EDU5647 Assignment Learning through Collaboration and sharing I: Models, Scales and Tools Group Members: Borg Josmar, Cefai Sam, Cini Redentine, Spiteri Swain Sonia Part 1: Introduction Collaborative learning (CL) is the term used to describe any learning pedagogy that involves the students to work together as groups of two or more to understand or produce a product about the context being studied. Johnson & Johnson (1999, p. 9), describes CL as “instructional use of small groups so that students work together to maximize their own and each other’s learning”. Also Roschelle and Behrend (1995), describe CL as “the mutual engagement of participants in a coordinated effort to solve a problem together” (p. 70). Some examples of collaborative learning methods include: Expeditionary learning Group Investigation (Sharan, 1980) Problem-Based Learning (Barrows, 1994; Barrows & Tamblyn, 1980; Koschmann, Kelson, Feltovich, & Barrows) Project-Based Learning (Blumenield et al., 1991; Soloway, Krajcik, Blumenfeld, & Marx,
CL shifts the idea of having a teacher-centred teaching process whilst emphasizing that the student should be active during the whole learning process. Basically, CL involves collaboration and discussion among the members of the group where the students take the role of active participants in collaborating together while the teacher/tutor gets in the background. Students have to work together to find the knowledge rather than memorize and learn facts. Therefore, the role of the teachers should also be shifted in order to reflect the role of a facilitator/coach who monitors throughout the process and guides the students accordingly. According to Smith & MacGregor (1992 p:1), in collaborative learning, the teachers "tend to think of themselves less as expert transmitters of knowledge to students, and more as expert designers of intellectual experiences for students-as coaches or midwives of a more emergent learning process." Through CL the students are not only mastering contents and ideas but they are experiencing other skills which will further promote their learning experience. Smith & MacGregor (1992 p:2), mentioned three factors that will supplement the students working in a CL scenario: (1) Involvement Students are getting involved in their learning, with other students and with their teachers. Hence, the students’ commitment is based on both social and intellectual level. This was also clarified in Arnseth and Ludvigsen, & Ludvigsen and Mørch, who refer to the systemic approach and the dialogic approach of CSCL. The systemic approach focuses more on the cognitive aspects
(intellectual), i.e. the individual learning that can result from interacting in a small group, while the dialogic approach focuses more on the socio-cultural aspects.
(2) Cooperation & Teamwork Students working in a group often experience certain differences. This builds the willingness to tolerate and solve the differences that exist inside the group. Negotiating skills are thereby acquired in order to come to an agreement to value each and everyone's ideas and attitudes. All this cultivates a sense of community building and leadership skills which are valuable classroom goals.
(3) Civic Responsibility CL elicits the students' participating skills, to give their share of work while shaping their ideas and values, and listening skills in order to hear others. All of which are major skills emancipated through CL which will serve in the civic life as well. There are various other benefits of using CL. Some of these include: the development of higher level thinking skills, building of student self-esteem, development of better oral communication skills and skills to criticise in a constructive way. When CL is combined to online activities of participation, also referred to Online Collaborative Learning (OCL), students will then acquire further skills such as time management and self-management. This also promotes the 21st century skills as students get used to master different technologies. OCL also incentivises innovative teaching pedagogies that can be administered in the classroom. In the following section a number of concepts and educational principles are discussed with the aim to understand better the underlying supposition of CL.
