Section 2
What is Peer group Education?
Definitions
'Peer group. Technically a peer group is
any collectivity in which the members share some common
characteristics, such as age or ethnicity. It most commonly
refers to age groups in general, but more specifically to
adolescent groups where members are closely bound together
by youth culture. Adolescent peer groups tend to have: (1)
a high degree of social solidarity, (2) hierarchical organisation,
(3) a code which rejects, or contrasts with, adult values
and experience. From an adult perspective, peer groups are
often deviant because delinquency is supported by the rewards
of group membership.' (A peer is a member of a peer group.)
(Abercrombie, 1988)
'Peer group education is a method of information transference
or role modeling where a particular type of behaviour is
promoted or information transferred. The peer educators
closely match the target group in some manner; whether it
is by age, sexuality, gender, etc.'
(Brammer/Walker 1995)
Within this publication we have
focused on work with young people between the ages of 14
and 20 years, although for many peer group education and
peer led programmes of young people taking part ages, do
vary enormous.
Young people as educators
Young people are often portrayed in a negative
light, as trouble makers, as instigators and aggressors,
the causes of many social problems. By giving young people
opportunities to create their own programmes of education
and information, qualities like commitment, loyalty and
idealism can be engendered.
Peer group education programmes enable
young people to deal with problems that affect them. The
process can be partly social, establishing forums for young
people to explore new frontiers, helping to solve problems
and let people in power gain an understanding of the point
of view of young people.
Peer group pressure is traditionally seen
as a negative pressure on young people, where young people
'learn their bad habits like drug taking and smoking'.
To use such dynamics in a positive manner
is the challenge of peer education.
'A peer who understands a teen's fierce need
for independence and maturity, and can temper those needs
with responsibility and thoughtfulness is in a crucial position
to correct misinformation and shape group values without
losing credibility among youth, adolescents can be extremely
influential in shaping the behaviour and values of their
friends, particularly in risk taking situations.'
(Centre for Population Options, USA,
1993).
For many young people it is their peer
group that influences values and behaviours. Peer led methods
have been around for many centuries in many different forms,
from the writing of Aristotle to the eighteenth century
monitorial systems which were popular in Europe. Many have
noted the benefits of working with children and young people
in an educational setting, whether formally or informally,
helping them to help themselves.
We know that social or peer groups play
an important part in the socialisation of the young. During
adolescence peer groups can play an increasingly influential
role in a young persons life. Certainly the average child
spends a larger portion of time with peers than with his
or her parents particularly during adolescence. J. Root
in an Educational Research article entitled "The Importance
of Peer Groups", claimed that because peer groups matter
to children they also matter to their education. He argues
for the recognition of peer groups as an integral part of
learning strategies. It is because of this empathy and similar
life experiences peer educators have a distinct advantage
over their professional counterparts in informing and educating.
Within DOmino we explore the many issues
raised within peer group education; about control of the
young people involved in peer group programmes; their relationships
to adults as teachers, trainers or coaches; the partnerships
developed between youth and community workers as leaders
or coaches, and the rationale behind developing such programmes.
These sections are illustrated by examples of good practice.
Practical exercises and games are included which aim to
help those wishing to establish programmes and develop existing
work with young people.
A glimpse at the history of peer education
As well as the writings of Aristotle in Ancient Greece,
Dr Andrew Bell developed one of the earliest documented
examples of a peer education approach with his monitorial
system in a Madras school in India. Like Bell, Joseph Lancaster
later identified peer led approaches in the late eighteenth
century through school programmes where under a carefully
planned supervision, disadvantaged young people taught reading,
writing and arithmetic to their peers. Lancaster and his
contemporaries identified these early monitorial systems
as
'value for money, a way of maximising the
use of their limited resources'
(Lancaster, 1805).
'The dissemination of the Bell-Lancaster
system through Denmark, England, France, Greece, Italy,
Norway and Sweden constitutes one of the most amazing educational
movements of all time... It's success was due to it's comparative
effectiveness at a time when cheapness was the prime consideration.'
(Pollard, 1982).
Lilya Wagner in her comprehensive history
of peer teaching examines the development of peer education
acknowledging the work of the Swiss educationalist Pestalozzi
working with orphan children in Switzerland. Pestalozzi
developed a more informal approach to peer teaching than
Bell and Lancaster had.
'... drilling one child through an artificial
machinery of lifeless tasks and the child so drilled they
employ to drill others in the same manner and by the same
means.'
(Leitch, 1876).
An 1831 American report numbered almost
two thousand monitorial schools each in Denmark, Sweden,
Spain and Sardinia. The Dutch had earlier developed a system
which was taken on by the English. This time of reform and
development within the educational authorities of nineteenth
century Europe influenced greatly the development of educational
theory in other parts of the world.
Lancaster and others describe how these
early formal systems were beneficial to the monitors themselves.
'Lancaster was shrewdly aware of the stimulating
effect of being a monitor not only on a boy's learning but
also on his behaviour. 'Lively, active tempered boys are
the most frequent transgressors of good order; and
the most difficult to reduce the reason; the best way to
form them is by making monitors of them.'
