From Teacher-Centred Instruction to Peer Tutoring in the Heterogeneous International Classroom: A Danish Case of Instructional Change

Abstract

This case study documents a seminar redesign from a teacher-centered instruction format to the collaborative ‘reciprocal peer tutoring’ (RPT) at Aarhus University, Denmark. Departing from Bourdieuian concepts and the notion of “superdiversity” by Vertovec, we argue that teachers have to meet student requirements within Danish Higher Education (HE). This student body is quite diverse, international and multilinguistic with different cultural expectations and knowledge standards.At the same time, the Danish HE tradition with its low degree of formality and an affinity towards collaborative learning, allows for non-traditional instruction styles as an answer to such heterogeneity. The object of our documentation is thus a seminar before and after didactical restructuring in a Danish setting.

We document both the in-classroom methods of instruction before and after the implementation of RPT and the methods and instruments used to monitor this change. For this, we provide insight into student group reports, students’ learning reports, a lesson time table, seminar evaluations, focus group interviews, teacher-student communication and course descriptions.
Our study contributes on several levels: firstly, we provide course responsibles with a detailed insight into how a seminar redesign to RPT can be achieved. Secondly, we provide a basis for introducing such change by documenting the positive assessment as an outcome of the monitoring. We thereby address diversity and in-classroom heterogeneity on a didactical level.