“Learning […] is an active process of creating connections and seeing patterns of information within and between these connections”

(Oddone, 2019)

Collaborative learning takes place when groups of learner work together to solve a problem, complete a task, or create a product (Gerlach 1994). It is contrasted with cooperative group work, in which learners tend to divide a task into discrete subtasks and then combine them into, for example, a paper or presentation. In a collaborative environment, learners can talk to one another, present and defend ideas, discuss diverse beliefs, and question one another’s conceptual frameworks, and be actively engaged. Learners are challenged by listening to different ideas, and by having to explain and defend their own perspective. Through this process, learners begin to create their own conceptual frameworks rather than memorising expert opinions or frameworks from literature (Cooper and Robinson 1998) and hence progress through Perry’s stages of intellectual and ethical development. In other words, collaborative learning provides an environment where deep learning can take place.

Thinking about collaborative learning has led me to reflect on the kind learning that I, myself, typically engage in. I am an academic, whose main job is to think. If anyone is involved in collaborative learning, it should be me right? But, yet, in many environments that involve group work, I find that I tend towards cooperative learning (dividing and conquering tasks). When reflecting over this, I think the answer has to do with the time it takes to learn collaboratively.

Working cooperatively is more efficient than working collaboratively. Dividing tasks means that people can work on different things simultaneously and get to the end point more quickly. But this assumes that the end point is the presentation to be created or the paper to be turned in. If the end point is actually deep learning on a new topic, cooperative learning is quite useless. Collaborative learning takes more time. You need to let ideas simmer. Learners need think out loud and explore ideas rather than coming quickly to conclusions and producing the required output. But slow, collaborative learning is the only way to get to the true end point of deep learning.

Given our limited resources of time, attention, and memory, we have to make decisions about how we participate […]. This is going to affect learning capability

(Wenger 2010)

We all have limited resources. I, personally, feel that time is my most limited resource. I always have too much to do and too little time. Furthermore, I tend to assume the role of completer-finisher, and am motivated by getting things done. How, then, can I escape the desire to rush to the end of a project and, instead, slow down and learn collaboratively and deeply?

I don’t think there is an easy solution. We simply cannot use every environment as an opportunity for collaborative learning. Some projects will need to be completed quickly and won’t lead to any kind of deep learning. But others require that we slow down and focus on letting collaboration take its own sweet time. The key is to recognise which is which and to allocate resources accordingly. And being reflective is the first step in this process. Check!

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References

Cooper, J., and Robinson, P. (1998). “Small group instruction in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology.”  Journal of College Science Teaching 27:383.

Gerlach, J. M. (1994). “Is this collaboration?” In Bosworth, K. and Hamilton, S. J. (Eds.), Collaborative Learning: Underlying Processes and Effective Techniques, New Directions for Teaching and Learning No. 59.

Wenger, E. (2010). Communities of practice and social learning systems: the career of a concept. In Social learning systems and communities of practice (pp. 179-198). Springer London.