking due to the partner’s review, probing, and questioning. It also magnifies knowledge sharing and the flow of information between the partners. Therefore, the problem is solved more efficiently, and both partners learn more than they would have when working on it by themselves.

Another relevant philosophy behind “pair learning” is Frank Lyman’s strategy -Think-Pair-Share. In 1981, Frank Lyman, a professor at the University of Maryland, had developed the strategy. It is a collaborative discussion strategy designed to allow students to think and formulate their individual thoughts and ideas about a given topic or concept before forming a pair with a peer to share their thoughts. It is named from the three stages of student action, which emphasizes what the students are doing at each of those stages. 

Incorporating the think-pair-share strategy into the classroom has many beneficial effects. Students work on their thinking, interacting, and learning capabilities throughout the process. Students individually THINK for a few moments about the teacher's prompt/question/observation to engage them. Students form a PAIR with another student to compare their responses to the prompt. They come to a consensus about a collective response to the prompt. Student pairs SHARE their thinking with the rest of the class as the teacher randomly calls on them or asks for volunteers to share. Think-Pair-Share encourages student participation from all students and promotes individual and peer accountability. Because the strategy holds students accountable for having something to share with their classmates/teachers, it helps keep students on task. It reduces the pressure reluctant students might have about responding in front of the whole class.

Relevance of “Pair Learning” in the present scenario 

From the past few years, the education system has taken a novel turn – from regular/offline classes to virtual classes, and now there is an option of a hybrid model. Many students prefer to work/study individually more than in a group. It has limited their in-class participation too. Paired learning would help the students to study with their peer support. 

Implementation of the technique would facilitate learning outcomes for students. In education, paired learning implies working together to answer questions, complete projects, or solve problems. Student interactions have often been seen as an irrelevant and even undesirable variable in lecture-based classrooms. But as educators around the world gradually examined the impact of these interactions on learning outcomes, the advantages of working in pairs or small groups became clearer. 

While analyzing the technique, the very first advantage is the broadened perspective. Discussion of a theory between two students would teach not only to defend their outlook logistically but also to face the opposing views. They can develop a more holistic understanding of a subject matter, with facts from both sides of the argument in their learning repository. As much as it builds knowledge, it helps develop essential non-academic skills such as empathy.

Another benefit is sharper concentration. The requirement for participation and introducing an element of competitiveness, pair learning, makes each student more alert to the learning process. Education needs to translate into a better ability to think critically and solve real-time problems to be truly effective. That’s where problem-solving skills stand out. All of which is developed by pair learning. By assessing different angles of the same problem, brainstorming ideas with a counterpart, encountering flaws in potential solutions, and arguing about the strength of those they endorse, a student is progressively becoming a more effective problem-solver. The undeniable scopes for personality development are skills to communicate, research, administrate, collaborate, and solve problems.

“There are dozens of skills required that can add to the benefits of being in a legal profession. All students need to have a developed skillset and express enthusiasm and flexibility towards the field.” - Dr. Shashikala Gurpur, Director, Symbiosis Law School Pune

Memorizing subjects and theories to be successful has become the practice of the old school days. Millennial needs to know how to deal with others, practice assertiveness, and confidently express their viewpoints. Indeed, the pair learning methodology permits students to express themselves along with greater learning outcomes.

Collaborative learning has the potential to lead the upcoming world and face all the odds in the education segments. If the methodology upholds steam as a classroom strategy and as an area of further research, the benefits will only multiply for students and educators.

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