The question that struck me at the start of the topic on communities, networking and collaboration was

“when does a group move from simply cooperating to actually collaborating”

I will use my PBL group to reflect on this question.

Scenario from my PBL Group

It was very clear through the sharing in meeting 1 for Topic 3 that the group at this stage of the our journey felt that we were cooperating rather than collaborating. Each member fulfilled their obligations and the moderators for the assigned topic took the responsibility for creating the final product for presentation to the ONL community. There did not really seem to be a sense of ownership as the unspoken expectation was that the moderators were going to do the work.

It felt we were not really engaging with one another as a group and in my mind I was trying to figure out what missing ingredients were needed for us to shift from cooperating out of politeness and respect for one another to truly collaborating.

I think a classic instance that hinders collaboration is when the attention of the moderator is taken up by one person who brings in a concern that does not really engage the whole group. When this happens the discussion becomes a dialogue between two while the rest of the group “watch on” as spectators.

Considerations for Shifting Gear

Ingredient 1

Thinking about how to keep the group as a whole engaged and involved in the discussion and to take ownership of the bigger goal that the group is trying to achieve collaboratively. I guess staying on track and not deviating from the main discussion would help in this respect. Deciding when to take a discussion offline is critical- this is especially so when a personal concern is raised which does not exactly relate to the topic at hand or the group goal.

Ingredient 2

Thinking about how to effectively moderate a group so engagement and collaboration is supported. These are skills we are not naturally born with. Perhaps we could have some examples of how this is done well and examples of what engagement and collaboration looks like. This will go a long way in helping us make the shift from cooperation to collaboration.

Ingredient 3

Thinking about why we are here at this time as a group and what is it we want to achieve. Do some ice-breaker activity at the start to find out what each person does, the rich cultural and educational traditions they bring to the group and use this information to consider what role they can play in the group (even ideas about what they believe about how learning takes place) – this will encourage each person to contribute based on their strengths and what they uniquely bring to the group. This will give a place of importance to each person and the rest of the group will also be very motivated to want to receive from each of the members whom they feel they know a little more about and want to learn from.

Ingredient 4

Differentiate the type of group you are and clarify understanding and expectations of why you exist as a group/ why you need a group. Kay Oddone PLNs Theory and Practice by Kay Oddone, part 1 &

PLNs Theory and Practice by Kay Oddone, part 2. provides useful thoughts about what differentiates communities from networks. Perhaps PBL groups can use the checklists to help understand where they stand?

Conclusion

Learning in communities can be very fulfilling once we understand and get better at including the ingredients that make them thrive and grow because the collective input of the group is far greater than what one individual can hold in themselves.