Peer-Mediated Teaching

There are a variety of instructional strategies and accommodations that

teachers can implement to help students with learning disabilities feel successful

and included in the classroom environment. One specific instructional practice that

has proven to increase participation and accountability, permit active engagement,

and promote motivation, is referred to as peer-mediated teaching. This method of

instruction is highly supportive of the goals of both general and special educators

and has successfully benefited students both academically and socially. Harper and

Maheady (2007) discuss three types of peer-mediated strategies: Classwide Student

Tutoring Teams (CSTT); Numbered Heads Together (NHT); and Response Cards

(RC).

CSTT are typically used in place of independent seatwork activities as they

allow for active engagement with instructional content that has already been

introduced by the classroom teacher. When creating the groups for CSTT, teachers

should attempt to place one high-performing student, one average-performing

student, and one low-performing student on each team. This creates self-sufficiency

and fairness amongst groups as well as provides support for students with learning

disabilities.

NHT involves placing students into four-member heterogeneous learning

teams to review previously discussed content. It is a great strategy for students with

learning disabilities because it gives them the chance to discuss ideas and possible

answers with their teammates before having to respond aloud. Additionally, it holds

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students accountable to participating in discussions and increases student

understanding of material.

Response cards (RC) are often used in collaboration with NHT. This

instructional practice involves using cards, signs, whiteboards, or another item, to

display student responses to teacher-provided questions. This strategy greatly

increases students’ motivation and increases accountability while allowing the

teacher to informally assess students’ understanding of material. RC is particularly

beneficial for students with learning disabilities because it decreases the anxiety

associated with answering questions aloud to the class.

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