(Topic 3)
According to Brindley, Blaschke and Walti1 one motivation for a student participating in the group is making individual success dependent of group success. In my view, participating in the group must be meaningful not only for the sake of passing a course successively. Group participation must add something to the learning experience: make learning easier, more interesting, or at least more fun.
Kay Oddone defines the differences between a network and a community2. The structure of a network, according to Oddone, is flexible and undefined, when the ties between members of a community are strong. One way of involving students in group work could be developing the group towards community-like connections with a shared goal, which also is characteristic for a community. Passing a course successfully may be an individual goal (although all participants have the same goal); producing new information and materials in collaboration during the course could be a mutually shared goal, which characterizes a community.
To create a sense of community in a group, different elements are needed, such as humour, openness, empathy and different opinions1. In a group, the diversity of participants will make up for the different elements as persons with different characteristics participate.
Not all group members are necessarily willing to engage in the group work with as much affection. For some, a more network-like group, with individual goals instead of common ones and flexible membership might be quite enough, while others want to work in a communit-ish group with strong ties and a shared goal (characteristics as described by Oddone2). If expectations towards and willingness to contribute to the group differ noticeably, this might lead to conflicts or at least ambiguities in fulfilling goals – either shared or individual ones. Discussion on what is expected from group members should relieve misconceptions. Different personalities included in a group also play a part in whether a group naturally develops in a community-like direction. Sometimes turning a group into a community, if it’s necessary, might take extra effort from the group leader as well as the group members themselves.
As an information specialist, I’m interested in how information literacy skills improve student’s group work capabilities1. Information retrieval skills can be considered as something of basic skills nowadays – something of a working tool. What is the part of information retrieval skills in group collaboration? This is a question I don’t have an answer to right now, but have to take a closer look into.
1 Brindley, J., Blaschke, L. M. & Walti, C. (2009). Creating effective collaborative learning groups in an online environment. The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 10(3). http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/675/1271
2 PLNs Theory and Practice by Kay Oddone 1 & 2, 2019. 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8mJX5n3IEg 2:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqSBTr9DPH8
