COLLABORATIVE VERSUS COOPERATIVE LEARNING- A
COMPARISON OF THE TWO CONCEPTS WHICH WILL HELP US UNDERSTAND THE UNDERLYING
NATURE OF INTERACTIVE LEARNING
By Ted Panitz
I have been searching for many years for the Holy
Grail of interactive learning, a distinction between collaborative and
cooperative learning definitions. I am getting closer to my elusive goal all
the time. I believe confusion arises when people look at processes associated
with each concept and see a certain amount of overlap or inter-concept usage. I
will clarify the definitions of collaborative and cooperative learning first by
presenting my definitions of the two terms and reviewing those of other authors
who have helped clarify my thinking and second by presenting and analyzing the educational
benefits of collaborative/cooperative learning techniques.
The underlying premise for collaborative and
cooperative learning is founded in constructivist epistemology. Johnson,
Johnson & Smith (1991) have summarized these principles in their definition
of a new paradigm of teaching. " First, knowledge is constructed,
discovered, and transformed by students. Faculty create the conditions within
which students can construct meaning from the material studied by processing it
through existing cognitive structures and then retaining it in long-term memory
where it remains open to further processing and possible reconstruction.
Second, students actively construct their own knowledge. Learning is conceived
of as something a learner does, not something that is done to the learner.
Students do not passively accept knowledge from the teacher or curriculum.
Students activate their existing cognitive structures or construct new ones to
subsume the new input. Third, faculty effort is aimed at developing students'
competencies and talents. Fourth, education is a personal transaction among
students and between the faculty and students as they work together. Fifth, all
of the above can only take place within a cooperative context. Sixth, teaching
is assumed to be a complex application of theory and research that requires
considerable teacher training and continuous refinement of skills and
procedures" (p1:6)
The following will serve as a starting point for this
discussion. A basic definition of the terms collaborative and cooperative,
reduced to their simplest terms, is presented:
Collaboration is a philosophy of interaction and
personal lifestyle where individuals are responsible for their actions,
including learning and respect the abilities and contributions of their peers;
Cooperation is a structure of interaction designed to
facilitate the accomplishment of a specific end product or goal through people
working together in groups.
Before we proceed with the theoretical underpinning of
each method it would be helpful to describe the differences between
the two paradigms in terms of an actual class.
the two paradigms in terms of an actual class.
In the cooperative model the
teacher maintains complete control of the class, even though the students work
in groups to accomplish a goal of a course. The cooperative teacher asks a
specific question such as, “What were the five causes of the start of
World War II?” The teacher provides additional articles for the students
to read and analyze, beyond the text, and then asks the students to work in
groups to answer the question. The groups then present their results to the
whole class and discuss their reasoning. A follow up question may then be posed
to the groups to analyze the United Nations to determine if this has been an
effective organization to prevent world wars and to make recommendations on
possible changes needed to make the UN more effective. The teacher might use
specific structures, such as a Jig Saw model, to help facilitate the group
interactions. He/she might require a specific product such as a term paper or
report, class presentations, and an exam at the end of the topic. The students
do the work necessary to consider the material being covered but the teacher
maintains control of the process at each stage.
In the collaborative model groups
would assume almost total responsibility for answering the question. The
students determine if they had enough information to answer the question. If
not they identify other sources, such as journals, books, videos, the internet,
to name a few. The work of obtaining the extra source material would be
distributed among the group members by the group members. The group would
decide how many reasons they could identify. The collaborative teacher would
not specify a number, but would assess the progress of each group and provide
suggestions about each group’s approach and the data generated. It might also
occur to the students to list the reasons in order of priority. The teacher
would be available for consultations and would facilitate the process by asking
for frequent progress reports from the groups, facilitate group discussions
about group dynamics, help with conflict resolution, etc. The final product is
determined by each group, after consultation with the teacher. The means of
assessment of the group’s performance would also be negotiated by each group
with the teacher. Some groups might decide to analyze the UN, as the
cooperative group was directed to do, or they might try to come up with a
completely new organization. They might go back through history to determine
how other periods of peace were created. The process is very open ended while
it maintains a focus on the overall goal. The students develop a very strong
ownership for the process and respond very positively to the fact that they are
given almost complete responsibility to deal with the problem posed to them and
they have significant input into their assessment.
