Constructing Quality Questions for Discussion
Exploring Collaborative Learning
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It is essential to adhere to collaborative learning in an online learning environment. Collaborative learning is an educational approach to teaching and learning that involves groups of learners working together to solve a problem, complete a task, or create a product. Collaborative learning is based on the idea that learning is a naturally act in which the participants talk among themselves. It is through the talk that learning occurs.
1. Based on the information in the Learning Resources, discuss two conditions of effective collaborative learning.
2. On your own experiences and the information gathered from the learning resources, what are some advantages of collaborative learning?
3. As an online learner at Walden University, what are some ways to benefit from collaborative learning?
By Wednesday: Post your thoughts on conditions of effective collaborative learning, as well as some advantages of collaborative learning in an online environment. Include at least one advantage and challenge for the instructor and at least one advantage and challenge for the learner. Be sure to cite information from the Learning Resources to support your thinking.
By Sunday: Read a selection of your colleagues’ postings. As you read their responses, note those to which you would like to respond with advice, questions, comments, and/or encouragement.
Respond to two or more of your colleagues’ postings in any of the following ways: In your response, draw a connection between the material posted using the following:
Build on something your colleague said.
Explain why and how you see things differently.
Ask a probing or clarifying question.
Share an insight from having read your colleague's posting.
Offer and support an opinion.
Validate an idea with your own experience.
Expand on your colleague's posting.
Ask for evidence that supports the posting.
Return to the Discussion in a few days to read the responses to your initial posting. Continue the dialogue as desired by responding to your colleagues’ thoughts.
- Resources
Teaching Effectiveness Program
Assessing collaborative learning
Benefits of collaborative learning
Conditions of collaborative learning
http://www.gdrc.org/kmgmt/c-learn/conditions.htmlOnline Teamwork and collaboration
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjcxKPIwoNA
http://edtech.kennesaw.edu/intech/cooperativelearning.htm
Rubric
Click on the link below to familiarize yourself with the assessment rubric.
Conditions necessary for an effective collaborative environment begin with a “community of learning”, or a setting built on a foundation of social and cognitive presence in which learners share ideas. As Palloff and Pratt contend, in a learning community, “students have a chance to expand and deepen their learning experience, test new ideas with a supportive group, and receive feedback that is both critical and constructive" (2007). A collaborative approach in which learners are required to interact with each other results in a deeper level of thinking for all learners(Palloff and Pratt, 2007). In order to be successful, collaborative activities need to be well planned with roles and expectations clearly defined. A clear advantage from the learner’s perspective is a team approach to reaching a common goal. The adage “two heads are better than one” can easily apply to collaborative learning. A challenge for learners is being able to coordinate collaborative activities such as synchronous meetings or making sure that everyone participates to the same degree. For instructors, an advantage to collaborative learning is the fact that group work is more efficient in that the instructor responds to representatives from each group as opposed to each individual when questions arise. Another advantage is the fact that collaborative learning has the potential to result in deeper learning which should be the goal every instructor wants for his or her students. A challenge from an instructor’s perspective is setting up the activity with clear ground rules and expectations. It is also challenging to effectively assign learners to groups, especially in online settings where learners can be spread out literally around the world.
ReplyDeleteReference
Palloff, R., & Pratt, K. (2007). Building online communities: Effective strategies for the virtual classroom. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Hi Stella
ReplyDeleteI too look at the idea of collaborative learning in my post. Like you, I have a liking for cooperative learning.
Cooperative/Collaborative Learning may be defined as any classroom learning situation in which students of all levels of performance work together in structured groups towards a shared or common goal (Kagan, 1994). This definition speaks volumes to how we as IDs are going to go about our job designing online activities for out students.
Hi Leslie
ReplyDeleteI do agree with your comments to Sella. If there is little to no communication or collaboration between students and instructors this rigid approach will not allow for individual learning. Palloff and Pratt (1999) tell us that “without the support and participation of a learning community, there is no online course”.
