The Collaborative learning It occurs in any situation in which two or more people try to learn something together. Unlike in individual learning, people who carry out collaborative learning will be able to take advantage of the skills and resources of the other.
The main idea of this type of learning is that knowledge can be created within a group through the interaction of several of its members. This can occur even though there are differences in the prior knowledge of the group participants..
The study of collaborative learning is responsible for discovering which environments and methodologies allow a situation to occur that encourages this type of experience. This type of learning can take place both in real life (such as in classrooms or work groups), and on the Internet.
Some of the typical collaborative learning activities can be group projects, collaborative writing, discussion groups or study teams.
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Collaborative learning theory first emerged from the work of Lev Vygotsky, a 20th century Russian psychologist who proposed the zone of proximal development theory. This theory proposed the idea that, while there are things that we are not capable of learning individually, we can achieve them if we have outside help.
The theory of the zone of proximal development had a great importance in the development of modern psychology, especially in the field of education and social psychology. He raised one of the bases of collaborative learning: the importance of communication and interaction with others when learning more effectively.
According to several authors, at every moment in which there is an interaction between two or more people, collaborative learning can occur. Due to the benefits that have been found for this type of learning, modern education tries to encourage the appearance of situations in which it can occur.
According to Lejeune, the main characteristics of collaborative learning are the following:
Collaborative learning has become very important in modern classrooms due to the many benefits it is supposed to produce. Despite not being the perfect solution for all types of learning, it does help to carry out certain tasks more efficiently and constructively.
In cases where collaborative learning is carried out correctly, these are some of the main benefits it produces:
Due to the large number of benefits that collaborative learning brings, new educational systems try to use it in all possible contexts. However, because not all students learn in the same way, it may not be the most effective method for all components of a class..
For example, more introverted students will not see as many benefits if a collaborative learning methodology is applied with them. This is because interaction with other classmates will tire them out and reduce the energy they have available for the learning process..
Therefore, it is the educator's task to decide when and with which students it will be appropriate to use collaborative learning strategies. Used in the right context, they can become a very valuable resource for the teaching process.
The importance of teamwork has been known since ancient times. In fact, several historians and anthropologists think that one of the main causes of the evolution of the human being was precisely this ability to collaborate.
Throughout history, different collaborative learning disciplines have been developed. Socrates, for example, was said to educate his students in small groups; and in the old guilds, the more advanced apprentices were in charge of teaching the less experienced.
But it was not until the 16th century that this trend began to be applied in formal education. One of the first pedagogues to be concerned with the collaborative aspects of learning was Charles Gide, who laid the foundations of the collaborative system.
Later, in the 19th century, team learning took on special relevance, especially in the United States. For example John Dewey, an American philosopher, created a pedagogical system based on collaboration.
This thinker believed that the individual has to be educated to make his contribution to society, and he designed his pedagogical system based on this idea.
In the 20th century, scientific and academic psychology began to concern itself with the different processes that occur within a group; among them, there was also collaborative learning.
Two of the first psychologists to study learning within a group were Vygotsky and Luria. These Russian scholars based their theories on the works of Marx on the influence of society on the development of the person, but applied their ideas to smaller groups..
Vigotsky and Luria developed their theory of collaborative learning based on the idea that the human being is a social animal, which is built on its relationships with others. Therefore, the learning process is more effective and has more benefits when it occurs in a group context..
Several of Vygotsky's writings emphasize the importance of social relationships within the learning process, saying that a balance must be sought between individual and group factors. Following a very typical idea of constructivist learning, he thought that students create their own learning, both in groups and on their own..
With his theory of the zone of proximal development, possibly one of the best known of the author, Vygotsky stated that there are certain learnings that can only be carried out with the help of another person. In this way, in certain learning contexts there is a synergy that allows the maximum development of knowledge..
For Vygotsky, the role of the teacher is both that of guide and that of manager. In certain contexts, the teacher must transmit his knowledge directly to his students; but in others, it must be able to accompany them in the process of building their own knowledge together.
Jean Piaget was a 20th century French psychologist, known for his contributions to the field of mental and emotional development of children. He is considered one of the most influential psychologists of the last century.
One of his main ideas is that social relationships are a fundamental factor for the intellectual development of people. According to him, children do not learn on their own, but by internalizing what they observe in their social environment.
The main way in which collaborative learning develops for this author is through social and cognitive conflict. According to Piaget, children, when exposed to ideas other than their own, will feel an imbalance that they have to overcome by building more complex and stable thoughts..
Therefore, the main benefit of collaborative learning would be co-construction: the new knowledge and learning that is reached after a collaborative process between students.
Collaborative learning is one of the most important points of the constructivist model, one of the educational approaches that more followers have right now.
In this type of pedagogical system, collaborative learning is a tool to facilitate communication, cooperation and inclusion of students.
Most of the authors of the constructivist current also attach great importance to collaborative learning.
For example, Crook (1998) believes that learning occurs when the student has to justify their ideas in front of their peers. On the other hand, Solé believes that the fact of sharing the information with the rest favors the student's self-esteem, increases their interest, and proposes challenges.
In this section we will see some examples of activities that promote collaborative learning within the classroom.
Each student has one minute to think of a challenging question that relates to the content of the class. Later they will have to do it to the person next to them.
If you want to take the activity to the next level, you can collect several questions to create a small exam.
When a subtopic is finished within the class, the lesson stops, and the students meet in small groups to compare their notes and ask themselves what they have not understood..
After a few minutes, the questions that have not been answered are asked aloud.
Students should meet in groups of three. Within each of them, three roles are assigned to form a small debate.
One of the students must be in favor of an issue, another must be against, and the third will take notes and decide who is the winner of the debate..
Once the discussions are over, the students should share the results of their discussion with the rest of the class..
As seen, collaborative learning is one of the most useful tools in the arsenal of teachers and educators. In this section of the article we will see several ways to promote this learning style in the classroom.
For collaborative learning to emerge, it is necessary to establish group goals, and divide the work necessary to achieve them among the students.
With few exceptions, it is better to divide students into groups of 4 or 5. Smaller groups may be too limited, in the sense that different opinions will not always emerge; and larger groups can be too chaotic to produce good results.
One of the most important variables when establishing collaborative learning is safe and effective communication.
To achieve this, students have to feel comfortable expressing their ideas and opinions. This can also improve relationships within the classroom, in addition to the self-esteem of each of the students..
A good idea to see if the collaborative learning task has been successful is to measure the knowledge on the subject to be covered before and after it occurs.
To do this, taking a short test before and after the task will allow you to know if the students have really learned more thanks to group work.
Experts believe that working on projects through discussion, argumentation, and open-ended questions is one of the best ways to encourage learning.
To make this type of task much more stimulating, it is best to raise debates related to current issues, which really concern students.
In this way, students will be able to work on their own communication skills, while learning more about the world around them..
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