Re: Collaborative Learning
Dear Amy,
Collaborative Learning is an important part of any classroom. According to Johnson, Johnson & Smith (1991, cited in GDRC, 2010) Collaborative learning is instruction that involves students working in teams to accomplish a common goal, under conditions that include the following elements: positive interdependence, individual accountability, face-to-face interaction, appropriate use of collaborative skills and group processing. Learning is an active process and collaborative learning allows for students to work with their peers and rely on their peers as well as share their ideas to create one solution or reach a goal.
We, here at Project BEAM, have identified three collaborative learning strategies that you could use in your classroom which I outlined below:
- THINK PAIR SHARE: students will be given time to think about a topic individually. They will then be paired with another person and they will share their responses. From that students will join up with another pair to share their responses and collaborate on their ideas.
- THREE STEP INTERVIEW: Students will form a group of two. They will then take turns interviewing each other before joining with another pair and discussing what they initially identified in the first interview.
- JIGSAW: The teacher has the opportunity to break up a big problem or task into four smaller components. The students will work in groups of four. Each member of that group will be responsible for one component. They will collaborate with the other students who share the same component as them to brainstorm and create the best solution that they can before reforming their original groups and each member sharing what they learned with their group members. The jigsaw strategy is effective as a teacher because students can ideally teach themselves about a topic by sharing their ideas and knowledge with their peers.
The following is a link that outlines Collaborative Learning Structures and Techniques:
http://www.gdrc.org/kmgmt/c-learn/methods.html
Collaborative learning also highlights the benefits of students working in groups. Each student can be allocated a role to play in their group which may include: the leader, encourager, time-keeper, recorder, reporter and organiser. Each group member having a role allows students to collaborate effectively because they are working in a team which is cooperating with one another. Giving students a role is good for maximising the participation of individual students. For example, if you have a student in your class who is reserved, you may give them a role such as the leader or reporter, where they are required to speak and take control of the group. However if you have an outgoing student who is a dominant force in the classroom, you may give them a quieter role such as the recorder of time-keeper. These roles are as equally important however they require the students to take on a more passive role in the group. Collaborative group work is also good for the students in the class who don’t want to participate as those students are often peer-pressured by their team to uphold their part of the task as the group is relying on them.
We understand that you have a student George, in your class that does not like collaborative group work. We think it’s important in this instance to not only find out why this student dislikes working with others but to also allow that student a choice. Perhaps let him choose the issue that the group is collaborating on, or allow him to choose the role he plays in group. George needs to understand the value of group work. You identified to us that you had organised your classroom so that social interaction and group work was promoted. This is the first step to successfully getting George to participate in group work. You have put him in a position where group work is hard to avoid. However you may find more success if you allow George to choose who he sits with. Perhaps there is someone in the class who he is happy to work with but not others. You mentioned that it was obvious that the students had never worked in groups. We think that in this instance you would benefit from having structured group tasks where every member is given a specific role, as we mentioned above. Students need to understand the role they need to play before they can effectively work with others. Start with the fundamental skills of group work and then gradually give each child more responsibility and the opportunity to extend their problem solving skills.
The Global Development Research Centre (2010) has identified 44 benefits of Collaborative learning on the website http://www.gdrc.org/kmgmt/c-learn/44.html if you would like to read them. Not all of them are relevant to the primary school classroom though, so we’ve selected what we think are the 10 most important benefits for primary school students:
1/. Develops higher level thinking skills
2/. Enhances student satisfaction with the learning experience
3/. Develops oral communication skills
4/. Develops social interaction skills
5/. Creates an environment of active, involved, exploratory learning
6/. Encourages student responsibility for learning
7/. Stimulates critical thinking and helps students clarify ideas through discussion and debate
8/. Establishes an atmosphere of cooperation and helping schoolwide
9/. Students are taught how to criticise ideas, not people
10/. Collaborative Learning processes create environments where students can practice building leadership skills.
These benefits are not only important for you to recognise as a teacher, but for students to know as well. If they are able to identify the benefits of collaborating with their peers then they will find group work meaningful and are more likely to participate and contribute ideas. We hope that from this you are able to see how important collaborative learning is in the classroom and identify ways that you can implement it effectively. Good luck with your new class!
