Collaborative Learning

Within this blog post we will be evaluating why collaboration is important within education but also in society. Active engagement and interaction among group members to achieve a common goal. This definition shares several core features with previous formulations (e.g., interaction and common goals; Dillenbourg et al. 1996; Kirschner et al. 2009a) Within education if we don’t have collaboration within the workplace things will take longer to get done. One example you’re a Year 5 teacher in the school that you are based in and have thought of this brilliant idea of a field trip but didn’t have those skills of working well with one another with the office staff or even the parents it will feel like a battle to organise without that team support but also support from the parents. One of the key skills to have in the modern work force is team work but also good planning is key for teachers to work well in the environment for collaboration to take place. (Hattie, 2009) Donaldson highlights that collaboration is crucial but we now need to explore how we learn and how we collaborate can potentially enhance their learning experiences. According to Lloyd & Beard, 1995 talking is crucial to our learning, it is the tool which we use to interpret, communicate, work through and make sense of our experiences. If we take about our experiences it helps us develop but also understand the skill or the subject, you are talking about. According to Barnes, 1976, P:73

“Learning to communicate is at the heart of education.” “What others first did for the child and the child next learned to do for himself, speaking aloud as did others, he has now learned to do for himself” (Garvey, 1984, P:215) “.

The teacher needs to make sure they are talking it through with the learners but has the opportunity to talk through the learning experience. They need a lot of opportunities provided by the facilitator to collaborate and talk in groups, during problem solving, fantasy play, in the playground etc. Again, collaboration requires a lot of effect to work together to be effective to come up with different thoughts and ideas to challenge and supplement and improve upon one another. Collaborative learning has become a 21st Century trend in which the need in society to think and work together has increased (Austin, 2000; Welch, 1998). In the past collaboration wasn’t as effective in education as today and works a lot better but has existed for some time now. According to (Leonard and Leonard, 2001) The emphasis has shifted from individual effects to group work from independence to community within the world of education. If we have a think on how our classrooms have changed from the 1960’s to today much in the way things are presented but how students sit with one another is mind blowing. Before they used to sit in rows now they sit in groups to collaborate and work on projects to achieve their learning objectives and they have a valued learning experience. Piaget emphasized peer interaction and the role it played in the development of logical reasoning (Science Direct, 2008). As they can share their own ideas and opinions towards a certain situation developed by a teacher but also works on other skills such as creativity and innovative ideas… Vygotsky (1978) took this further noting that social interaction was at the core of the development process. Which links with Piaget was saying. If we don’t have “social interaction” how are children going to learn and express their views but also their own ideas working together as a team. Children need social interaction with their peers as it develops a lot of other skills not just acquiring knowledge in the classroom environment. For more than four decades, studies have shown that students can make strong progress in their learning, achieving a deeper and more flexible understanding of concepts in a range of subjects when they learn as part of a small group compared to the level of understanding they get when they work on their own (Johnson & Johnson, 1981, Schwartz, 1995). If we have a look at some examples on todays work place who are working with one another OSTON - snow storm, collaboration, adopt a hydrant on the app they could name that hydrant if they cleared the snow. If they didn’t do it, it could be stolen, been adopted in Hawaii for Tsunami alerts towers shows the power of collaboration (Adams D, 2017). Also, to point out it is a lot easier to collaborate in todays society due to the development of easy to use technology. Saying that using games and simulations etc is more memorable as they are more engaging to the user. Again, at the core of this approach is the belief that people can learn from each other as well as from teachers and that knowledge is constructed and reconstructed as a social process. At the most practical level learning in a group provides preparation for the working world in which group work is a daily reality. Teachers should encourage learners to work together and to talk about problems as Stahl, Koschmann and Suthers (2014) Technology will determine the future of the human race.

Advances in technology will only take place through collaboration.

One of the key skills that needs to be taught in tomorrow’s classroom is collaboration

(Lord Broers, Chairman of the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee, 2005). Without collaboration the future will be a very hard place to be. ‘Creative ideas can come from individuals however for these products to come to the market place a process of collaboration must take place’ (Lord Broers, 2005) The likes of Google, Apple and other global organisations that needed collaboration in order to achieve their finished products.  

We have looked a lot on collaboration within education and most of the evidence points towards that collaboration is very important not just in education but also in society because if we don’t collaborate and work together we wouldn’t have any results within society.   

References:

Adams D (2017) Storytelling Education presented as part of BA (Hons) Primary Education Studies at Cardiff Metropolitan university

Barnes, D. (1976) From Communication to curriculum. Harmondsworth: Penguin.

Centre for Educational Research and Innovation (2006) 2st Century Learning [Online] Available from: http://www.oecd.org/site/educeri21st/40554299.pdf [Accessed 9/12/2017]

Garvey, C. (1984) Children’s Talk. London: Fontana.

Science Direct (2008) Cognitive Developmental Theories [Online] Available from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/piagets-theory-of-cognitive-development [Accessed 9/12/2017]

Vygotsky, L. (1978). Mind in Society. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.