Collaborative+Learning

What is **collaborative learning** and why is this so important to a learning community? As educators and students how do we achieve this?

To define collaborative learning one needs to review fundamental educational research which examines the learning process and how different students learn and interact with the teacher in a variety of today's classrooms. The Conversation Prism provides a visual of the complex interactions available for learners in today's modern society.

A leader in the field of collaborative learning is [|Raymond Wlodkowski]. His book, Enhancing Adult Motivation to Learn: Comprehensive Guide for Teaching All Adults, 3rd Edition 1 describes four pillars of learning techniques that aid and advance learning. To enhance and achieve maximum learning he describes:
 * 1) Establishing inclusion by creating a learning environment where students feel safe to risk new ways of learning and interacting.
 * 2) Establishing competence by valuing self assessment and feedback. The student understands how marking will be done with established rubrics.
 * 3) Enhancing meaning by finding a variety of ways and techniques to increase meaning. A key to learning is the development of critical thinking.
 * 4) Developing attitude by recognizing the differences in adult learners making learning relevant and applicable.

The following video show student teachers working collaboratively with closing comments by Wlodkowski: []

[|Boettcher] talks about collaboration as a single act of students working together to become a learning community; to support and assist each other, make decisions synergistically and communicate with peers on a variety of topics beyond those assigned. In this learning community, the instructor is a community member with a consulting role. This is a significant shift from the traditional lecturer and expert role. Students are also called upon to take on a different role. Learners are no longer passive receivers of knowledge, as stated by Barkley. Collaborative learning, and being part of a learning community, requires students to contribute knowledge and perspective to the learning experience, based on their own previous academic and vocational backgrounds.

Collaborative learning engages students of all backgrounds personally and actively. In order to fully utilize collaborative opportunities, instructors need to take into consideration the increased demand for on-line learning and the use of social media to engage students in life long learning. Through the proper selection of media, we can utilize learning strategies in new and unique ways while making education more accessable to learners of varying backgrounds in multiple locatoins.

According to Boettcher, nearly 1/3 of the courses available in North America are now on-line. This has implications for both the student and instructor. In a traditional classroom the man hours for teacher prep range from 2 to 10 hours per hour of lecture. The introduction of collaborative learning techniques, particulaly when considering on-line requirements takes considerably more prep work per hour of instruction as noted below: *requires support staff
 * Lecturing 2-10 hours
 * Small group teaching 3-10 hours
 * Teaching textbook 50-100 hours *
 * Broadcast television 100 hours *
 * Computer-aided learning 200 hours *
 * Interactive learning 300 hours *

From the students perspective, the difference between attending lectures and being in a classroom utlizing active learning also requires more commitment in terms of prep time before class. Collaborative learning increases the need for personal interaction with student learning groups (aka time commitment) and challenges the learner to step outside of previous comfort zones.

So why utilize collaborative learning if the new techniques, particularly the new media options, are more effort for both instructor and learner? The answer lies in the benefits to the learner. Life long learning is no longer a nice to have - it is a must have in our knowledge economy. Learners expect education to be relevant, on an extrinsic (help me get a job) and intrinsic (help me make sense of the world) level. Technology has created a reality for learners, thus instructors, that is world focused and learning now involves that world wide community. The demands on the teacher to enhance learning and interact with the students describe how important collaborative learning is to our modern world.

The following video is from Australia but its content is applicable to all classroom settings. The Synergy with this type of learning promotes adult learning.

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