Disrupting the chalkboard: How peer-led learning can close learning gaps

There is a strong case for disruption. Classrooms today look much like they did a century ago—rows of desks, teacher at the front, and one-way instruction.

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Despite decades of reform, learning gaps persist and have even widened. Yet, we continue to deliver learning in a format that was designed for the 19th century. This system worked in a different era. It was not designed to ignite collaboration, autonomy, or speed—all of which are essential today. The urgency for change is not just academic. The gaps created by a traditional education impact the equity, opportunity, and social mobility of learners. In this age of Al, global interconnectivity, and infinite information, these gaps are likely to widen even more. We need to rethink education and the role of the child in their own learning. Children are too often treated as passive recipients of knowledge, waiting to be “filled up”. But we have witnessed how today's children are not only capable, they are also curious. Further, they are collaborative by nature. When we give them agency to learn with each other, they not only learn faster, they learn better, together. Peer-led learning