The underlying premise for
both collaborative and cooperative learning is founded in constructivist
theory. Knowledge is discovered by students and transformed into concepts
students can relate to. It is then reconstructed and expanded through new
learning experiences. Learning consists of active participation by the student
versus passive acceptance of information presented by an expert lecturer.
Learning comes about through transactions and dialogue among students and
between faculty and students, in a social setting. Students learn to understand
and appreciate different perspectives through a dialogue with their peers. A
dialogue with the teacher helps students learn the vocabulary and social
structures which govern the groups students wish to join, such as historian,
mathematician, writer, actor, etc.
Ken Bruffee (1995) identifies two causes for the
differences between the two approaches. He states: "First, collaborative
and cooperative learning were developed originally for educating people of
different ages, experience and levels of mastery of the craft of
interdependence. Second, when using one method or the other method, teachers
tend to make different assumptions about the nature and authority of
knowledge." (p12) These different assumptions will be explored throughout
the paper. The age or education levels as a distinction have become blurred
over time as practitioners at all levels mix the two approaches. However, what
determines which approach is used does depend upon the sophistication level of
the students involved, with collaborative requiring more advanced student
preparation working in groups. Other determining factors are the philosophy and
preparation of the teacher.
Brufee sees education as a reacculturation process
through constructive conversation. Students learn about the culture of the
society they wish to join by developing the appropriate vocabulary of that
society and by exploring that society's culture and norms (i.e. that of
mathematician, historian, journalist, etc.). Brufee identifies two types of
knowledge as a basis for choosing an approach. Foundational knowledge is the
basic knowledge represented by socially justified beliefs we all agree on.
Correct spelling and grammar, mathematics procedures, history facts, a
knowledge of the contents of the constitution, etc., would represent types of
foundational knowledge. Brufee contends that these are best learned using
cooperative learning structures in the early grades. He states: "The main
purpose of primary school education is to help children renegotiate their
membership in the local culture of family life and help them join some of the
established knowledge communities available to them and encompassing the
culture we hold in common. An important purpose of college or university
education is to help adolescents and adults join some more of the established
knowledge communities available to them. But another, and perhaps more
important pirpose of college or university education is to help students
renogotiate their membership in the encompassing common culture that until then
has circumscribed their lives." (p15)
Brufee defines nonfoundational knowledge as that which
is derived through reasoning and questioning versus rote memory. He writes:
"It is more likely to address questions with dubious or ambiguous answers,
answers that require well-developed judgment to arrive at, judgment that learning
to answer such a question tends, in turn, to devlop." (p15) The other way
in which nonfoundational education differs from foundational is that it
encourages students not to take their teacher's authority for granted. Students
should doubt answers and methods for arriving at answers provided by their
professors, and perhaps more importantly they need to be helped to come to
terms with their doubts by participating actively in the learning and inquiry
process. Out of this process knew knowledge is often created, something not
likely to occur when dealing with the facts and information associated with
foundational knowledge. Collaborative learning shifts the responsibility for
learning away from the teacher as expert to the student, and perhaps teacher,
as learner. Brufee sees the two approaches as somewhat linear with
collaborative learning being designed to pick up where cooperative learning
leaves off. In effect, students learn basic information and processes for
interacting socially in the primary grades and then extend their critical
thinking and reasoning skills and understanding of social interactions as they
become more involved and take control of the learning process through
collaborative activities. This writer believes that the transition is better
viewed as a continuim from a closely controlled, teacher-centered system to a
student-centered system where the teacher and students share authority and
control of learning.
