apcampbell

The tagline at Dekita.org reads ‘P2P learning in EFL/ESL’. The topic also came up in our discussion at the Tapped In Summer Festival session on Blogstreams Salon just now. And when we talk about P2P learning, we’re speaking of any form of networked communication founded on the free and open participation of peers (equal partners), which is relatively unmediated by hierarchical structures of power. In essence, we can encourage P2P in learning by pedagogical approaches that emphasize learner centeredness, learner self-direction, and informal conversation; in combination with tools that enable learners to take control over the content and direction of learning while being able to easily share and network with others. Good tools for P2P learning are those that allow learners to share ideas in different formats (text, photo, audio, video, etc) while putting them in touch with others who share similar interests. Examples are Flickr, Elgg or Apcala, Livejournal, Blogger, various synchronous media communities (ICQ), etc.

Of course, these same tools can be put to non-P2P uses by educators unwilling to give up control over the learning process by attempting to apply traditional, teacher-centered pedagogical approaches. The standard homework assignment for quantitiative evaluation by the teacher alone is one example of this. If there is no attempt to expose learners’ ideas and put them in touch with their peers in other countries, encouraging chatting and open communication, then there is no P2P activity taking place, simply because it isn’t being allowed to blossom. Only when educators open doors to the world and encourage students to engage with their peers in meaningful ways can the foreign language be put to use for actual cross-cultural communication and dialogue, not just role play in the EFL classroom.