Regards,
Dear Amy,
Collaborative Learning is an important part of any classroom. According to Johnson, Johnson & Smith (1991, cited in GDRC, 2010) Collaborative learning is instruction that involves students working in teams to accomplish a common goal, under conditions that include the following elements: positive interdependence, individual accountability, face-to-face interaction, appropriate use of collaborative skills and group processing. Learning is an active process and collaborative learning allows for students to work with their peers and rely on their peers as well as share their ideas to create one solution or reach a goal.
We, here at Project BEAM, have identified three collaborative learning strategies that you could use in your classroom which I outlined below:
- THINK PAIR SHARE: students will be given time to think about a topic individually. They will then be paired with another person and they will share their responses. From that students will join up with another pair to share their responses and collaborate on their ideas.
- THREE STEP INTERVIEW: Students will form a group of two. They will then take turns interviewing each other before joining with another pair and discussing what they initially identified in the first interview.
- JIGSAW: The teacher has the opportunity to break up a big problem or task into four smaller components. The students will work in groups of four. Each member of that group will be responsible for one component. They will collaborate with the other students who share the same component as them to brainstorm and create the best solution that they can before reforming their original groups and each member sharing what they learned with their group members. The jigsaw strategy is effective as a teacher because students can ideally teach themselves about a topic by sharing their ideas and knowledge with their peers.
The following is a link that outlines Collaborative Learning Structures and Techniques:
http://www.gdrc.org/kmgmt/c-learn/methods.html
Collaborative learning also highlights the benefits of students working in groups. Each student can be allocated a role to play in their group which may include: the leader, encourager, time-keeper, recorder, reporter and organiser. Each group member having a role allows students to collaborate effectively because they are working in a team which is cooperating with one another. Giving students a role is good for maximising the participation of individual students. For example, if you have a student in your class who is reserved, you may give them a role such as the leader or reporter, where they are required to speak and take control of the group. However if you have an outgoing student who is a dominant force in the classroom, you may give them a quieter role such as the recorder of time-keeper. These roles are as equally important however they require the students to take on a more passive role in the group. Collaborative group work is also good for the students in the class who don’t want to participate as those students are often peer-pressured by their team to uphold their part of the task as the group is relying on them.
We understand that you have a student George, in your class that does not like collaborative group work. We think it’s important in this instance to not only find out why this student dislikes working with others but to also allow that student a choice. Perhaps let him choose the issue that the group is collaborating on, or allow him to choose the role he plays in group. George needs to understand the value of group work. You identified to us that you had organised your classroom so that social interaction and group work was promoted. This is the first step to successfully getting George to participate in group work. You have put him in a position where group work is hard to avoid. However you may find more success if you allow George to choose who he sits with. Perhaps there is someone in the class who he is happy to work with but not others. You mentioned that it was obvious that the students had never worked in groups. We think that in this instance you would benefit from having structured group tasks where every member is given a specific role, as we mentioned above. Students need to understand the role they need to play before they can effectively work with others. Start with the fundamental skills of group work and then gradually give each child more responsibility and the opportunity to extend their problem solving skills.
The Global Development Research Centre (2010) has identified 44 benefits of Collaborative learning on the website http://www.gdrc.org/kmgmt/c-learn/44.html if you would like to read them. Not all of them are relevant to the primary school classroom though, so we’ve selected what we think are the 10 most important benefits for primary school students:
1/. Develops higher level thinking skills
2/. Enhances student satisfaction with the learning experience
3/. Develops oral communication skills
4/. Develops social interaction skills
5/. Creates an environment of active, involved, exploratory learning
6/. Encourages student responsibility for learning
7/. Stimulates critical thinking and helps students clarify ideas through discussion and debate
8/. Establishes an atmosphere of cooperation and helping schoolwide
9/. Students are taught how to criticise ideas, not people
10/. Collaborative Learning processes create environments where students can practice building leadership skills.
These benefits are not only important for you to recognise as a teacher, but for students to know as well. If they are able to identify the benefits of collaborating with their peers then they will find group work meaningful and are more likely to participate and contribute ideas. We hope that from this you are able to see how important collaborative learning is in the classroom and identify ways that you can implement it effectively. Good luck with your new class!
Regards,
Project BEAM
