COLLABORATIVE LANGUAGE
LEARNING
Collaborative learning is a situation in which two or more
people learn or attempt to learn something together. More specifically,
collaborative learning is based on the model that knowledge can be created
within a population where members actively interact by sharing experiences and
take on asymmetry roles. Put
differently, collaborative learning refers to methodologies and environments in which learners engage in a common
task where each individual depends on and is accountable to each other. Often,
collaborative learning is used as an umbrella term for a variety of approaches
in education that involve joint intellectual effort
by students or students and teachers.
Thus, collaborative learning is commonly illustrated when groups of
students work together to search for understanding, meaning, or solutions or to
create an artifact or product of their learning. Further, collaborative
learning redefines traditional student-teacher relationship in the classroom
which results in controversy over whether this paradigm is more beneficial than
harmful. Collaborative learning
activities can include collaborative writing, group projects, joint problem
solving, debates, study teams, and other activities. The approach is closely
related to cooperative learning.
Collaborative Learning is a
relationship among learners that requires positive interdependence (a sense of
sink or swim together), individual accountability (each of us has to contribute
and learn), interpersonal skills (communication, trust, leadership, decision
making, and conflict resolution), face-to-face promotive interaction, and
processing (reflecting on how well the team is functioning and how to function
even better).
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 social act in which the participants talk among themselves. It is
through the talk that learning occurs.
What is collaborative learning?
There
are many approaches to collaborative learning:
- Learning is an active process
whereby learners assimilate the information and relate this new knowledge
to a framework of prior knowledge.
- Learning requires a challenge that
opens the door for the learner to actively engage his/her peers, and to
process and synthesize information rather than simply memorize and
regurgitate it.
- Learners benefit when exposed to
diverse viewpoints from people with varied backgrounds.
- Learning flourishes in a social
environment where conversation between learners takes place. During this
intellectual gymnastics, the learner creates a framework and meaning to
the discourse.
- In the collaborative learning
environment, the learners are challenged both socially and emotionally as
they listen to different perspectives, and are required to articulate and
defend their ideas. In so doing, the learners begin to create their own
unique conceptual frameworks and not rely solely on an expert's or a
text's framework.
Thus,
in a collaborative learning setting, learners have the opportunity to converse
with peers, present and defend ideas, exchange diverse beliefs, question other
conceptual frameworks, and be actively engaged.
Four Collaborative Learning Strategies
THINK-PAIR-SHARE:
(1) The instructor
poses a question, preferable one demanding analysis, evaluation, or synthesis,
and gives students about a minute to think through an appropriate response.
This "think-time" can be spent writing, also. (2) Students then turn
to a partner and share their responses. (3) During the third step, student
responses can be shared within a four-person learning team, within a larger
group, or with an entire class during a follow-up discussion. The caliber of
discussion is enhanced by this technique, and all students have an opportunity
to learn by reflection and by verbalization.
THREE-STEP
INTERVIEW: Common as an
ice-breaker or a team-building exercise, this structure can also be used also
to share information such as hypotheses or reactions to a film or article. (1)
Students form dyads; one student interviews the other. (2) Students switch
roles. (3) The dyad links with a second dyad. This four-member learning team
then discusses the information or insights gleaned from the initial paired
interviews.
SIMPLE
JIGSAW: The faculty
member divides an assignment or topic into four parts with all students from
each LEARNING TEAM volunteering to become "experts" on one of the
parts. EXPERT TEAMS then work together to master their fourth of the material
and also to discover the best way to help others learn it. All experts then
reassemble in their home LEARNING TEAMS where they teach the other group
members.
NUMBERED
HEADS TOGETHER: Members
of learning teams, usually composed of four individuals, count off: 1, 2, 3, or
4. The instructor poses a question, usually factual in nature, but requiring
some higher order thinking skills. Students discuss the question, making
certain that every group member knows the agreed upon answer. The instructor calls
a specific number and the team members originally designated that number during
the count off respond as group spokespersons. Because no one knows which number
the teacher will call, all team members have a vested interest in understanding
the appropriate response
Collaborative Learning Structures and Techniques
- Three-step
Interview
- Roundtable
- Focused Listing
- Structured
Problem-solving
- Paired
Annotations
- Structured
Learning Team Group Roles
- Send-A-Problem
- Value Line
- Uncommon
Commonalities
- Team
Expectations
- Double Entry
Journal
- Guided
Reciprocal Peer Questioning
Three-step Interview
Three-step
interviews can be used as an ice breaker for team members to get to know one
another or can be used to get to know concepts in depth, by assigning roles to
students.
- Faculty
assigns roles or students can "play" themselves. Faculty may
also give interview questions or information that should be
"found."
- A
interviews B for the specified number of minutes, listening attentively
and asking probing questions.
- At
a signal, students reverse roles and B interviews A for the same number of
minutes.
- At
another signal, each pair turns to another pair, forming a group of four.
Each member of the group introduces his or her partner, highlighting the
most interesting points.
Roundtable
Roundtable
structures can be used to brainstorm ideas and to generate a large number of
responses to a single question or a group of questions.
