Honing Group and Self-management Skills through Cooperative and Collaborative Projects
Brief History of Collaborative and Cooperative Learning
Collaborative learning originated from the concept of learning of Lev Vygotsky called zone of proximal development. It states that there are task that learners can do without help and can do with the help of others. The zone of proximal development perceives what set of skills a learner must develop in the process of learning. In his definition of ZPD, Vygotsky stressed the importance of learning is through interacting and communicating with others rather than working independently. This model has made way for the ideas of group learning, one of which is collaborative learning. On the other hand, cooperative
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Cooperative Learning
Collaborative learning is often perceived as similar to cooperative learning yet they are distinct from each other. They differ mostly in the level of interaction of each member. However, there are instances they have in common like emphasizing the importance of active learning, teaching and learning process are shared by students and teacher, working in groups to attain learning goals and help students develop higher order cognitive skills, social and teambuilding skills.
Collaborative learning is an approach to teaching wherein the students are group together to complete a task, solve problems and create an output. In this method, learning activities center most on students’ exploration or application of knowledge in the lesson. It also represents a significant shift away from a typical teacher-centered and lectured-centered in a classroom. According to Nada (2012) collaborative learning activities help students in learning through their own and more likely to increase the engagement in the course
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(2) Face-to-face interaction. It encourages each other's productivity and efficiency by helping, sharing, solving and exerting efforts for a positive output or result; (3) Individual accountability. Each person in the group has their own task and responsibility to achieve their goals or complete the task. (4) Interpersonal and small group skills. This element provides effective leadership and makes decisions about their target goals. Each member builds trust and tries to manage conflict. (5) Group processing. Members discuss how to reach their goals and maintain effective working relationship. These five elements increase academic achievement and long-term retention which develop higher level of individual and group processing
Collaborative working is that when working together in a group is acceptable to the tutor setting the assignment, the work regarding your studies is in any way collaborative as it is online and it is allowed outside the classroom and it is considered helpful as it help the student learn more.
Bruffe, Kenneth A. “The Art of Collaborative Learning: Making the Most of Knowledgeable Peers.” Composing Knoweledge; Readings for College Writes. Ed. Rolf Norgaatd. Boston:Bedford/St.Martin’s, 2007. 399-407. Print.
As the college application deadline draws nearer, high school seniors across the country will make their final decisions as to what handful of colleges and universities will receive the applications they rigorously spent their autumn weekends working on.
...called ‘cooperative’ or ‘small group’ learning” (Cain, 77). Desks are even placed in groups create a small, makeshift table to encourage group effort and activities. Even math and english, subjects that are usually done individually, are also done in groups in the form of projects. This kind of teaching has been an ongoing trend, and it is increasing in popularity (77). The reasoning for teaching this way is not just because students can “learn from each other,” but rather, it models the business environment, where employees are expected to have exceptional communication and leadership skills. Not everyone wishes to be a leader or go into business, especially introverts, whose tendencies are almost the opposite of what is expected for a leader or a business person.
In a team-oriented setting, everyone contributes to how well the group succeeds overall. You work with fellow members of the group to complete the work that needs to be done. Having the right people in the correct roles is an important factor in measuring the success of a team, where you are united with the other members to complete the main goals. Every group is made up of definite strengths and weaknesses. Our team's 3-5 major strengths necessary to work accordingly consist of Informer, Summarizer, Orienter, Piggy-Backer, and Encourager. One of our strengths as a team is that we get input from everyone involved. Every member of our team is a leader in some way. Part of being a good leader is knowing how important it is to receive the best ideas from each member of their team. We attend group meetings where we discuss any challenges, issues, and problems. At these meetings, we often exchange ideas or brainstorm new ones with each other and come up with the best and most creative team solutions as potential answers to those perceived problems.
Chapter 2 highlights the background information of Co-operative education and the significance it has to the pedagogy of higher education. The chapter provides the description of related terms used to describe the infusion of theoretical and practical education with much emphasis on Work-Based Learning. Literature relating to what other researchers had found on the challenges, benefits and critical factors to effective Work-Based Learning for construction students were reviewed. Based on previous research one can draw out some knowledge and background on the challenges faced by students, benefits endured by students and critical factors to effectively utilise Work-Based learning in universities.
It can help develop complex concepts and transfer knowledge and skills(Woolfolk & Margetts, 2013). This scaffold includes collaboration which is suitable for the disequilibrium of Piaget’s theory and the social-constructionism of Vygotsky’s (McDevitt). This aligns with the author’s philosophy of learning (Hamilton, 2016), which supports a balance between constructionist and social-constructionist theory. In addition, it meets curriculum and policy documents expectation for team-work and collaboration skills (ACARA, n.d.; Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, 2011). It is interesting that even when a problem is inauthentic, this model has shown positive results (Woolfolk & Margetts, 2013).
, (2016)suggest using three elements: group norms, trust and relationships, and productive collaboration(p. 23) The three elements can be used to validate team purpose, create joint efforts,and ensure active
Factors that may have influenced the findings were students being interviewed by their instructor and having students write down the laps they ran each week. While interviewing, the students were encouraged to be honest in their feelings about their experience in cooperative learning groups. Some students may have felt like they would be disappointing the instructor by answering in any type of negative way about cooperative learning groups. Students may have felt that answering in a negative way about cooperative learning groups may result in the teacher not liking them as much.
our thought process, and how we contribute to the process of group work. This involves a
Scarnati, J. T. (2001). Cooperative learning: make groupwork work. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 67(Fall), 71-82.
Collaborative learning is a situation where two or more people attempt to learn something together. Dillenbourg, P. (1999). Lev Semenovich Vygotsky, (born in 1986), introduced his theory that, human development—child development as well as the development of all human kind—is the result of interactions between people and their social environments. What this states is that the development of a “higher education” is the product of comparing and contrasting ideas of others ultimately to conclude a solution to a problem as a whole or group. Everyone’s input in a collaborative situation will play a role in final solution.
The application of collaborative learning strategies is a process in which two or more students work together. Collaborative strategies will be used in planning, translating and reviewing the education process to form student learning through group-oriented activities. This source will also be useful in lesson planning to help explain how collaborative learning strategies in the classroom will help students in the learning process improve by interaction; how positive interdependence of collaborative learning leads to common responsibility; how collaborative learning builds students’ self-esteem, and confidence in students. This application recommends that collaborative learning strategies can be implemented with Jig-saw technique as well as in learning technology which can be accessible to all participants working in cooperative groups (Iqbal, Kousar, and Ajmal, 2011).
Collaborative learning is an educational approach that involves groups of learners working together to reach a consensus through negotiation to solve a problem, complete a task, or create a product (Bruffee, 1993). Learning occurs through active engagement among peers, wherein the main characteristics of collaborative learning are: a common task or activity; small group learning, co-operative behaviour; interdependence; and individual responsibility and accountability (Lejeune, 2003).
The group members all share the same appreciation in each individual’s performance, behavior and support in the group. These few things eventually build a coh...