Part 2: Theories & Concepts concerning CL It is important to note that CL emerged due to a number of other factors, which are mentioned in the list below, that have been evolving and researched before the introduction of CL:
Proposed instructional theories including ‘Learning by Discovery’ (Shulman & Keister, 1966), ‘Open Classroom Learning’ (Kohl, 1969), ‘Experiential Learning’ (Kolb, 1984), ‘Inquiry based Learning’ (Bateman, 1990) and more. At the heart of these theories we find Constructivism. Constructivism implies that students are not just vessels to be filled with knowledge but that they come with a baggage of ideas. It is a philosophy of learning founded on the premise that we construct our understanding of the world we live in by reflecting on our experiences. Each of us generates our own "rules" and "mental models," which we use to make sense of our experiences. Learning, therefore, is simply the process of adjusting our mental models to
accommodate new experiences. As the Chinese proverb goes, “Tell me and I forget, show me and I remember, involve me and I understand”. For instance, Discovery Learning is a constructivist, inquiry-based learning theory that takes place in problem solving situations where the learner draws on his or her own past experience and existing knowledge to discover facts and relationships and new truths to be learned. Students interact with the world by exploring and manipulating objects, wrestling with questions and controversies, or performing experiments. As a result, students may be more likely to remember concepts and knowledge discovered on their own (in contrast to a transmissionist model). Models that are based upon discovery learning model include: guided discovery, problem-based learning, simulation-based learning, case-based learning, and incidental learning, among others. Inquiry based learning is also based on a similar premise because it is based on the seeking or finding of truth, information or knowledge through questioning. It is said that this method moves away from traditional education because in traditional schooling students are instructed to listen and repeat the expected answers, rather than question. In today’s world, traditional education does not prepare students to face the challenge because facts are constantly changing, and information is readily and easily available from the internet. What students need to learn is how to get and make sense of this mass of data. Open Classroom Learning is also another student-centre theory and practice. It is based on a classroom or school without interior walls. The principle is that a good number of students of different skills and even ages mingle in the same space, normally a very large classroom. The room would not have the normal desks and chairs but it is organised into a number of workstations. The students are overseen by a number of teachers who act as facilitators and instructors. Students are normally grouped into smaller numbers based on skill level in order to achieve their assigned goals. It is normal for students to reach these goals in a cooperative manner. Although this theory and practice is not normally practiced any more yet through online Collaborative learning we can do away with walls and partitions and get students to work on activities and goals. Experiential Learning on the other hand was developed by David. A. Kolb and his associate Roger Fry. This model is based on learning cycles which involves concrete experience, observation and reflection, the formation of abstract concepts and testing in new situations. Experiential learning thus involves a, 'direct encounter with the phenomena being studied rather than merely thinking about the encounter, or only considering the possibility of doing something about it.' (Borzak 1981: 9 in Brookfield 1983). Scaffolding theories also act as a backbone for CL and OCL because any helpful interaction between an expert and a novice, between a parent and a child, between teacher and student could be described as scaffolding. A teacher’s dialogue with students aims to scaffold the learning process because teachers are always pointing out things, giving clues and placing
questions with the hope of getting a reaction. The use of text, lists of instructions, points to remember and diagrams are all tools used with these intentions. The importance of scaffolding theories lies in the idea that through dialogue and interaction the students develop social skills and also become independent. As the learner gains the knowledge, experience and skills to complete tasks then the teacher, instructor, facilitator can move to the background. According to Vygotsky this process can be further extended to include instruction coming from more capable peers as well. Through CL and OCL we are creating a setting where students can share their experience and knowledge with their teachers and peers. Through discussions the students can point out what they have understood, their doubts, what they cannot understand and others can then give their feedback, interpretations and experiences and further doubts to create the knowledge. This way, students build their knowledge from a fountain of different sources to make it their own.
We are living in a world or society which is dominated by economic, technical, cultural and social change. Globalised markets together with the technical and technological revolutions are altering the modern economy into a “knowledge based society” which implies that information is useful only when it is transformed into knowledge. This in turn has had its toll on education, educational systems and appropriate pedagogies to be used. Several authors underline the fact that “the secret of the future society is education. But not in the oldfashioned concept of teaching, but of permanent education, over the entire lifetime, in order to gain superior competences: to verify, to conceive, to create and to invent.” In other words “to succeed in today’s Creative Society, students must learn to think creatively, plan systematically, analyse critically, work collaboratively, communicate clearly, design iteratively and learn continuously.” (Resnick Mitchel) Many of these required 21st Century skills may be attained through the use of CL and OCL. Other skills acquired by a ‘Knowledge Based Society’ includes the ability to work in teams (collaboration).
