ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses peer student learning, one of three major learning positions, in relation to the lesson content, the assessment, the classroom interaction, and how engaging the teaching is. From a theoretical perspective, peer student learning is linked to the notion of a zone of proximate development, which describes the space between what one can learn alone and what one can do with the help of others. The zone of cognitive proximity addresses issues regarding academic learning of the subject matter, and the potential advantages of peer teachers and peer students having a more similar level of academic background knowledge. The zone of social proximity is orientated toward the student and addresses the group relationship between the students. It emphasizes how peer teachers and peer students share the same social background and engage in an informal relationship with each other.