Collaborative learning (CL) is a personal philosophy,
not just a classroom technique. In all situations where people come together in
groups, it suggests a way of dealing with people which respects and highlights
individual group members' abilities and contributions. There is a sharing of
authority and acceptance of responsibility among group members for the groups
actions. The underlying premise of collaborative learning is based upon
consensus building through cooperation by group members, in contrast to
competition in which individuals best other group members. CL practitioners
apply this philosophy in the classroom, at committee meetings, with community
groups, within their families and generally as a way of living with and dealing
with other people.
Cooperative learning is defined by a set of processes
which help people interact together in order to accomplish a specific goal or
develop an end product which is usually content specific. It is more directive
than a collaborative system of governance and closely controlled by the
teacher. While there are many mechanisms for group analysis and introspection
the fundamental approach is teacher centered whereas collaborative learning is
more student centered.
Spencer Kagan (1989) provides an excellent definition
of cooperative learning by looking at general structures which can be applied
to any situation. His definition provides an umbrella for the work cooperative
learning specialists including the Johnsons, Slavin, Cooper, Graves and Graves,
Millis, etc. It follows: "The structural approach to cooperative learning
is based on the creation, analysis and systematic application of structures, or
content-free ways of organizing social interaction in the classroom. Structures
usually involve a series of steps, with proscribed behavior at each step. An
important cornerstone of the approach is the distinction between
"structures" and "activities". To illustrate, teachers can
design many excellent cooperative activities, such as making a team mural or a
quilt. Such activities almost always have a specific content-bound objective and
thus cannot be used to deliver a range of academic content. Structures may be
used repeatedly with almost any subject matter, at a wide range of grade levels
and at various points in a lesson plan."
John Myers points out that the dictionary definitions
of "collaboration", derived from its Latin root, focus on the process
of working together; the root word for "cooperation" stresses the
product of such work. Co-operative learning has largely American roots from the
philosophical writings of John Dewey stressing the social nature of learning
and the work on group dynamics by Kurt Lewin. Collaborative learning has
British roots, based on the work of English teachers exploring ways to help
students respond to literature by taking a more active role in their own
learning. The cooperative learning tradition tends to use quantitative methods
which look at achievement: i.e., the product of learning. The collaborative
tradition takes a more qualitative approach, analyzing student talk in response
to a piece of literature or a primary source in history. Myers points out some
differences between the two concepts: "Supporters of co-operative learning
tend to be more teacher-centered, for example when forming heterogeneous
groups, structuring positive inter-dependence, and teaching co-operative
skills. Collaborative learning advocates distrust structure and allow students
more say if forming friendship and interest groups. Student talk is stressed as
a means for working things out. Discovery and contextual approaches are used to
teach interpersonal skills. Such differences can lead to disagreements.... I
contend the dispute is not about research, but more about the morality of what
should happen in the schools. Beliefs as to what should happen in the schools
can be viewed as a continuum of orientations toward curriculum from
"transmission" to "transaction" to
"transmission". At one end is the transmission position. As the name
suggests, the aim of this orientation is to transmit knowledge to students in
the form of facts, skills and values. The transformation position at the other
end of the continuum stresses personal and social change in which the person is
said to be interrelated with the environment rather than having control over
it. The aim of this orientation is self-actualization, personal or
organizational change."
Rocky Rockwood describes the differences by
acknowledging the parallels they both have in that they both use groups, both
assign specific tasks, and both have the groups share and compare their
procedures and conclusions in plenary class sessions. The major difference lies
in the fact that cooperative deals exclusively with traditional (canonical)
knowledge while collaborative ties into the social constructivist movement,
asserting that both knowledge and authority of knowledge have changed
dramatically in the last century. Rockwood states: "In the ideal
collaborative environment, the authority for testing and determining the
appropriateness of the group product rests with, first, the small group,
second, the plenary group (the whole class) and finally (but always understood
to be subject to challenge and revision) the requisite knowledge community
(i.e. the discipline: geography, history, biology etc.) The concept of
non-foundational knowledge challenges not only the product acquired, but also
the process employed in the acquisition of foundational knowledge. Most
importantly, in cooperative, the authority remains with the instructor, who
retains ownership of the task, which involves either a closed or a closable
(that is to say foundational) problem ( the instructor knows or can predict the
answer). In collaborative, the instructor--once the task is set-- transfers all
authority to the group. In the ideal, the group's task is always open ended.