Technology advancement has led to the development of web based educational tools such as shared spaces where teachers/students can store and share information online, communication tools, webware, virtual worlds and other tools that allows distant and nonverbal communication that are nowadays used in any educational and workplace setting. This has brought new dimensions for CL to be a successful teaching approach. Such innovations brought new fields of educational studies and research of which Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) is one of them. This implies that students can collaborate outside school environments, thus learning have become a continuous process blending formal with informal education. However, this does not imply that formal learning settings should be devalued and ignored but as John Seely Brown and Richard Adler (2008 p: 22) stated, “social learning areas, including virtual worlds, can coexist with and expand traditional education”.
Part 3: General Instructions & Advice Keeping in mind that collaborative learning refers to any pedagogy whereby the students work together in small groups, this also implies that there might be different ways of how to compose groups and the teacher role may also differ in different scenarios. Bruffee. K. A. (1998), proposed a number of suggestions to further enhance the effect of CL:
The groups should be relatively small, meaning five or six is the optimal number for a group primarily dedicated to discussion, and a maximum of three for groups that are expected to produce a project or product.
The instructor’s role should be that of a group facilitator rather than a source of knowledge provider.
The course package can differ from engaging the students into the responsibility for defining the goals of the curriculum and/or designing it, through presenting learning scenarios with multiple modes of how to be tackled, to a strict structured plan.
Moreover, Brufee, K. A . (1992), added that positive outcomes of CL include:
Critical thinking skills Problem solving skills Group process skills Mutual support and motivation Peer accountability Laboratory for ‘real life’ knowledge work Reflective insight into the learning process
Through various studies conducted about CL, it is shown that CL offers great benefits such as the enhancement of self-esteem, more willingness and motivation to learn, enhanced inter-ethnic differences, and improved complex thinking. This all adds up to a different portrayal of education where unhealthy conflicts and competition are mitigated. This does not imply an easy change from the usual teaching methods to using CL in the class. To practice CL in a smooth and successful way, the teacher needs to be persistent to succeed. This is due to a number of counteracting factors that can range from having students being resistant to work in groups, to having students with lack of communication skills or perhaps lack of technology access if online tools are used. However as Sapon-Shecin (1999) stated, with the CL literature that we have from past experiences and effective practices, the teacher together with the students, in a holistic way, can benefit from CL.
On a blog dedicated for instructors one of the writers points out seven tips to make the transition to OCL a little bit easier: 1
One foot at a time: Those who are new to OCL should start it off with one or two classes rather than applying it throughout. Furthermore, one should try to choose those classes where the students that will embrace it the most. This way one may start to gain the skills and techniques necessary as it may help to reduce frustration.
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Eat your pancakes first: As one prepares to start using a new method of learning, it’s important to understand how everything works first. Take the time necessary to get to know how to use the technologies and become familiarized with potential things that could go wrong. This way one will be prepared for the worst.
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Get to know your teammates: Collaborate with your fellow instructors who have already tried blended learning or willing and enthusiastic to try out latest online educational tools. This way, it will be less daunting when you know you have support. If there is nobody in your school to collaborate with, then try out educational forums or even an online community. Support may work wonders.
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Listen to your body: If a tool isn’t working well in your classroom, try something else. You know your students and your teaching style better than anyone so pay attention to what is working and let go of what isn’t.
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Don’t forget to stay hydrated: The education technology market is always on the up rise with different new products to choose from. Focus on the top 3 goals you want to accomplish in your class and look for tools that help you streamline these processes. For example, if you want to automate grading for multiple choice tests you administer, look for a tool that saves you time without sacrificing quality.
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Your only competition is yourself: Teaching online isn’t scary, but it may seem so for those who are not aware of such a teaching scenario. As you build your online teaching strategy, focus on the long-term benefits, such as the hours of class time you’ll free up, increased student engagement, and higher mastery of the material.
