
I must admit that I was really thrilled by enrolling myself in the ONL course and the interesting topics that we are discussing in our group. And the last two weeks we focused on “collaborative learning,” the purpose behind this type of learning and the relevant outcome.
Before reflecting on my own thoughts, let me share one of my experience as a secondary level student here. In a classroom with a strict rule (traditional style), I was hoping for an opportunity to share my thoughts on a topic being taught with my classmate sitting next to me. Of course, It was forbidden talking to others during the whole session, and I was not confident enough to raise my thoughts and ask directly from the teacher. At that time, I did not even know what collaborative learning is, but I wished I could share my thoughts freely with my peers after the lecture and develop them through discussion.
Collaborative learning has been referred to by various names: collective learning, learning communities, peer teaching, peer learning, or team learning. This is a teaching and learning method in which students are divided into smaller groups to explore a significant question by actively exchanging their ideas and negotiation. In fact, collaborative learning shifts the responsibility for learning to the student, in the role of “researcher” and self-directed learner [1]. Hence, students will be teaching one another and the teacher. Of course, the teacher also teaches the students, too, but the teacher’s role may change from being the main driver to a supportive coach that helps the students be on track. What is important here is that students are responsible for one another’s learning and their own and that reaching the goal implies that students have helped each other understand and learn.
Benefits: You can find more than 50 benefits for collaborative learning in the literature [2,3], where they have been divided into four major categories: social, psychological, academic, and assessment. My understanding is that collaborative learning in the first place let the students retain the information for a longer period; this method will help them to become critical thinkers and better prepared for their future careers by developing important skills such as problem-solving, effective negotiation, and decision making.
Challenges: besides all benefits, some challenges must be addressed in order to provide a fair and friendly environment. This will increase the efficiency of learning. A key element here is that the group member should feel safe enough to share their ideas. An ice-breaker, such as an “after-class” activity, might be a good approach to establish a friendly environment. Diversity in the group can also be challenging; a more diverse group may not come to a common consensus, while the homogenous group might not be able to explore some important aspects of the problem. The assessment process can also be challenging as people usually are reluctant to report the less active member(s). However, self-assessment might be a fair approach to this if the ground rule is taught and discussed carefully at the beginning.
Overall, I must admit that I have learned a lot from the discussion in our PBL group, and I believe that this method must be advised to the teachers all around the world.
REF
[1] Dooly, Melinda. “Constructing knowledge together.” Telecollaborative Language Learning. A guidebook to moderating intercultural collaboration online 3, no. 1 (2008): 21-45
[2] Johnson, David W., and Roger T. Johnson. Cooperation and competition: Theory and research. Interaction Book Company, (1989).
[3] Panitz, Theodore. “Benefits of cooperative learning in relation to student motivation.” Motivation from within: Approaches for encouraging faculty and students to excel, New directions for teaching and learning. San Francisco, CA (1999).