- Faculty
poses question.
- One
piece of paper and pen per group.
- First
student writes one response, and says it out loud.
- First
student passes paper to the left, second student writes response, etc.
- Continues
around group until time elapses.
- Students
may say "pass" at any time.
- Group
stops when time is called.
The
key here is the question or the problem you've asked the students to consider.
It has to be one that has the potential for a number of different
"right" answers. Relate the question to the course unit, but keep it
simple so every student can have some input.
Once
time is called, determine what you want to have the students do with the
lists...they may want to discuss the multitude of answers or solutions or they
may want to share the lists with the entire class.
Focused Listing
Focused
listing can be used as a brainstorming technique or as a technique to generate
descriptions and definitions for concepts. Focused listing asks the students to
generate words to define or describe something. Once students have completed
this activity, you can use these lists to facilitate group and class
discussion.
Example:
Ask students to list 5-7 words or phrases that describe or define what a
motivated student does. From there, you might ask students to get together in
small groups to discuss the lists, or to select the one that they can all agree
on. Combine this technique with a number of the other techniques and you can
have a powerful cooperative learning structure.
Structured Problem-solving
Structured
problem-solving can be used in conjunction with several other cooperative
learning structures.
- Have
the participants brainstorm or select a problem for them to consider.
- Assign
numbers to members of each group (or use playing cards). Have each member
of the group be a different number or suit.
- Discuss
task as group.
- Each
participant should be prepared to respond. Each member of the group needs
to understand the response well enough to give the response with no help
from the other members of the group.
- Ask
an individual from each group to respond. Call on the individual by number
(or suit).
One Minute Papers
Ask
students to comment on the following questions. Give them one minute and time
them. This activity focuses them on the content and can also provide feedback
to you as a teacher.
- What
was the most important or useful thing you learned today?
- What
two important questions do you still have; what remains unclear?
- What
would you like to know more about?
You
can use these one minute papers to begin the next day's discussion, to
facilitate discussion within a group, or to provide you with feedback on where the
student is in his or her understanding of the material.
Paired Annotations
Students
pair up to review/learn same article, chapter or content area and exchange
double-entry journals (see below) for reading and reflection. Students discuss
key points and look for divergent and convergent thinking and ideas. Together
students prepare a composite annotation that summarizes the article, chapter,
or concept.
Structured Learning Team Group
Roles
When
putting together groups, you may want to consider assigning (or having students
select) their roles for the group. Students may also rotate group roles
depending on the activity.
Potential
group roles and their functions include:
- Leader
- The leader is responsible for keeping the group on the assigned task at
hand. S/he also makes sure that all members of the group have an
opportunity to participate, learn and have the respect of their team
members. The leader may also want to check to make sure that all of the
group members have mastered the learning points of a group exercise.
- Recorder
- The recorder picks and maintains the group files and folders on a daily
basis and keeps records of all group activities including the material
contributed by each group member. The recorder writes out the solutions to
problems for the group to use as notes or to submit to the instructor. The
recorder may also prepare presentation materials when the group makes oral
presentations to the class.
- Reporter
- The reporter gives oral responses to the class about the group's
activities or conclusions.
- Monitor
- The monitor is responsible for making sure that the group's work area is
left the way it was found and acts as a timekeeper for timed activities.
- Wildcard
(in groups of five) - The wildcard acts as an assistant to the group
leader and assumes the role of any member that may be missing.
Send-A-Problem
Send-A-Problem
can be used as a way to get groups to discuss and review material, or potential
solutions to problems related to content information.
- Each
member of a group generates a problem and writes it down on a card. Each
member of the group then asks the question to other members.
- If
the question can be answered and all members of the group agree on the
answer, then that answer is written on the back of the card. If there is
no consensus on the answer, the question is revised so that an answer can
be agreed upon.
- The
group puts a Q on the side of the card with the question on it, and an A
on the side of the card with an answer on it.
- Each
group sends its question cards to another group.
- Each
group member takes ones question from the stack of questions and reads one
question at a time to the group. After reading the first question, the
group discusses it. If the group agrees on the answer, they turn the card
over to see if they agree with the first group's answer. If there again is
consensus, they proceed to the next question. If they do not agree with
the first group's answer, the second group write their answer on the back
of the card as an alternative answer.
- The
second group reviews and answers each question in the stack of cards,
repeating the procedure outlined above.
- The
question cards can be sent to a third, fourth, or fifth group, if desired.
- Stacks
of cards are then sent back to the originating group. The sending group
can then discuss and clarify any question
Variation:
A variation on the send a problem is to use the process to get groups to
discuss a real problem for which there may be no one set answer.
- Groups
decide on one problem they will consider. It is best if each group
considers a different problem.
- The
same process is used, with the first group brainstorming solutions to a
single problem. The problem is written on a piece of paper and attached to
the outside of a folder. The solutions are listed and enclosed inside the
folder.
- The
folder is then passed to the next group. Each group brainstorms for 3-5
minutes on the problems they receive without reading the previous group's
work and then place their solutions inside the folders.
