Module 4 Cognitive/Collaborative Strategies for DL

Section 3: Collaborative Strategies for Distance Learning Collaborative/Cooperative Strategy Collaboration/Cooperation in Learning: Defining Terms The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines collaboration as working jointly with others or together especially in an intellectual endeavor, in this case a learning endeavor. Collaborative learning refers to methodologies and environments in which learners engage in a common task and each individual depends on and is accountable to each other. In a collaborative learning environment, groups of students work together in searching for understanding, meaning or solutions or in creating an artifact of their learning such as a product. (Wikipedia) Cooperative learning is process-driven. Those involved in cooperative learning engage in a social process and have to pay attention to that process in order for them to achieve their desired end point. Cooperative learning usually involves people working in groups (i.e., at least two people are involved, usually more). There may be group 'products' towards which the learners are working; cooperative learning can give rise to 'products' which are not easily achievable by people learning on their own. And there may be individual 'products' which are achieved through the people in the group helping each other deal with their own individual learning concerns. Because cooperative learning has a large social dimension to it, it is usually enjoyable and developmental: it gives rise to outcomes which are not usually considered academic, such as increased competence in working with others, self-assurance, personal insight and so on, as well as academic outcomes. (McConnell, 1994) *McConnell, D. (1994). What is Cooperative Learning, in Implementing Computer Supported Cooperative Learning? Kogan Page Limited: London. More illustration about collaborative learning: Assumptions of Collaborative/Cooperative Learning (Matthews at al.,1995) Learning in an active mode is more effective than passively receiving information. The teacher is a facilitator, coach, or midwife rather than a "sage on the stage." Teaching and learning are shared experiences between teacher and students. Balancing lecture and small-group activities is an important part of a teacher's role. Participating in small-group activities develops higher-order thinking skills and enhances individual abilities to use knowledge. Accepting responsibility for learning as an individual and as a member of a group enhances intellectual development. Articulating one's ideas in a small-group setting enhances a student's ability to reflect on his or her own assumptions and thought processes. Developing social and team skills through the give-and-take of consensus-building is a fundamental part of a liberal education. Belonging to a small and supportive academic community increases student success and retention. Appreciating (or at least acknowledging the value of) diversity is essential for the survival of a multicultural democracy. *Matthews, Roberta; Cooper, James; & Davidson, Neil, (1995). Building Bridges Between Cooperative and Collaborative Learning, Change, 7, 34-40. Collaborative vs. Cooperative Learning Traditions The collaborative learning tradition: Promotes a great deal of self-governance and accountability by individuals. Turns debate back to the group for decision-making. Uses recorders and facilitators rather than authoritative leaders. Evaluates on the basis of individual contributions. Promotes competition between groups, and foments questioning assumptions as well as authority. Is most effective where conditional knowledge is involved rather than issues of general acceptance and agreement; that is, for knowledge that depends on a more explicit set of conditions, such as at the edges of a debate, where the lack of consensus about underlying assumptions or their relative weights (the conditions) leads to an array of interpretations. The cooperative learning tradition: Promotes social integration and actively organizes dynamics within the group. Makes the group accountable for collective learning. Places the center of authority with the instructor. Is most effective for basic knowledge where clear definitions or agreement exist. Depends on hierarchical authority and discourages dissent and competition. More illustration between collaborative vs. cooperative learning: Psychological Needs for Collaborative Learning Recall a learning experience you had in the past that was exceptionally meaningful to you. Jot down the name of instruction and three phrases describing why this experience was so memorable. Your name: Name of instruction: Memorable reasons: From the perspective of control theory, people have basic psychological needs while learning and they learn better when the needs are satisfied. The psychological needs are: Belonging - needs to belong to a learning community Power - more knowledge more power (technologically, cognitively) Freedom - control over learning interface (self-paced, multiple paths, options for assignment) Fun - success experience, variety of activity, competition Guidelines for Collaborative/Cooperative Learning Provide positive interdependence (sink or swim together) among learners during learning by establishing the following factors: Group identity Assignment roles & responsibilities Shared responsibilities Personal communications Frequent assessment Friendly competition Group reward Instructor should have individual accountability through: Monitoring student work Creating observer reports Random checking Intervening learning if necessary Conducting individual assessment As emphasized in previous learning module, instructors should posit face to face, eye to eye, knee to knee perspectives in designing learning by including: Onsite convene Synchronic exercises Create proximity with instructor Profile data base Techniques of Collaborative/Cooperative Learning for Distance Learning* Peer Interview Peer interviews can be used as an ice breaker for team members to get to know one another or can be used to get to know concepts in depth, by assigning roles to students. Instructor assigns roles or students can "play" themselves. Instructor may also give interview questions or information that should be "found." A interviews B for the specified number of minutes through online chatting, listening attentively and asking probing questions. At a signal, students reverse roles and B interviews A online for the same number of minutes. At another round, each pair turns to another pair, forming a group of four. Each member of the group introduces his or her partner, highlighting the most interesting points. Roundtable Session Roundtable session can be used to brainstorm ideas and to generate a large number of responses to a single question or a group of questions during a synchronous chat session. Instructor poses question. First student writes one response and posts the message. Second student writes response and post it again. Continues around group until time elapses. Students may write "pass" at any time. Group stops when time is called. The key here is the question or the problem you've asked the students to consider. It has to be one that has the potential for a number of different "right" answers. Relate the question to the course unit, but keep it simple so every student can have some input. Once time is called, determine what you want to have the students