Seen from this perspective, cooperative does not empower students. It employs
them to serve the instructor's ends and produces a "right" or
acceptable answer. Collaborative does truly empower and braves all the risks of
empowerment (for example, having the group or class agree to an embarrassingly
simplistic or unconvincing position or produce a solution in conflict with the
instructor's). Every person, Brufee (1995) holds, belongs to several
"interpretative or knowledge communities" that share vocabularies,
points of view, histories, values, conventions and interests. The job of the
instructor is to help students learn to negotiate the boundaries between the
communities they already belong to and the community represented by the
teacher's academic discipline, which the students want to join. Every knowledge
community has a core of foundational knowledge that its members consider as
given (but not necessarily absolute). To function independently within a
knowledge community, the fledgling scholar must master enough material to
become conversant with the community." Rockwood concludes: "In my
teaching experience, cooperative represents the best means to approach mastery
of foundational knowledge. Once students become reasonably conversant, they are
ready for collaborative, ready to discuss and assess,...."
Myers suggests use of the "transaction"
orientation as a compromise between taking hard positions advocating either
methodology. "This orientation views education as a dialogue between the
student and the curriculum. Students are viewed as problem solvers. Problem
solving and inquiry approaches stressing cognitive skills and the ideas of
Vygotsky, Piaget, Kohlberg and Bruner are linked to transaction. This
perspective views teaching as a "conversation" in which teachers and
students learn together through a process of negotiation with the curriculum to
develop a shared view of the world."
Brody and Davidson (1998) look at the differences
between the two paradigms epistomologicly. In the early1970s some educators
were formulating methods based upon studies of human social interaction and
group learning. These studies lead to cooperative learning strategies based
upon social interdependence theory, cognitive-developmental theory and the
behavioral learning theory. Another group of educators based their framework
for group work on theories derived from studies about the social nature of
human knowledge. The different roots of constructivism formed the basis of
collaborative learning.
Johnson, Johnson, and Smith (1998) clarify the
differences between the cooperative learning strategies. "Social
interdependence theory assumes that cooperative efforts are based on intrinsic
motivation generated by interpersonal factors and a joint aspiration to achieve
a significant goal. Behavioral learning theory assumes that cooperative efforts
are powered by extrinsic motivation to achieve rewards. Social interdependence
theory focuses on relational concepts dealing with what happens among
individuals (for example cooperation is something that exists only among individuals
not within them), whereas the cognitive-development perspective focuses on what
happens within a single person (for example, the disequilibrium, cognitive
reorganization). The differences across these theoretical assumptions have yet
to be fully explored or solved." (p29)
Brody and Davidson (1998) identify a series of
questions for teaching and learning in the classroom which help distinguish
between the approaches. (p8)
"Questions teachers ask from the cooperative
learning perspective
1. How do we teach social skills?
2. How can we develop self-esteem, responsibility, and
respect for others?
3. How does social status effect learning in small
groups?
4. How do you promote problem solving and manage
conflict?
5. Are extrinsic or intrinsic rewards more effective?
6. How can we prove that cooperative learning
increases academic achievement?
7. How do we teach children to take on various roles?
8. How do we structure cooperative activities?
Questions teachers ask from a collaborative perspective
1. What is the purpose of the activity?
2. What is the importance of talk in learning?
3. To what extant is getting off topic a valuable
learning experience?
4. How can we empower children to become autonomous
learners?
5. What is the difference between using language to
learn and learning to use language?
6. How can we negotiate relevant learning experiences
with children?
7. How do we interact with students in such a way that
we ask only real questions rather than those for which we already know the
answers?
8. How can we use our awareness of the social nature
of learning to create effective small group learning environments?"