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Bring home those gold medals (and T.V. commercials): Instructors who embrace technology will likely have more and better opportunities in the future. As you start to see success within your classroom, don’t forget to share with others what you’ve learned and help those who are just getting started.
Another tip from our personal experience is that while considering that students may have already used a number of online tools and so might have their preference over other software. Thereby, it is important to get to know your students and see what tools they are already familiar with as this might mitigate the fear and resistance of using certain tools during their
learning process. On the other hand, when students are younger then it is up to the teacher to select an appropriate tool. Finding various tools to use in your classroom may be quite strenuous so look out for the tools which are easy to use and allow the student to expose their creativity To have an effective collaborative learning, Palloff & Pratt (2005) suggest the instructor/teacher is always responsible for the creation of an effective online activity. This can be done through four suggested steps mentioned in this same paper by Palloff & Pratt (2005, p2). 1
Create the Environment: creating an ideal place where the collaboration can, comfortably and effectively take place.
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Model the Process: provide the students with information from where they have to start and what it is to be on. Leading the students into the task.
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Guide the Process: after leading the students to start, the instructor/teacher has to be available to give feedback throughout the process. Letting the students know on whether they are on the right track and how they are going to be assessed.
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Evaluate the Process: the students should also be instructed to create evaluation of the collaboration to identify the purpose of the activity.
Realising that CL and OCL are great tools to use is the first step, trying to use them is another. For those interested we have developed twelve different online collaborative activities that may be viewed, used, adapted or even changed completely to act as a starting place.
Part 4: Online collaborative activities (Activities uploaded in VLE)
Bibliography 7 Tips for Online Collaborative Learning: Your Olympic Training Guide, http://gathereducation.com/blog/2012/online-collaborative-learning-tips/ Brown, J. S., & Adler, R. P. (2008, January/February). Minds on fire: Open education, the long tail, and learning 2.0. EDUCAUSE, 17-32. http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ERM0811.pdf Bruffee, K. A. (1992). A short course in writing, 3rd. ed. New York: Harper Collins in Warmoth, A (1998). EDUCATION AND THE COLLABORATIVE CONSTRUCTION OF SOCIAL REALITY. Sonoma State University. Online: http://www.sonoma.edu/users/w/warmotha/awcollaborative.html Duca, I., Gherghina, R., and Pârgaru , I., (2009). The Role of Education in the Knowledge-based society during the Economic crisis, Annales Universitatis Apulensis Series Oeconomica, http://www.oeconomica.uab.ro/upload/lucrari/1120092/04.pdf Educational Theories, http://crescentok.com/staff/jaskew/isr/education/theories.htm Exline, J. and Costa, A. L., ‘Workshop: Inquiry-Based learning’, Concept to Classroom, http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/inquiry/index.html Johnson, D. W., & Johnson, R. T. (1999). Learning together and alone (5th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon. Ludvigsen, Sten R. and Mørch, Anders I. 2010. «Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning: Basic Concepts, Multiple Perspectives, and Emerging Trends» The International Encyclopedia of Education. Palloff, R., & Pratt, K. (2005). Learning Together in Community: Collaboration Online. Distance Teaching and Learning, (pp. 1-5). http://www.oakland.k12.mi.us/Portals/0/Learning/04_1127.pdf Paradigm Learning, ‘What is Discovery Learning?’, http://www.paradigmlearning.com/our-approach/whatis-discovery-learning.aspx Resnick, M., Sowing the Seeds for a More Creative Society. Sapon-Shevin, M. (1999). Because we can change the world: A practical guide to building cooperative, inclusive classroom communities. Boston: Allyn & Bacon in Jacobs, G (no date). COOPERATIVE LEARNING: THEORY, PRINCIPLES, AND TECHNIQUES online: http://www.readingmatrix.com/conference/pp/proceedings/jacobs.pdf Smith, M. K. (2001). 'David A. Kolb on experiential learning',the encyclopedia of informal education. Retrieved [14/01/2013] fromhttp://www.infed.org/b-explrn.htm. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, ‘Open classroom’, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_classroom