Collaborative Learning Bhavna Sahajpal

“Students are not blank slates upon which knowledge is etched “Students are not blank slates upon which knowledge is etched. They come to learning situations with already formulated knowledge, ideas, and understandings. This previous knowledge is the raw material for the new knowledge they will create. ” (http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/constructivism/index_sub2.html)

Can you imagine a classroom with: Lily Tomlin Michael Buble Stephen Hawking Margaret Atwood Justin Trudeau Deepak Chopra Pablo Picasso How does that make you feel as a teacher?

Theory of Multiple Intelligences Mr. Snowflake Howard Gardner: “Everything can be taught [, understood and shown] in more than one way. I don't believe because there are eight intelligences we have to teach things eight ways. I think that's silly. But we always ought to be asking ourselves, "Are we reaching every child, and, if not, are there other ways in which we can do it?” (https://www.edutopia.org/multiple-intelligences-howard-gardner-video) (https://gradeslam.org/blog/multiple-intelligence-theory-is-it-real)

Constructivism “Constructivism is basically a theory -- based on observation and scientific study -- about how people learn. It says that people construct their own understanding and knowledge of the world, through experiencing things and reflecting on those experiences. When we encounter something new, we have to reconcile it with our previous ideas and experience, maybe changing what we believe, or maybe discarding the new information as irrelevant. In any case, we are active creators of our own knowledge. To do this, we must ask questions, explore, and assess what we know.”

Benefits Children learn more, and enjoy learning more when they are actively involved, rather than passive listeners. Education works best when it concentrates on thinking and understanding, rather than on rote memorization. Constructivism concentrates on learning how to think and understand. Constructivist learning is transferable. In constructivist classrooms, students create organizing principles that they can take with them to other learning settings. Constructivism gives students ownership of what they learn, since learning is based on students' questions and explorations, and often the students have a hand in designing the assessments as well. By grounding learning activities in an authentic, real-world context, constructivism stimulates and engages students. Students in constructivist classrooms learn to question things and to apply their natural curiosity to the world. Constructivism promotes social and communication skills by creating a classroom environment that emphasizes collaboration and exchange of ideas.

What? “Collaborative learning is an umbrella term for a variety of educational approaches involving joint intellectual effort by students, or students and teachers together. Usually, students are working in groups of two or more, mutually searching for understanding, solutions, or meanings, or creating a product. Collaborative learning activities vary widely, but most center on students’ exploration or application of the course material, not simply the teacher’s presentation or explication of it.” (https://evergreen.edu/sites/default/files/facultydevelopment/docs/WhatisCollaborativ eLearning.pdf)

Where? In all our classrooms or outdoors, no matter the subject or student population!

Umm... why? Celebration of diversity Acknowledgment of individual differences Interpersonal development Actively involving students in learning More opportunities for personal feedback

For example? http://www.thirteen.org/edonli ne/concept2class/mi/implemen tation_sub1.html http://www.thirteen.org/edonli ne/concept2class/mi/lp_middle 1.html

With NATURE? :O http://www.naturalcuriosity.ca/inpractice.php?m=p

Why doesn’t it work sometimes? Making members of the group responsible for each other's learning. Encouraging only lower-level thinking and ignoring the strategies necessary for the inclusion of critical or higher-level thought. Some recommend that we negotiate more with students to determine how they learn best and apply these ideas to the way we structure classes.

How to fix it? 1. making sure to identify clear questions at the outset and to show how these questions relate to students' interests and abilities and the teaching goals; 2. resolving small-group conflicts as soon as they arise and showing students how to prevent trouble in future; 3. creating rubrics 1 at the beginning of any assignment and using these for guiding the learning process and for assessing final work; 4. helping students reflect on their progress on a regular basis; 5. expecting excellence from all students and letting them know that you believe in them and their ability to produce excellent work.

Challenges “A colleague recently told us a poignant story about his dean coming to observe his teaching. The dean looked into the room where students were avidly engaged in small group work. What is Collaborative Learning? Washington Center for Improving the Quality of Undergraduate Education Turning to leave, the dean said to our colleague, “Oh, you’re doing groups today. Ill come back when you’re teaching.” We have a long way to go.” (https://evergreen.edu/sites/default/files/facultydevelopment/docs/WhatisCollaborativeLearning.pdf)

Yea eh?!