Johnson, Johnson & Holubec (1991) have established
a definition of cooperative learning which identifies five basic elements
necessary for a procedure to be considered cooperative. They also define
structures and evaluation procedures within which any content may be taught,
rather than defining procedures based upon specific curriculum. They have
developed an extensive set of worksheets for teachers and students to use in
establishing the five elements. The Johnson's five items are as follows.
"Positive
Interdependence- Students perceive that
they need each other to complete the group's task
("sink or swim together"). Teachers may structure
positive interdependence by establishing mutual
goals (learn and make sure all other group members
learn), joint rewards (if all group members achieve
above criteria, each will receive bonus points),
shared resources (one paper for each group or each
member receives part of the information), and
assigned roles (summarizer, encourager of
participation, recorder, time keeper etc.).
Face-to- Face Promotive Interaction- Students
promote each other's learning by helping, sharing,
and encouraging efforts to learn. Students explain,
discuss, and teach what they know to classmates.
Teachers structure the groups so that students sit
knee to knee and talk through each aspect of the
assignment.
they need each other to complete the group's task
("sink or swim together"). Teachers may structure
positive interdependence by establishing mutual
goals (learn and make sure all other group members
learn), joint rewards (if all group members achieve
above criteria, each will receive bonus points),
shared resources (one paper for each group or each
member receives part of the information), and
assigned roles (summarizer, encourager of
participation, recorder, time keeper etc.).
Face-to- Face Promotive Interaction- Students
promote each other's learning by helping, sharing,
and encouraging efforts to learn. Students explain,
discuss, and teach what they know to classmates.
Teachers structure the groups so that students sit
knee to knee and talk through each aspect of the
assignment.
Individual
Accountability- Each student's performance
is frequently assessed and the results are given to the
group and the individual. Teachers may structure
individual accountability by giving an individual test
to each student or randomly selecting one member
of the group to give the answer.
is frequently assessed and the results are given to the
group and the individual. Teachers may structure
individual accountability by giving an individual test
to each student or randomly selecting one member
of the group to give the answer.
Interpersonal
And Small group Skills- Groups cannot
function effectively if students do not have and use the
needed social skills. Teachers teach these skills as
purposefully and precisely as academic skills. Collaborative
skills include leadership, decision making, trust building,
communication, and conflict-management skills.
function effectively if students do not have and use the
needed social skills. Teachers teach these skills as
purposefully and precisely as academic skills. Collaborative
skills include leadership, decision making, trust building,
communication, and conflict-management skills.
Group
Processing- Groups need specific time to discuss
how well they are achieving their goals and maintaining
effective working relationships among members. Teachers
structure group processing by assigning such tasks as
(a) list at least three member actions which helped the group
be successful and (b) list one action that could be added to
make the group more successful tomorrow. Teachers also
monitor the groups and give feedback on how well the
groups are working together and the class as a whole. (p1:33)
how well they are achieving their goals and maintaining
effective working relationships among members. Teachers
structure group processing by assigning such tasks as
(a) list at least three member actions which helped the group
be successful and (b) list one action that could be added to
make the group more successful tomorrow. Teachers also
monitor the groups and give feedback on how well the
groups are working together and the class as a whole. (p1:33)
The National Council of Teachers of Math (NCTM) has a
similar definition as presented by Alice Artzt and Claire Newman (1990) in
their book "How to use cooperative learning in a math class.
"Cooperative learning involves a small group of learners, who work
together as a team to solve a problem, complete a task, or accomplish a common
goal. There are many different cooperative learning techniques; however, all of
them have certain elements in common. These elements are the ingredients
necessary to insure that when students do work in groups, they work
cooperatively. First, the members of a group muct perceive that they are part
of a team and that they all have a common goal. Second, group members must
realize that the problem they are to solve is a group problem and that the
success or failure of the group will be shared by all members of the group.
Third, to accomplish the group's goal, all students must talk with one another-
to engage in discussion of all problems. Finally, it must be clear to all that
each member's individual work has a direct effect on the group's success.
Teamwork is of utmost importance."
