What is PLTL?
PLTL (Peer-Led Team Learning) is a voluntary 
supplement to your calculus experience here at Washington University. A 
small group of students meets with one leader for two hours each weekend. 
The leader is an older student who has demonstrated superior knowledge of 
the material covered in the course and has been identified as having the 
skills required to help your group. Together, the group works through a 
problem set that has been developed by the program coordinator with 
approval from the professor of the course. The problem set is written in 
order to encourage you to use various problem-solving methods while 
working alone, in pairs and in larger groups. PLTL can be an effective 
learning tool for most students. It should help you to stay current with 
the material being presented in lecture each week and prepares you for 
the next week's quiz. 
In order to participate in the program, you 
must make the commitment to attend all of the meetings. This is necessary 
for the group to be able to succeed. (Two absences are allowed with 
permission of your leader or the program coordinator.)

PLTL was 
originally designed to be used as an aid for students learning chemistry. 
It was initiated for calculus students at Washington University in Fall 
2004.� The Teaching Center has some more general information about PLTL.  
For more information about other universities implementing PLTL, visit 
City College of New York's PLTL site. http://teachingcenter.wustl.edu/peer-led-team-learning-pltl-groups http://www.sci.ccny.cuny.edu/~chemwksp/ shapeimage_2_link_0shapeimage_2_link_1
What is a group meeting 
like?
You and 6-8 other Calc students will meet in a seminar room in 
one of the dorms on the South 40. The seminar rooms provide a good 
atmosphere for the meetings--everyone sits at one table, and there is a 
whiteboard for putting problems up for all to see. The leader will make 
sure that the environment is comfortable and productive, and the group 
will work on a problem set together. Each person in the group will be 
expected to contribute to the problem-solving process, but this should 
not be intimidating. You are all there to help the group achieve its 
goal, and there are many ways for an individual to contribute to the 
group's success each week.
When/Where do the groups 
meet?
All groups meet for two hours on Saturdays or Sundays in 
seminar rooms in dorms on the South 40.
Why do the groups meet on the 
weekend?
Meeting on the weekends might seem like a bad time--you may 
have many other things that you would like to do on your weekend. 
However, it is extremely difficult to schedule groups during the week due 
to evening exams and other commitments. Group meeting times are offered 
at various times throughout the weekend in an attempt to meet most 
students' schedules.
Where do the problems come 
from?
Some of the problems may be from your text book. Some will be 
from other calculus text books. Another source is old exams. The styles 
of questions that you are assigned for homework and given on exams are 
taken into consideration, and problems are modified accordingly. Some 
problems have even been inspired by online material.
The problem sets 
are designed to cover the basic material that you have encountered during 
the week as well as to invite you to think more deeply about the concepts 
you have just learned, so some of the problems will seem familiar, and 
others, more unusual. All will be relevant to the material in your 
course, even if that is not immediately apparent to you.
Why is attendance 
important?
PLTL is all about working together in a group. This is 
next to impossible if the group changes from week to week. The groups 
meet just 10-12 times during the semester. You are allowed two excused 
absences, but you are strongly encouraged to have perfect attendance. It 
is especially important for the entire group to attend the first few 
meetings when group dynamics are being worked out. It throws the whole 
group off if one person misses two of the first three meetings and then 
shows up later expecting the group to change its established style to 
accommodate a late addition.
What if I have even more questions?
If you are 
still not sure what PLTL is, or would like to ask a specific question, 
please e-mail the program coordinator, Lisa Kuehne.
If you would like 
to know what other resources are available for Calculus students, please 
visit the Mathematics  Department, Cornerstone:The Center for Advanced 
Learning, or the Resources section of this site. mailto:lmkuehne@wustl.edu?subject=PLTL%20information%20request http://math.wustl.edu http://cornerstone.wustl.edu Resources.html shapeimage_8_link_0shapeimage_8_link_1shapeimage_8_link_2shapeimage_8_link_3