Finding Language for the Experience of PLTL

The purpose of this paper is to share a means of communicating why Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) has provided a sense of deep connection among practitioners, including Peer Leaders, faculty and administrators. To arrive at finding the qualitative language of emotions, three discussion sessions were facilitated over the course of three days during the 11th Annual Conference of the Peer-Led Team Learning International Society (June 2023, University of Houston Downtown). Facilitators’ techniques, prompts and the necessary pivots used to question assumptions are presented. We found that despite the many variations in the institutions where PLTL is practiced, we are united in acknowledging the benefits and impact on the students and Peer Leaders involved. Our central finding is that acting as a Peer Leader in a PLTL program provides a multitude of benefits that extend beyond academic enrichment. In addition, while the outcomes of this process confirmed previous research findings about the impact of PLTL on peer leaders and students, the discussions also highlighted areas that the PLTL community is not currently focusing on and that could be further explored in a systematic way, such as the benefits of PLTL from the perspective of faculty and administrators. The authors encourage practitioners to guide facilitating such a discussion at their individual institutions.