Many of the elements of cooperative learning may be
used in collaborative situations. For example students work in pairs together
in a Think-Pair-Share procedure, where students consider a question individually, discuss their
ideas with another student to form a consensus answer, and then share their
results with the entire class. The use of pairs can be introduced at any time
during a class to address questions or solve problems or to create variety in a
class presentation. The Jig Saw method (Aronson 1978) is a good example. Students become
"experts" on a concept and are responsible for teaching it to the
other group members. Groups subdivide a topic and members work together with
those from other groups who have the same topic. They then return to their
original groups and explain their topic. Slavin developed the STAD method (Student Teams-Achievement-Divisions) where the teacher presents a lesson, and then the students meet in teams
of four or five members to complete a set of worksheets on the lesson. Each
student then takes a quiz on the material, and the scores the students
contribute to their teams are beased upon the degree to which they have
improved their individual past averages. The highest scoring teams are
recognized in a weekly class newsletter. In another method developed by Slavin-
TGT
(Teams-Games-Tournaments) instead of taking quizzes the
students play academic games as representatives of their teams. They compete
with students having similar achievement levels and coach each other prior to
the games to insure all group members are competent in the subject matter.
Other structures include: Co-op,
Co-op (Kagan), CIRC- Cooperative Integrated Reading and Comparison (Madden, Slavin, Stevens), Group Investigation (Sharan, Aharan), Issues Controversy, Learning Together (Johnson, Johnson), Jigsaw II (Slavin), TAI-Team
Assisted Individualization (Slavin, Leavy, Madden), Structured Controversy (Johnson, Johnson).
OPTIONS IN COOPERATIVE LEARNING (Lee 1997)
There are many ways that cooperative learning can be implemented. An educator's philosophy plays a key role in determining how cooperative learning is used. The table below displays a number of issues in education. Following the table, implications of various choices are discussed. Please bear in mind that the choices in the table are not either-or choices. Instead, they represent continua, and the views of educators lie at many different points along these continua. Further, a given educator's views are affected by the students the are currently teaching.
There are many ways that cooperative learning can be implemented. An educator's philosophy plays a key role in determining how cooperative learning is used. The table below displays a number of issues in education. Following the table, implications of various choices are discussed. Please bear in mind that the choices in the table are not either-or choices. Instead, they represent continua, and the views of educators lie at many different points along these continua. Further, a given educator's views are affected by the students the are currently teaching.
1. student-centered--------------------------teacher-centered
2. intrinsic motivation---------------- extrinsic
motivation
3. knowledge construction-------------knowledge
transmission
4. loose, trusting students to do-----------
structured,
it right social engineering
Issue 1. Student centered -- Teacher-centered
The issue here is the role of students in shaping the
classroom. Student-centered, also called learner-centered, means that students
provide input into what the class does and how it does it. This includes
decisions about what to study, how to study it (e.g., by reading, field trips,
discussion, lecture), choice of group mates, how often to use groups, which
group activities to do, how assessment is conducted, and what rewards and
punishments - if any - are given.
In a teacher-centered situation the above decisions
are made exclusively by the teacher. Teachers are the bosses, leaders, and
creators, while students are the employees, followers, and users. The what and
how of learning are preplanned by the teacher. When students are in groups,
they are studying material chosen by the teacher. The teacher decides who is in
which group, gives groups time limits for finishing their tasks, and does all
the assessment.
Issue 2. Intrinsic motivation - Extrinsic motivation
The issue here is how students become motivated to learn and cooperate.
Intrinsic motivation comes from within students. For example, they want to
learn for the joy of learning, because they are very interested in the topic,
or to improve themselves. Helping other students flows from the desire to be
altruistic and the enjoyment of collective effort. Students learn together
without the use of grades, team award certificates, and other rewards or
punishments to encourage them.
On the other hand, extrinsic motivation comes from
outside the students. For example, they learn in order to receive praise,
grades or other rewards from teachers, parents, classmates, and others. They
may not help one another learn if there are no outside incentives. When rewards
or threats of punishment are not there, students may be less eager to learn and
to help one another.
