Pair learning technology

The interaction of participants in training in pairs is used in two different forms of organization of training, named by V.K. Dyachenko as a pair and collective:

• interaction in a separate pair (its results are not used in other pairs). Such an organization is called a paired form of training organization;
• interaction in the group, when communication occurs in pairs of replaceable composition. Everyone in the group takes turns communicating with each. Such an organization is called the collective form of organization of training.

Sometimes the collective form is mistakenly considered a special case of the pair form. But it is not. If communication in a pair form is characterized by autonomy, independence from other couples, then collectively communication takes place in a group, and the pairs functionally and meaningfully depend on each other, due to changes in the composition of pairs, the results of learning interaction are used by other members of the group. The expressions “couples of replaceable composition”, “dynamic pairs” used as synonyms of the collective organizational form do not exactly reflect the essence of the issue.

The technology of pair learning is based on the interaction of two people. Such interaction in everyday life is very common, since people are characterized by “one-on-one” communication. Pair interaction is also often used in learning processes. But the important difference between pair interaction and pair learning technology is the presence of necessary and sufficient technological components:

• there are exactly two partners (P1 and P2),
• each partner has his own piece of content , which is often a “card” (K1 and K2),
• the communication of partners is governed by the explicitly specified pair operation algorithm ,
• there are other participants (one or more - shown by a dotted line), with which you can change in a pair,
• sheets of accounting work done (not shown in the diagram).

There are various options for landing students in their work in pairs. But it is not advisable for them to sit at the “round table”, otherwise they will interfere with each other, especially when cross-communicating when changing partners (but not remaining at previous places).

When partners need to write their explanations in each other's notebooks, it is advisable to sit at the same table without changing the traditional arrangement of tables in one or several rows.

G. O. Gromyko proposes the arrangement of tables, as shown in the figure. In his opinion, with such a landing two times less tables are required than when landing “in rows of two at the table.” There is a lot of space in the room for easy access from one group to another (for reference, about 10 square meters of space are needed for one group, including the aisles).

According to V. V. Arkhipova ^[1] , the landing of partners of one pair “through a corner” provides psychological comfort and convenience for working with content.

In a group of eight people direct visual contact with any participant is possible.

Due to the fact that "everyone hears everyone," parallel hearing develops, which increases the effectiveness of learning ^[2] .

There are the following types of educational work in a pair: discussion, joint study, training, training and testing. Perhaps the appearance of other species.

Types of work in pairs are different:

• positions (roles) of students;
• goals;
• content;
• interaction techniques;
• results.

To ensure fruitful work in a pair, it is not enough just to correctly formulate a learning task or to encourage students to be patient with the interlocutor. It is necessary to determine a clear and consistent course of action for students, ensuring their cooperation.

Learning activities in pairs can be used as a main component of a training session or as an additional one.

• An additional component of training sessions.

With the expansion of the organizational structure of frontally organized training sessions (their type is, for example, a lesson ) learning activities of students in pairs, the latter can only be auxiliary, and its possibilities are very limited. (In some methodological materials, supposedly devoted to the collective method of learning , this fact is just not taken into account.) After all, the lessons are grouped as the leading form of learning (interaction in a group is small or within the whole class, when each speaker sends a message to everyone at the same time) . In this regard, the lesson provides a common front - the same theme for all, about the same pace of its study, the total time of the beginning and end of classes.

In this case, the use of work in pairs allows you to consolidate and repeat the material that was presented by the teacher to the whole class. Usually students are engaged in some kind of learning activity in pairs. Such work begins and ends with students at the same time.

This option of using work in pairs can be compared with running on the spot (which, of course, has undoubted benefit). But more opportunities provides running in the gym, and even more - in large open spaces.

• Leading component of training sessions.

In this case, pair work is mainly used to study new educational material (without first explaining the teacher), to master new ways of learning activities. But this requires the restructuring of the entire educational process: the mode of employment, monitoring and evaluation of students, building curricula, job responsibilities of teachers, school management, that is, the transition from the classroom system to other forms of organization of the educational process based on individual learning routes of students. In the classes, which are called collective , at the same time, one can observe different forms of training organization: some schoolchildren work in pairs, others in groups, some with a teacher, the others independently. In the process of collective studies, a significant proportion of new educational material is developed by students independently (individually, in pairs or groups). In this case, the leading work is in pairs.

Learning in pairs is invariant with respect to the type of activity or content . It is used on almost all school subjects ^[3] . Methodists use the technology of pair learning in their methodological sections. TRIZ specialists in pairs teach engineers how to solve inventive problems.

The technology of interaction of participants in pairs is used in various areas of activity, - in cases where people come together to solve some common problem, for example, -

• pedagogical meetings ^[4] , parent meetings, class hours ^[5] are held in pairs in school;
• symposia, conferences, forums, festivals, meetings, in particular, trade union, party, shareholders;
• working groups for solving specific production problems of an institution, a firm, for example, design, problem, advertising, development;
• deputy groups and commissions, including meetings of deputies and deputy candidates with voters;
• double programming ^[6] , in which two programmers work side by side with a single computer, which significantly improves the quality of the program code.

Due to the fact that the “pair learning technology” gradually began to be used also in non-learning processes, a broader concept of “ technology of working in pairs ” appeared.

• Types of studies
• Types of training
• Types of communication

• Site materials "Collective way of learning"
• Mkrtchyan M. A. The formation of a collective way of learning. Krasnoyarsk, 2010. 228 p.
• Lebedintsev V. B. Kinds of educational activity in pairs // School technologies. 2005. No. 4. P. 102-112.
• Dyachenko V. K. New didactics. M .: Public Education, 2001. 496 p.
• Litvinskaya IG. Collective training sessions: principles, phases, technology // Express experience: supplement to the magazine "Headmaster". 2000. No. 1. P. 21-26.
• Gromyko G.O. Technology work in pairs. Full description Germany, Wechselseitig Lernen eV