Collaborative

Learning
Lic. Batres
School of Arts and Science
Universidad Gerardo Barrios

March 28th , 2019

 Cooperative Learning

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUXdrl9ch
_Q

Good teamwork and bad teamwork

Learning outcomes
 To consider the role of collaborative learning
 To examine some collaborative learning
approaches
 To consider some aspects of educational
debate
 To be aware of changing aspects of teaching
and learning
Learning in context
Dales’ cone of experience is a tool to help
instructors make decisions about
resources and activities. The instructor
can ask the following:
1. Where will the student’s experience with this instructional
resource fit on the cone?

2. What kind of learning experience do you want to provide

in the classroom?

3. What and how many senses can students use to learn

this instructional material?

4. Does the instructional material enhance learning?

ORIGIN
The origin of the Cooperative Learning dated back at
least 100 years ago, and even thousands of years
ago.

Little research was made until the 1960s (Jacobs et al.,

2002:2). Since then, it has awakened much attention and
has constantly been a hot topic in education.

Research showed that students learned faster and retained

more when they became partners in the process of teaching
and learning instead of remaining mere receivers of
knowledge from their educators.
Teaching vs learning

John Amos Comenius, a 16th

Century scholar; summarised the
approach that teaching should
follow, “The main object is to find
a method by which teachers
teach less but learners learn
more”, proving that current
problems have noble pedigrees.
Collaborative learning

“Collaborative learning is an umbrella term for a variety of

educational approaches involving joint intellectual effort by students,
or students and teachers together. Usually students are working in
groups of two or more, mutually searching for understanding,
solutions or meanings, or creating a product.
Collaborative learning activities vary widely, but most center on
students’ exploration or application of the course material, not
simply the teacher’s presentation or explication of it”.

Smith and McGregor (1992)

Educational goals

 Involvement
 Co-operation and
teamwork
 Community
responsibility
Assumptions about learning

 Learning is an active constructive process

 Learning depends on rich contexts
 Learners are diverse
 Learning is inherently social
Approaches

Collaborative learning

Co-operative learning

Writing groups
Peer teaching

Learning communities Problem-based learning

Discussion groups
Why use cooperative learning?

 Promote student learning and

academic achievement
 Enhance student satisfaction
with their learning experience
 Help students develop skills in
oral communication
 Develop students' social skills
 Promote student self-esteem
 Increase student retention
 Develop a community of learners
5 Elements of cooperative
learning

1. Positive interdependence
2. Face-to-face interaction
3. Individual and group accountability
4. Interpersonal and small group skills
5. Group processing
Postive interdependence

 Each group member's efforts

are required and indispensable
for group success

 Each group member has a

unique contribution to make to
the joint effort because of his
or her resources and/or role
and task responsibilities

Sink or swim together!

Face-to-face interaction
 Orally explaining how
to solve problems
 Teaching one's
knowledge to others
 Checking for
understanding
 Discussing concepts
being learned
 Connecting present
with past learning
Promote each other's success
Individual and group
accountability
 Keeping the size of the group
small.
 Giving an individual test to each
student.
 Randomly examining students
orally.
 Observing each group and
recording the frequency with
which each member-contributes
to the group's work.
 Assigning one student in each
group the role of checker.
 Having students teach what they
learned to someone else. No hitchhiking! No social loafing
No freeloading
Interpersonal and small group
skills

 Social skills must be taught:

 Leadership
 Decision-making
 Trust-building
 Communication
 Conflict-management skills

Mutual understanding
Group processing

 Group members discuss

how well they are
achieving their goals and
maintaining effective
working relationships
 Describe what member
actions are helpful and not
helpful
 Make decisions about
what behaviours to
continue or change
 RQ

Jigsaw Approach
Jigsaw Approach
Jigsaw approach
 WITH COOPERATIVE LEARNING

Community types
 Learning community: focus on learning together,
sharing, developing relationships
 Communities of practice: focus on developing
professional practice
 Community of enquiry: focus on enquiring about
and issue/area
 Knowledge community: focus on developing
knowledge
Discussion Question
Table Talk Activity:

1. Think about your own experiences with cooperative

learning as both a learner and as a teacher. Discuss
with your table mates the pros and cons of using this
strategy.
2. What have you learned about cooperative learning?
3. What changes might you make in your practice related
to cooperative learning?
4. What support might you need to make these changes?

Record your responses on paper.

References

 Johnson, D.W. and Johnson, R. T. (1990) Cooperation and

Competition: Theory and Research, Edina, MN; Interaction Book
Company
 Lave, J. and Wenger, E. (1991) Situated learning; legitimate peripheral
participation, Cambridge University Press