Issue 3. Knowledge construction - Knowledge
transmission
This issue involves the process by which students
learn. Knowledge construction, a concept from cognitive psychology, is the idea
that learners construct their own networks of knowledge by connecting new
information with their past knowledge and interests. Each person is different;
we each will come away from the same lesson with different constructions of the
ideas presented. Teachers can facilitate this construction work, but the key is
what happens in each individual's mind. The use of open-ended questions is
consistent with knowledge construction. In this view, collaborative interaction
in groups provides students with many opportunities to build and try out their
developing knowledge.
Knowledge transmission, a concept from behaviorist
psychology, sees knowledge flowing directly from the teacher to the student,
just like the teacher is pouring knowledge into the students' heads. What the
teacher teaches should go into each learner's head without being filtered by
what is already there. Close-ended questions tend to predominate in this type
of instruction. The main role of groups from this perspective is to make sure
group members master the material transmitted by the teacher.
Issue 4. Loose -- Structured
This issue
refers to the extent which teachers believe groups of students will work
together well without teacher intervention. Teachers may start by using more
structure and as students become familiar with the group process and proficient
at working together they eventually, may be looser about structuring group
activities and teaching collaborative skills in order to encourage effective
group interaction. On the other hand, other teachers feel that they need to be
like social engineers, structuring group interaction, or else students will not
reap the benefits of working together. The issues discussed above are also
heard when some people contrast the terms "collaborative learning"
and "cooperative learning". At the same time, it should be pointed
out that other educators use the two terms interchangeably.
Collaborative Learning (Orr 1997)
Frequently, when students or teachers hear the phrase
collaborative learning, they automatically assume a work group context, harken
back to their own unpleasant experiences with work or study groups, and dismiss
the notion of collaboration as an unworkable approach that attempts to transfer
the burden of teaching from teacher to student. Such anxiety is worth noting
because it represents an acute misunderstanding of what has become a most
viable approach to teaching and learning.
Collaborative learning is based upon the following
principles:
1. Working together results in a greater understanding
than would likely have occurred if one had worked independently.
2. Spoken and written interactions contribute to this
increased understanding.
3. Opportunity exists to become aware, through
classroom experiences,of relationships between social interactions and
increasedunderstanding.
4. Some elements of this increased understanding are
idiosyncratic and unpredictable.
5. Participation is voluntary and must be freely
entered into.
Cooperative Learning is very similar except that it
introduces a more structured setting with the teacher in total control of the
learning environment. Interactive learning relies on the application of
computer technology as the collaborative medium between student and teacher.
But all three learning approaches recognize that learning is indeed a two-way
street with teaching and learning being two components of the same educational
system. The approaches diverge in the amount of freedom allowed the
participants; collaborative learning strategies are the most open.
In my classes, I view student-teacher and
student-student collaboration as essential to successful learning. Thus, I will
seek every opportunity to encourage collaborative experiences. This does not
imply that there will be no traditional lecture formats. Some lecturing is
necessary either to clarify complex informational ideas or to present material
not readily available. But students will experience a variety of instructional
methods and they will be actively involved in the learning experience
REFERENCES
Artzt, A.F., Newman, C.M., (1990) How To Use Cooperative learning in
the Mathematics Class, National Council of Teachers of mathematics: Reston,
VA
Brody, C.M., (1995), "Collaboration or
cooperative learning? Complimentary practices for instructional reform", The Journal of Staff, Program &
Organizational Development v12, n3, Winter 1995, p133-143
Brody, C.M., & Davidson, N., (1998),
"Introduction: Professional development and Cooperative learning" in
Brody and Davidson (Eds.), Professional Development for Cooperative Learning- Issues and Approaches, State University of NY Press; Albany NY
Bruffee, K., (1995), "Sharing our toys-
Cooperative learning versus collaborative learning". Change, Jan/Feb, 1995
pp12-18
Johnson, D.W., Johnson, R.T., Holubec, E.J., Cooperation in The Classroom, (1991), Interaction Book Co: Edina, MN
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