Social Learning: Peer Instruction and Assessment Insights with Harvard's Dr. Eric Mazur

The Brighter Side of Education: Research, Innovation & Resources

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Can questioning transform teaching more effectively than lecturing? Join us on The Brighter Side of Education as we welcome Dr. Eric Mazur, the Balkanski Professor of Physics and Applied Physics at Harvard University, to discuss social learning and assessment. Dr. Mazur is the innovator of Peer Instruction and Perusall. His motivational lectures on interactive teaching, educational technology, and assessment have inspired people around the world to change their approach to teaching. Our conversation focus on social learning strategies, as they align with the flipped classroom model, will be broken down into three parts: Peer Instruction, Just in Time Teaching and Perusall. We end with a discussion on rethinking assessment in the age of AI.
We start with Peer Instruction, its workflow, and its alignment with the flipped- classroom model. Dr. Mazur recounts his eye-opening journey from traditional lectures to an approach that prioritizes student engagement through questioning. This episode highlights how shifting from information transfer to active learning can elevate comprehension and retention, proving that social learning dynamics are key to successful education.
Then, we dive into the Just-In-Time Teaching methodology and its evolution into the Perusall platform. Dr. Mazur explains how these tools have transformed pre-class assignments into engaging, interactive experiences, leading to improved classroom performance. This segment delves into the principles and benefits of moving content interaction outside of class, setting the stage for more meaningful in-class learning.
We end with concerns over the shortcomings of high-stakes assessments and explore how the rise of generative AI necessitates a shift in our teaching and evaluation strategies.

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Visit my website for resources: http://www.drlisarhassler.com
The music in this podcast was written and performed by Brandon Picciolini of the Lonesome Family Band. Visit and follow him on Instagram.
My publications:
America's Embarrassing Reading Crisis: What we learned from COVID, A guide to help educational leaders, teachers, and parents change the game, is available on Amazon, Kindle, and Audible, and iTunes.
My Weekly Writing Journal: 15 Weeks of Writing for Primary Grades on Amazon.
World of Words: A Middle School Writing Notebook Using...

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1. Social Learning: Peer Instruction and Assessment Insights with Harvard's Dr. Eric Mazur (00:00:00)

2. Introduction: Peer Instruction and Social Learning (00:00:33)

3. Dr. Eric Mazur (00:00:52)

4. Peer Instruction Workflow and the Flipped-Classroom (00:01:40)

5. Just-in-Time Teaching Method and Benefits (00:10:20)

6. The Perusall Interactive Social Learning Platform and the Classroom (00:13:50)

7. Rethinking Assessment Practices Amidst AI (00:20:28)

8. Advice for Teachers (00:24:30)

9. Wrap Up (00:30:41)