Peer

CollaborationActive Learning in the

Traditional Classroom & Beyond

Interest Points Student Affairs Administrator

Student Development

Leadership

Career

Conversation as Learning

How?

When?

Why?

Inquiry QuestionsWhat is the value of collaborative learning in the classroom?

What methods are used in the classroom?

Does research support these activities’ effectiveness?

What are the criticism/drawbacks?

How can these methods be applied outside of traditional

classrooms?

Early Research Vygotsky (1978)

Social Development Theory

Social interaction plays a role in cognitive development

“More Knowledgeable Other

“Zone of Proximal Development”

Gap is where learning actually occurs

Early research focused on trying to figure if and when collaborative learning is more effective than individual learning

Newer research focuses on on the interactions themselves

Definitions Collaborative Learning –

learning occurs through natural social interactions where the participants interact with one another (Gerlach1994)

Active learning –type of teaching that focuses on the responsibility of learning on learners. It involves students directly and actively

KISSES:Example of rules

that promote collaborative,

active learning

Image source: http://www.tammypayton.net/courses/collab/what.shtml

Focus on Conversation All learning is based on conversation

From infancy to adulthood – learning occurs through

interaction with others

“Education initiates us into conversation, and by

virtue of that conversation initiates us into thought” -

Bruffee

Learning communities

Bruffee (1999) – students learn through their

interactions within learning communities

Ladson-Billings (1995) – need to develop a common

language to promote learning

Support for Collaboration Bruffee – Discussion can spark discussion and increase

exposure to new ideas and concepts

Svinicki&McKeachie – “student teaching other students” is the best concrete answer to “what is the most effective method of teaching”

Miller &Groccia – cooperative learning promotes an increase in the ability to work with others

Promotes cognitive development

“To teach is to learn twice….”

-Joseph Joubert, French Moralist & Essayist

Examples of Collaboration in

the Classroom

Student-led discussion groups

Peer teaching / tutoring

Team-based learning assignments

Syndicates

Considerations How do we form groups for group work?

How do you determine the best method of peer

collaboration for specific learning tasks?

How do we assess individual learning within the

group?

If/When is individual learning better?

Application Outside of the

Traditional Classroom How can this be applied outside of the classroom?

By nature, extracurricular activities typically occur in group settings…..

Student Organizations

Seminars

Workshops

University Events (MLK Day, Homecoming, etc.)

Promotes….

teamwork skills

process-oriented design

leadership techniques

References Bruffee, K. A. (1999). Collaboration, conversation, and reacculturation. In

Collaborative learning: Higher education, interdependence, and the authority of knowledge (pp. 3-20). Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins Press.

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.

Ladson-Billings, G. (1995). Toward a theory of culturally relevant pedagogy. American Educational Research Journal, 32(3), 465-491.

Miller, J. E., &Groccia, J. E. (1997). Are four heads better than one? A comparison of cooperative and traditional teaching formats in an introductory biology course. Innovative Higher Education, 21, 253-273.

Svinicki, Marilla, &McKeachie, Wilbert. (2010). Mckeachie's teaching tips. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Pub Co.

Vygotsky, L.S. (1978). Mind and society: The development of higher mental processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.