Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) Program
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Item Guide for Team Leaders(2017) Benson, Jane; Lilly, Mary P.The Guide for Team Leaders is designed to inspire personal exploration of leadership within PAL, SI, and related academic support programs. Depending on the program, there may already be an existing structure in place where an experienced facilitator/leader mentors their own team of peers functioning in a similar role. These team leaders can create opportunities for members to interact, share knowledge, and promote the professional growth of their peers. This guide was originally designed to support the growth of such team leaders within the Peer-Assisted Learning (PAL) Program at the University of Minnesota. However, as this work progressed, it became clear that the ideas were applicable to a variety of team leadership roles. This hands-on guide delves into such topics as meta-cognition, team member identity and participation, meeting/discussion topics and activities, and much more. Interactive activities encourage readers to reflect on these topics, while providing ample space for them to record their insights. It complements the Guide for Peer Learning Facilitators and utilizes activities in Tried and Tweaked, both of which are works developed by the University of Minnesota’s PAL Program.Item Two (or More) Heads are Better than One: Adventures in leading group learning(2010) Walker Ohs, Lana; Lilly, Mary PWhether as study group leaders, undergraduate TA’s, or tutors, college students working in peer-led academic support programs have a unique role in the learning environment - acting as model students and sharing their productive study behaviors. Along the way, these students gather wisdom and insight into what works and what doesn’t when assisting their fellow undergrads. The Peer-Assisted Learning (PAL) Program at the University of Minnesota has compiled a storybook to capture some of that wisdom so that those who follow can benefit from their predecessors' experiences - some positive, some challenging, but all "learning opportunities". Two (or More) Heads are Better than One: Adventures in leading group learning is a collection of first person narratives, told by peer facilitators and recorded and edited by one of the PAL program’s undergraduates - Lana Walker. What began as her thesis project, the collection turned into a book that has become a staple in the pre-semester training workshops and weekly team meetings. The stories are a springboard for discussions of program policies, the particulars of cooperative learning, and a clearer understanding of roles and boundaries. The format is engaging; peer leaders find some of the stories “funny” and laugh along with the narrators about their experiences. Anyone working with undergrads will see how they can benefit from these honest and thoughtful reflections, carefully grouped by topic, with stimulating, open-ended questions at the end of each chapter.Item Tried and Tweaked: Activities to re-energize peer learning sessions(2014) Lilly, Mary P; Paz, Justin“Tried and Tweaked: Activities to re-energize peer-learning sessions” is a collection of activities designed and conducted by undergraduate students at the University of Minnesota to use in their role as facilitators leading study sessions in the University’s Peer-Assisted Learning (PAL) Program. The activities were developed and tested during their weekly sessions and focus on two particular guiding principles of the PAL program (there are eight): modeling productive learning behaviors, and engaging students with each other. Each activity offers suggestions for preparation, supplies needed, appropriate courses, and the type of student grouping used in the activity. The spirit in which these session activities are designed is one of creating an informal, social, and welcoming environment. This is a companion volume to the Guide for Peer Learning Facilitators, which details all eight principles.Item Guide for Peer Learning Facilitators(2019-04) Lilly, Mary P; Sands, JessicaThe Guide for Peer Learning Facilitators is the foundation of a formal training program at the University of Minnesota, in which undergraduate students learn how to lead weekly study sessions for their peers in a classroom setting for specific courses – primarily ones with high enrollment and prone to higher than average D,F, Withdrawal rates. Training and professional development throughout the academic year have been the cornerstones to the success the facilitators have realized. The eight principles that govern the program – crafted by Dr. David Arendale in his original publication of the same name – address topics such as cooperative learning theory, multicultural competency, metacognition, study strategies, and group dynamics. The book, updated in April 2019, also provides a directory of useable forms and worksheets and a bibliography of related publications.