(Goodland, 1979)
In the late 1950's, peer education had
a revival in Europe, Canada, USA and Australia and continued
to be pursued as an effective approach to communicating
and education sometimes hard to reach young people with
messages about health, welfare and social issues. At the
University of Minnesota (USA) in the early 60's, programmes
were developed to help minority youth learn about science
and mathematics, this and others in Chicago and Sacramento
identified the role of the adult as a distant coach in the
peer education process.
It is well documented that peer led methodology
reduces the number of barriers between teacher and taught
where young people are trained to be the educators. Paolo
Freire the South American educationalist, highlighted what
he called 'teacher/student contradiction' (Freire 1972),
which can act as barriers to learning and development. Peer
led approaches whether in formal settings or in very informal
ways can - if planned and resourced - affect attitudes and
behaviour positively to a great extent.
In recent years, peer education has been
widely applied to many issues particularly those around
HIV disease, AIDS prevention, sexual education, drug abuse
and smoking cessation. On the African and Asian continents
limited resources and the need for educational approaches
to stem the AIDS pandemic has led to many programmes which
build on the energy and efficacy of young people. In Europe,
USA and Australia the development of peer group education
in the context of health is well documented, reaching young
people who are not in communication with health and education
authorities.
Rationale
of Peer Education
There are many reasons why peer group education
is used as an educational approach to deal with specific
issues. Commentators suggest a contemporary rationale for
using peer education (Manchester University), looking at
four main points:
1. Efficacy
2. Communication
3. Cost effectiveness
4. Empowerment
1. Efficacy
Young people are ready made experts,
may have a perspective on the issues as they affect young
people in similar situations and can often 'make things
happen', if encouraged and resourced.
2. Communication
Young people can be ready made
role models as members of their peer group they will have
the potential to determine effective styles and approaches.
This may be through workshops and games, music and mass
media, discussion and story telling. Young people
will be best placed to devise such methods.
3. Cost-effectiveness
Where resources are limited and large numbers
have to be reached peer group education can have a multiplier
effect. Such programmes can also have informal, knock-on
or cascade effects, creating 'buzz' in the local community.
4. Empowerment
If carefully planned young people can control
the process of education and information exchange. This
will depend on in which setting a programme is operating,
Peer group education can help to foster youth participation
in programmes of formal and informal education.
Peer education, peer learning
and peer led approaches
There is clearly many different approaches
to peer group education, in the following a descriptions
distinction is made between different settings. For some
a more formal educational approach may be appropriate whilst
for another programme young people may be involved on a
grass roots level.
Peer group education can be applied in
different educational settings. There is not 'the only way'
to do it - diversity of approaches exists.
Educational approaches both within and
outside schools are tremendously important. How we refer
to these approaches depends a lot on context. And it is
also "true" that one can find more formal methods
in out-of-school education, (a lecture, an input, written
exercises…) just as more informal methods can also
be found in schools, (working in project groups, using the
local environment…). When DOmino was written
in 1994-95, we were used to differentiate between formal
and informal education - it was relatively rare to talk
of "non-formal education/learning". The debate
has moved on, to the extent that the European Youth Forum
recently issued a policy paper called "Youth organisations
as non-formal educators - recognising our role" (November
2003). Informal education is now more often referred to
when talking about non-planned learning situations: in the
family, on a bus, talking with friends. Still, for this
Internet edition we have chosen to leave the terminology
as it was. You might find it refreshing!
Challenges facing educational systems today
and the need for complementarity between formal and non-formal
education are outlined in the Compass chapter 5's section
on Education.
For the facilitation of the planning and
to avoid confusion, three general pillars can help to draw
a dividing line:
1. Peer group education in formal educational
settings
Peer group education in schools
is initiated by the teachers with the aim to subsequently
give over the responsibility of the programme to the students
and pupils. During the process of the programme the role
of the teacher changes from initiator and teacher to facilitator
and consultant, in the ideal case, the teacher should eventually
become redundant for the succession of the programme.
In methodological terms, this could mean
teacherless groups, pairing of students, proctoring (Keller,
1968) and the opening of formal educational settings to
a wider public.
(Project reference in section 5: The mediation
programme in schools of the Jugendbildungswerk Offenbach,
Germany)
2. Peer group education in informal educational
settings
Peer group education in 'out-of-school
education' is relevant for youth organisations, youth services,
youth agencies and youth and social work in general. The
aim to give young people the responsibility for the education
of other young people can be achieved by the continuity
of the out-of-school sector. The challenge to the adults
in out-of-school education is the step by step retreat out
of peer group education programmes. Working towards loss
of 'control' and allowing for action alongside the structured
programmes of organisation, agencies and services. Peer
group education programmes can reach out to a wider public
than only to the "members" of the organisation
and institutions and can therefore bring about synthesis
and enrichment.
(Project reference in section 5: The prejudice
reduction programme of NCBI, the programme of RFSL in Stockholm).
3. Peer group education initiated by young
people - grass roots initiatives
Young people feel the urge to gain
the support of other young people for a subject or issue
they consider important or feel strongly about. Consequently
they organise action with multiplying effects. This is the
'pure' peer group education without any adult influence,
peer led from the beginning to the end of a 'project'.
(Project reference in section 5: The Stop
the Violence programme in Denmark, The Guardian Angels)
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