Group size is an important consideration in the implementation of activities (Palloff & Pratt, 1999). Although smaller groups are considered as more manageable as part as the community building process (Boettcher & Conrad, 2010), distance education can increase the student- instructor ratio and large classes sizes and groups may be unavoidable. I tend to group heterogeneously as my goal is to create and sustain a high level of collaboration between high-achieved and low-achieved students. This places cooperative learning as the instructional use of small groups so that the student work together to maximize their own and each other’s learning. This strategy will produce the greatest opportunity for peer tutoring and support as well as improving, cross-race and cross-sex relations and integration (Kagan, 1994).
References
Boettcher, J. V., & Conrad, R. (2010). The online teaching survival guide: Simple and practical pedagogical tips. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Conrad, R., & Donaldson, J. A. (2004). Engaging the online learner: Activities and resources for creative instruction. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Kagan, S. (1994). Cooperative Learning. San Clemente, California: Kagan Publishing
Palloff, R. & Pratt, K. (2011). “Launching the Online Learning Experience”. Retrieved from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/
Hi Leslie
ReplyDeleteYou stated: A challenge from an instructor’s perspective is setting up the activity with clear ground rules and expectations. It is also challenging to effectively assign learners to groups, especially in online settings where learners can be spread out literally around the world." and this is so true.
But once you have accomplished these feats, and have created activities that can be reused and adapted within various classroom situations, then your work become easier. SO it may be worth the time in the long run, to ensure that our initial activities etc are of high quality, reusable and recyclable. The joy comes from not having to recreate collaborative activities over and over again, and having the ease of grading group work!
Hi Stella and Leslie
ReplyDeleteMy closing thoughts on Collaborative Learning as discussed in both Stella's and my blog are
(1) I think that it is it possible to create a true “social” environment in an online classroom.
(2) I think online learners are able to construct meaning in the same ways as if they would in a face-to-face classroom, in which they interact freely and directly with peers and an instructor.
(3) I think it is possible to attempt to create a true social environment in an online classroom simply based on the methods of instruction, the teaching aids and resources, the assignment and projects and the discussion and chats facilities which are provide.
(4) However, I also think the problem lies in getting most (if not each and every one) of your students to participate freely enough to ensure that a social environment is indeed created.
I believe in order to create social interaction to the level of creating communities online, we will have to create the teaching strategies, not for individuals but for interchangeable groups. As the constructivist may advise:IDs have to create an environment where students are now able to direct their own learning through peer tutoring. According to Ormrod (1999) "...students who have mastered a topic teach those who have not, can provide an effective alternative for teaching fundamental knowledge and skills" (p396).
I do believe that according to the social constructivist theory learning can be achieved through collaboration between groups of learners. ‘Social constructivist approaches can include reciprocal teaching, peer collaboration, cognitive apprenticeships, problem-based instruction, webquests, anchored instruction and other methods that involve learning with others (Shunk, 2000).’
The opportunity arises for instructors who have been using computer technology in their classes to look more critically at the ways that they can use that technology to improve the effectiveness of their courses. Of course this will mean developing pedagogically sound online lessons before they can be used with students, so as to maximize the effectiveness of their courses. As well, collaboration will provide instructors with the opportunity to incorporate online technology into the classroom, for example using wikis and blogs, to enhance communication with and among their students. Teachers then will become responsible for not only integrating technology in their classroom, but also designing it to fit the needs of their class.
References
Schunk, D. (2000). Learning theories: An educational perspective (3rd Ed) Upper Saddle river, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Omrod, J. (1999). Human learning (3rd Ed.) Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Hi Dreana -
ReplyDeleteI really see your point about designing high quality, reusable activities. I think it is also important to continually re-evaluate activities to see how they are holding up. Part of the process is to obtain continuous feedback from learners as to their perceptions of the usefulness of the activity. But you are right, since so much time and energy goes into evaluating assessments, having the bulk of the work already completed can really be a relief!