Written By: P. V. Ananthalakshmi, Principal, Helikx Open School.
It is one of the skills needed for 21st century classroom. Combined or group study among the peer group helps to improve the learning and enhances the knowledge when work in groups. We might have noticed in our class some students need help in academics and teachers allot combined study to help them. When students work in groups it leads to better achievement, retention of learning and sharing, as well as increases self stimulus. It reduces the pressure of the student reduce and give more time for learners to work at their own pace. Collaborative learning improves critical thinking also.
Advantages:
Sharing an idea or solving a problem with one classmate or a group
Group brainstorming helps to gather ideas and writing all the ideas without noting evaluating or discarding any and helps to plan for the project.
Doing homework with peer helps stress free.
Doing project work as a team.
Learners are more engaged as a whole group, this leads to more sharing and learning.
More ideas are produced by a group than an individual.
Useful for resourceful tasks, such as writing or discussion.
Less threatening than speaking in front of the whole group.
Builds confidence and help to work freely.
Helps to communicate easily with the friends.
Give students time and opportunities within the activity to develop leadership, decision-making, trust-building, communication, and conflict-management skills.
Establish expectations and norms for working together.
Teach students active listening skills.
Disadvantages:
Some learners may be more eager than others to take part.
Learners may go off topic, especially if the task is long or they don’t fully understand it.
Learners may not be able to self-correct, and teachers need to be disciplined to be able to listen for/see and correct errors
It may be difficult for the teacher to monitor all the learners as several conversations will be happening simultaneously.
Learners with no previous experience of pair work or group work may be difficult to convince or reluctant to take part, as it might not fit with their ideas.
Focus on Strengthening and Stretching Expertise
The challenge of designing good collaborative activities is ensuring that all students, even those who struggle, play an important role.
Collaboration should not just strengthen students’ existing skills but ensure that their interactions stretch existing knowledge and expand one another’s expertise.
If, for example, a student is much stronger in one skill than her peers in her group, she can teach others and her grade can be contingent upon how much her peers learn.
In collaborative activities, we want to ensure that students don’t just occupy the same physical space but that they share an intellectual space—that they learn more, do more, and experience more together than they would alone.
As teachers, we can promote real collaboration by shifting our role from instructor to coach—promoting team autonomy, checking in on students and providing instant feedback, and helping them increasingly learn to work together productively to attain a common goal.
Reference:
Johnson, D.W., Johnson, R., & Holubec, E. (2008). Cooperation in the Classroom.
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