- This
process may continue to one or more groups. The last group reviews all the
solutions posed by all of the previous groups and develops a prioritized
list of possible solutions. This list is then presented to the group.
Value Line
One
way to form heterogeneous groups, is to use a value line.
- Present
an issue or topic to the group and ask each member to determine how they
feel about the issue (could use a 1-10 scale; 1 being strong agreement, 10
being strong disagreement).
- Form
a rank-ordered line and number the participants from 1 up (from strong
agreement to strong disagreement, for example).
- Form
your groups of four by pulling one person from each end of the value line
and two people from the middle of the group (for example, if you had 20
people, one group might consist of persons 1, 10, 11, 20).
Uncommon Commonalities
Uncommon
Commonalities can be used to foster a more cohesive group.
Uncommon Commonalities
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Team Name
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- Groups
get together and first list individual things about themselves that define
them as people).
- Groups
then discussed each item, finding things that 1, 2, 3, or 4 of them have
in common.
- When
the group finds an item that all of them have in common, they list that
item under 4; when they find something that 3 of them have in common, the
list that item under 3, etc.
Team Expectations
Some
of the common fears about working with groups include student fears that each
member will not pull their weight as a part of the group. Students are scared
that their grade will be lower as a result of the group learning vs. learning
they do individually. One way to address this issue is to use a group activity
to allow the group to outline acceptable group behavior. Put together a form
and ask groups to first list behaviors (expectations) they expect from each individual,
each pair and as a group as a whole. Groups
then can use this as a way to monitor individual contributions to the group and
as a way to evaluate group participation.
Double Entry Journal
The Double Entry Journal can be used as a way for students to take notes on articles and other resources they read in preparation for class discussion.
- Students
read and reflect on the assigned reading(s).
- Students
prepare the double entry journal, listing critical points of the readings
(as they see them) and any responses to the readings, in general, or
specific critical points.
- Students
bring their journal notes to class
- Once
in class, students may use their double entry journal to begin discussion,
to do a paired annotation, or for other classroom and group activity.
Guided Reciprocal Peer
Questioning
The
goal of this activity is to generate discussion among student groups about a
specific topic or content area.
- Faculty
conducts a brief (10-15 minutes) lecture on a topic or content area.
Faculty may assign a reading or written assignment as well.
- Instructor
then gives the students a set of generic question stems.
- Students
work individually to write their own questions based on the material being
covered.
- Students
do not have to be able to answer the questions they pose. This activity is
designed to force students to think about ideas relevant to the content
area.
- Students
should use as many question stems as possible.
- Grouped
into learning teams, each student offers a question for discussion, using
the different stems.
Sample question stems:
- What
is the main idea of...?
- What
if...?
- How
does...affect...?
- What
is a new example of...?
- Explain
why...?
- Explain
how...?
- How
does this relate to what I've learned before?
- What
conclusions can I draw about...?
- What
is the difference between... and...?
- How
are...and...similar?
- How
would I use...to...?
- What
are the strengths and weaknesses of...?
- What
is the best...and why?
What are cooperative and collaborative
learning?
Collaborative learning
is a method of teaching and learning in which students team together to explore
a significant question or create a meaningful project. A group of students
discussing a lecture or students from different schools working together over
the Internet on a shared assignment are both examples of collaborative
learning.
In
small groups, students can share strengths and also develop their weaker
skills. They develop their interpersonal skills. They learn to deal with
conflict. When cooperative groups are guided by clear objectives, students
engage in numerous activities that improve their understanding of subjects
explored.
In
order to create an environment in which cooperative learning can take place,
three things are necessary. First, students need to feel safe, but also
challenged. Second, groups need to be small enough that everyone can
contribute. Third, the task students work together on must be clearly defined.
The cooperative and collaborative learning techniques presented here should
help make this possible for teachers.
Also,
in cooperative learning small groups provide a place where:
- learners actively participate;
- teachers become learners at times,
and learners sometimes teach;
- respect is given to every member;
- projects and questions interest
and challenge students;
- diversity is celebrated, and all
contributions are valued;
- students learn skills for
resolving conflicts when they arise;
- members draw upon their past
experience and knowledge;
- goals are clearly identified and
used as a guide;
- research tools such as Internet
access are made available;
- students are invested in their own
learning.
How do cooperative and collaborative
learning differ from the traditional approach?
Cooperative and collaborative
learning differ from traditional teaching approaches because students work
together rather than compete with each other individually.
o
Collaborative
learning can take place any time students work together -- for example, when
they help each other with homework.
o
Cooperative
learning takes place when students work together in the same place on a
structured project in a small group. Mixed-skill groups can be especially
helpful to students in developing their social abilities.
Because
it is just one of a set of tools, however, it can easily be integrated into a
class that uses multiple approaches. For some assignments individual work may
be most efficient, while for others cooperative groups work best.
Research
suggests that cooperative and collaborative learning bring positive results
such as deeper understanding of content, increased overall achievement in
grades, improved self-esteem, and higher motivation to remain on task.
Cooperative learning helps students become actively and constructively involved
in content, to take ownership of their own learning, and to resolve group
conflicts and improve teamwork skills.
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