MAGNITUDE OF INTERACTION AND COLLABORATION IN TEACHING AND LEARNING

Many researchers have explored the constructs of peer interaction including verbal and nonverbal communication. Though they have theorized about the process of children attaining knowledge from peers and the connection between cognitive development and social interaction, we do not know enough about the potential benefits of peer teaching through collaborative interactions. They discussed the words and actions of the children in the context of the experience, but did not delve deeper into the contribution of this communication to the children's participation in the interaction. This study began to address gaps in the literature by looking closely at what happens to the children when they allow another peer to teach them how to complete a task or better understand a concept. It also offered a different perspective for teachers regarding the importance of observing and understanding children's collaborative interactions. The purpose of this article is also to examine peer Interactions and in order to better understand the significance of the teaching experiences. Teachers can use the information from this study to see what is involved when children teach each other, and hopefully to enhance their collaborative teaching experiences with the children that they teach. The constructs of the interactions in terms of verbal and non-verbal communication were analyzed to exhibit various teaching behaviors such as scaffolding and modeling based on the theory of L.S. Vygotsky. Thus this study contributes to our understanding of the way in which learners individualize the learning space and highlights the situated nature of language learning. It shows how individuals interact with each other and the task, and how talk in interaction changes moment-by-moment as learners react to the ‘here and now' of the classroom environment. This analysis leads to a deeper understanding about the concept of peer interaction, and where these collaborative interactions lead children in their process of development.