1. ©2003 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. Study Skills Topic 15 Collaborative Learning PowerPoint by JoAnn Yaworski

2. ©2003 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. Goals of Collaborative Reading  Increase knowledge of the subject through interactions with others.  Minimize confusions/misinterpretations of assigned material.  Gain ease in working with others in a group situation.  Increase skill in making group decisions.  Increase critical thinking skills.

3. ©2003 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. Problems with Group Learning Problems:  One person doing all of the work.  Miscommunications between group members (focus of material, meeting time and place, ideas).  Members get off task.  Group members not completing assigned duties. Solutions:  Delegate work assignments.  Appoint a leader or coordinator.  Establish clear objectives.  Set deadlines.

4. ©2003 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. Literature Circles  Students choose a novel from an instructor-approved list.  Students join small groups depending upon which novel they choose.  Each group meets at a specified time during class to discuss each chapter of the novel.  Students prepare specific discussion questions and take notes on the chapter before class.

5. ©2003 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. Literature Circles (continued…)  Groups activities are led by students and observed by the instructor.  Instructors evaluate students by observing the groups.  The purpose is to create a classroom that is a “Community of Learners.”

6. ©2003 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. Literature Circles: What is Expected from the Student Students should be prepared to:  Discuss their reactions to the novel.  Discuss elements of literature and literary devices (e.g., character development, foreshadowing, theme, conflict, etc.).  Discuss elements of the novel they enjoyed.  Ask questions about anything that was misunderstood.

7. ©2003 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. Group Learning in Education  Each person in the group takes turns being the discussion leader for a given topic.  The group leader is responsible for creating the discussion questions prior to class.  Group members discuss solutions to the problems that the discussion leader raises.  Discussion leaders summarize and present a summary of their group’s response to the whole class.

8. ©2003 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. Group Learning in Foreign Language Group activities for learning foreign languages :  Foreign films – meet with a group to view and analyze foreign films.  Conversation groups – meet periodically to practice conversational skills.  Restaurants – meet with group at a restaurant that specializes in the cuisine of the culture.  Competitions – enter the group in competitions that require the use of the language being studied.  Foreign language fairs – enter the group in activities promoted by foreign language organizations.

9. ©2003 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. Group Learning in the Social Sciences Suggestions for group:  Prepare group for presentation (discuss the who, what, when, why, and how of the topic being presented).  Discuss and establish clear goals of the information gathering process with group members (will information be found on the internet, library, or scholarly journals).  Group members gather information and discuss findings with the group.  Group members decide how to adapt information into the finished presentation.

10. ©2003 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. Transferring Group Learning to the Work Place C ontingency Planning Groups prepare emergency plans for organizations and facilities in the event of a disaster (e.g., earthquakes, terrorism, tornados). Groups work together to:  Establish a plan of action in the event of an emergency according to your organizational needs (e.g., how to relocate patients from a medical facility damaged by an earthquake to safety).  Train staff on how to implement the plan (through disaster drills).  Make adjustments to contingency plan as needed (through evaluations and group input).

11. ©2003 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. Visit the Longman Study Skills Web Site http://www.ablongman.com/studyskills