do with the lists...they may want to discuss the multitude of answers or solutions or they may want to share the lists with the entire class. Timed Answer Ask students to post comments on the following questions. Give them a limited time to answer the questions. This activity focuses them on the content and can also provide feedback to you as a teacher. What was the most important or useful thing you learned today? What two important questions do you still have; what remains unclear? What would you like to know more about? You can use this time answer method to check the understanding from the students at the end of a session, begin the next day's discussion, or facilitate discussion within a group. Paired Review Students pair up to review/learn same article, chapter or content area and exchange double-entry journals (see below) for reading and reflection. Students discuss key points and look for divergent and convergent thinking and ideas. Together students prepare a composite annotation that summarizes the article, chapter, or concept. Role Rotation for Group Learning When putting together groups, you may want to consider assigning (or having students select) their roles for the group during synchronous or asynchronous learning activities. Students may also rotate group roles depending on the activity. Potential group roles and their functions include: Leader - The leader is responsible for keeping the group on the assigned task at hand. S/he also makes sure that all members of the group have an opportunity to participate, learn and have the respect of their team members. The leader may also want to check to make sure that all of the group members have mastered the learning points of a group exercise. Recorder - The recorder picks and maintains the group files and folders on a daily basis and keeps records of all group activities including the material contributed by each group member. The recorder writes out the solutions to problems for the group to use as notes or to submit to the instructor. Reporter - The reporter gives responses to the class about the group's activities or conclusions. Monitor - The monitor is responsible for making sure that the group's work area is left the way it was found and acts as a timekeeper for timed activities. Wildcard (in groups of five) - The wildcard acts as an assistant to the group leader and assumes the role of any member that may be missing. Value Line One way to form heterogeneous groups, is to use a value line. Present an issue or topic to the group and ask each member to determine how they feel about the issue (could use a 1-10 scale; 1 being strong agreement, 10 being strong disagreement) using an online poll. Form a rank-ordered line and number the participants from 1 up (from strong agreement to strong disagreement, for example). Form your groups of four by pulling one person from each end of the value line and two people from the middle of the group (for example, if you had 20 people, one group might consist of persons 1, 10, 11, 20). Uncommon Commonalities Uncommon Commonalities can be used to foster a more cohesive group. Groups first list individual things about themselves that define them as people. Groups then discuss each item and find things that 1, 2, 3, or 4 of them have in common. When the group finds an item that all of them have in common, they list that item under 4; when they find something that 3 of them have in common, the list that item under 3, etc. Team Expectations Some of the common fears about working with groups include student fears that each member will not pull their weight as a part of the group. Students are scared that their grade will be lower as a result of the group learning vs. learning they do individually. One way to address this issue is to use a group activity to allow the group to outline acceptable group behavior. Put together a form and ask groups to first list behaviors (expectations) they expect from each individual, each pair and as a group as a whole. Groups then can use this as a way to monitor individual contributions to the group and as a way to evaluate group participation at the end of the course. Double Entry Journal The Double Entry Journal can be used as a way for students to take notes on articles and other resources they read in preparation for class discussion. Students read and reflect on the assigned reading(s). Students prepare the double entry journal, listing critical points of the readings (as they see them) and any responses to the readings, in general, or specific critical points. Students post their journal notes to class web page. During online session ask students read other students' journals to begin discussion, to do a paired annotation, or for other online group activity. Guided Reciprocal Peer Questioning The goal of this activity is to generate discussion among student groups about a specific topic or content area. Instructor conducts a brief online instruction on a topic or content area. Instructor may assign a reading or written assignment as well. Instructor then gives the students a set of generic question stems to be fully developed into varieties of questions. Students work individually to write their own questions based on the material being covered. Students do not have to be able to answer the questions they pose. This activity is designed to force students to think about ideas relevant to the content area. Students should use as many question stems as possible. Grouped into learning teams, each student offers a question for online discussion, using the different stems. Sample question stems: What is the main idea of...? What if...? How does...affect...? What is a new example of...? Explain why...? Explain how...? How does this relate to what I've learned before? What conclusions can I draw about...? What is the difference between... and...? How are...and...similar? How would I use...to...? What are the strengths and weaknesses of...? What is the best...and why? Social Skills Social skills are important to maintain interpersonal relationships and keep humor while participating in distance learning. Following strategies can be utilized for this purpose. Take time to teach social skills. Get to know and trust. Accept and support individual learner's differences and diversity. Communicate clearly. Avoid culture specific terms. Use global expressions if possible. Resolve conflict constructively. Use humours during online learning. Use symbolic graphics, animation, and proverbs to promote thought of the class. Thought of the class: Dare to learn! Use proper electronic emotions during communications such as: : ) : ( : o ; ) (^_^) *This part is adapted from http://www.gdrc.org/kmgmt/c-learn/methods.html for online learning. Learning Activity 2 As a training manager you have to develop a presentation skills class for the middle managers of your company. Explain what aspects of collaborative or cooperative instructional strategies are supportive of this class. Select one of the techniques list above (or from your own web search) that can facilitate learners' learning, along with its rationale. Give your answer in the discussion forum (Forum-Module 4, Topic-Collaborative Strategies) under the Discussions area of the class homepage. Also review three other students threads and reply them with any suggestions you might have. (2 points) In this section click on below submit button instead of using the right arrow of the floating menu to move to the next section.