Talk:Peer instruction

Across or around the globe

From merriam-webster.com (and here):

across

from one side to the other

in a measurement from one side to the other side

on the opposite side

around

in a circle

in, along, or through a curving path

—used to indicate a measurement that is made along the outer surface of something circular

Since the world is indisputably round, "around" is a better word to use that across, which implies "two sides". Ground Zero | t 04:36, 24 December 2014 (UTC)

One can easily confirm that 'across the globe' is much more common than the form you appear to prefer. Can you name any source that specifically recommends against using 'across' when referring to the globe (or any round object for that matter)? A general dictionary entry really will not do in this case. 132.229.236.33 (talk) 14:28, 6 January 2015 (UTC)

I have provided definitions from a dictionary that indicate what the words mean. they are clear and unambgous. Can you provide references to support the argument that "across" is preferred to "around"? Ground Zero | t 16:37, 6 January 2015 (UTC)

• I have never made the argument that 'across' is to be preferred over 'around'. Though it did seem to be more common in actual use, such a thing is difficult to prove and may not actually be the case. I should probably not have made such a bold statement ("One can easily confirm ..."). See also the last point below.
• However, my main point is that 'around' is not in any way objectively better than 'across' and that therefore your 'corrections' were unnecessary. And, if I may be so bold, harmful, since making this change all over the Wikipedia gives the impression that there is an unambiguous and universal preference for around, which I think is not the case. Note that Merriam-Webster, it its thesaurus, also uses quotations with 'across the globe', as in this entry.
• Your reasoning for preferring 'around' is (in my opinion) flawed. One cannot just take a dictionary entry and proclaim that an expression that is in general use among reputable writers should be 'corrected' solely on the basis of that dictionary entry. That is not what a dictionary is for.
• In this case you also took the wrong part of the entry, since 'around' and 'across' are used as prepositions here, and not as adverbs. In fact, the definition "so as to reach or spread over or throughout (something)" does seem to cover quite nicely the intended meaning of 'across the globe' (if we are to use a dictionary anyway).
• So I ask you again: do you have a reputable source that rejects (or even frowns upon) the use of 'across' in this context?
• Now, in all fairness, the 'Google Ngram Viewer' does seem to indicate that the widespread use of 'across the globe' is a relatively recent phenomenon, and that 'across' is still used less (in Google-searchable books) than 'around the globe' ([1]) However, the difference is not that large, only about 2:1, and I'm sure one can find similar proportions for words that are beyond any doubt interchangeable.

In summary, I really see no reason to prefer 'around' over 'across'. For this particular article this is a triviality: both are correct, and changing it one way or the other does not improve the encyclopedia one bit, and is certainly not worth waging an edit war. However, I do hope I can convince you to refrain from making similar 'corrections' on other articles. 132.229.236.33 (talk) 16:47, 7 January 2015 (UTC)

Historical precedent for Peer Instruction in History before Mazur

Give Mazur all the credit in the world, and he deserves it, but his book does not claim that peer instruction did not exist before he wrote is book.

Here are articles on peer instruction prior to 1990.

1) Research in the Classroom: Using Peer Group Instruction to Teach Writing. https://eric.ed.gov/?q=%22peer+instruction%22+pubyear%3a1988&id=EJ373253

2) Peer-Mediated Instruction: A Promising Approach to Meeting the Diverse Needs of LD Adolescents. https://eric.ed.gov/?q=%22peer+instruction%22+pubyear%3a1988&id=EJ376333

3) Instructional Models for Tutoring: A Review. https://eric.ed.gov/?q=%22peer+instruction%22+pubyear%3a1986&id=EJ340307

4) Metaresponse: A Hidden Benefit of Peer Writing Instruction. https://eric.ed.gov/?q=%22peer+instruction%22+pubyear%3a1985&id=ED262413 Mindfulnesscat (talk) 19:04, 14 July 2016 (UTC)