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Albert Bandura argues that learning is a social act and students learn by observing and imitating. Collaborative learning is an opportunity for classrooms to be learner-centered arenas for problem-solving.
What is collaborative learning?
Collaborative learning is a form of interactive learning in which students work with others to engage in meaningful learning experiences. It is not exactly the same as cooperative learning because instead of focusing on creating group harmony and interdependence, collaborative learning focuses on constructing understanding of the subject material and building a group consensus.
Why should you use collaborative learning in the classroom?
There are many advantages to using collaborative learning in the classroom. The education system is no longer about a teacher filling empty minds with knowledge. Knowledge is readily available to students. Students need a process for using information in order to retain it. In collaborative learning students retain the information by making connections and organizing information. Social constructivists believe that students learn through interacting because knowledge is constructed by groups with diverse backgrounds that pool and share their knowledge while articulating their own learning. Evidence shows that collaborative learning leads to greater academic achievement. Students gain cognitive and intellectual skills that enable higher order thinking and problem solving. Students are more engaged and have a positive attitude about learning. Collaborative learning can reach a wider spectrum of students.
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How can you implement collaborative learning in the classroom?
Although students are active participants, the teacher should design the lesson so that there is both structure and flexibility for students to become proficient at understanding and using information. When planning courses and units teachers should start with a broad perspective of what learning goals they have for their students. These learning goals can be tasks that students should become proficient at or problems within the field that can be solved. Everything should be open-ended so that students are required to use critical thinking to process information and create solutions. Allow for multiple responses so that students have the opportunity to construct their own meaning of the material.
Next teachers should select a technique that responds to the problem. It should correlate with course goals. Fink recommends determining a method for learning before building tasks. The assessment should be formative and should match the course goals.
Bloom’s Taxonomy can be used to build learning tasks. Anderson and Krathwohl have revised the original theory to involve remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creating. Remembering can be done in small groups where students generate lists, define terms, and create graphic organizers. For understanding students can use the Think-Pair-Share method to sort information. Applying can be done with role-playing or solving problems. Debates, summarizing, and critiquing gives students the opportunity to analyze. Comparing and contrasting can help students evaluate. They can also do interviews. Students can create dialogue journals or lessons to teach others. There are four dimensions that can be used to address this taxonomy. Facts are needed for any discipline so lessons should include remembering and understanding. Students must also understand the concepts or relationships between elements so it is necessary to include understanding and applying. Each discipline has procedures and techniques that students must learn so applying should be part of the learning tasks. Finally, all learning must include metacognitive knowledge so students have an awareness of learning. When teachers develop a learning objective they must account for what knowledge and facts should be learned, what the process will be for learning, and the evaluation. Knowledge can be described with nouns and learning activities can be described with verbs.
Wiggins and McTighe have developed a method for building learning activities around big ideas that is called Backward Design. Their method promotes an enduring understanding that stays with students. Teachers can use the circle method to identify what they want students to learn. The circle method involves three rings drawn within each other. The large outer ring is the content that teachers want students to be familiar with. Traditionally this is the information that would be included in a final exam. The middle ring, inside the large ring, includes important knowledge and skills that students should acquire. The smallest ring, located inside the middle ring, is the enduring understanding that drives the rest of the learning. Once teachers have determined what students should learn, they must decide how to assess learning and design the learning tasks that will incorporate the information and skills that will be assessed.
Introductory activities help create a learning environment that encourages interaction and eases tension and awkwardness. Social Icebreakers allow students to learn each others names. For my Spanish class this can be used for two different class days. On the first day students can use their given names to get to know each other and establish base groups. During that class session they can be introduced to popular Spanish names and can choose one to use during the class. During the second class meeting another social icebreaker can be used in which they learn to introduce themselves using the Spanish name they have chosen.
Students must also be oriented to collaborative work. They will be acquiring new roles and need new skills such as interpersonal skills, inquiry, synthesis, group management, conflict resolution, and presentation.
Groups need guidance in establishing rules for the group. This improves group functioning while allowing students to take ownership for their learning. Groups can establish group rules during a brainstorm session in which one member acts as a recorder. The discussion can center around what is helpful and what is not helpful. Professors can support this process by providing a sample list of rules to discuss.
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Collaborative learning allows students to make connections, interpret meaning, and teach others which leads to more success at meeting learning goals.
