Student-led activities

Student-led learning (or peer-assisted learning) is when students facilitate their own learning by guiding other students in (mostly) group activities to discuss materials and solve problems. While students are allowed more autonomy, they are not left alone – instead they are guided in being independent learners who are able to track their own development.

Students may be asked to ‘design’ some form of assessment (for example a quiz) based on their knowledge of a topic, and/or facilitate a group discussion with groups of peers. There may also be opportunities for student-developed content, such as allowing students to compile WINKs (‘What I Now Know’) or discipline specific glossaries during a semester.

Teaching staff will be aware that student-led classrooms tend to be noisier and more dynamic, and that this can enhance enjoyment and motivation for students to engage with the materials and their peers. These classes may also require a room set up that includes tables for small groups. As with any teaching activity, however, it’s important to realise that it may not be accessible to everyone. For example, a noisy classroom can be disabling for people with sensory sensitivities (for example, some people with autism), and those students might need to participate in a separate, quieter room. Always be ready to offer other options as a backup.

How to implement

Step 1: Determine the timing of the student-led activity

These activities sometimes require some set up – ideally outside the class time (see Step 2). These may include providing the brief for the activity beforehand, allowing students to prepare (you may consider a roster if you are doing this on a weekly basis).

Student-led activities can be placed anywhere in the sequence of a lesson plan depending on the type of activity you set and its purpose. For example, a student-led discussion can be placed early in sequence if it refers to material from previous weeks or later in the sequence if it is used as a reflection/consolidation task. Other examples, such as collaborative Infographic posters, can be activities that run throughout the course of the entire sequence.

Step 2: Prepare the activity prior to the session

Students may not be familiar with putting themselves in a facilitator’s role or may be apprehensive about doing so. To allow students to prepare, it is recommended that a brief for the activity is given beforehand – this can be shared in the LMS for all students to access.

A brief should contain clear instructions on what is expected, and the steps needed to complete the activity which may include the online tools to be used.

It will also be critical to set up any online tools that may be needed for the activity. Teaching staff can determine the tool needed provided students declare their intentions, for example if a student would like to have peers sharing thoughts on a Padlet to drive the discussion.

Step 3: Guide from the side

In principle, student-led learning places the teaching staff in to the side of the activity – the student(s) are in this instance at the head of the class. In this dynamic, the teaching staff's role is to encourage and accept student autonomy and create a comfortable atmosphere for student expression, acting as guides for their students. Another way of seeing this is the teaching staff  as a partner of students who were pursuing agency. Guidance from the side can include further inquiry prompts, affirmation and encouragement.

Step 4: Facilitate feedback

Feedback in student-led activities should be encouraged to come from all participants – students and teaching staff. You may prefer to resist giving feedback first, allowing peers to lead a feedback circle and simply equally participate in this process.

Suggested student-led activities