Education

Collaborative Learning as a Teaching Philosophy

There are many successful ways of teaching groups and individuals, and collaborative learning as a teaching philosophy attempts to address both. Collaborative learning is about choosing to work with a group to improve one’s knowledge of a particular subject or situation. Often instruction places students at various performance levels together to achieve a single goal. The idea is that they will succeed or fail together.

In a deeper approach, the success of collaborative learning as a teaching philosophy can be seen as a way to help poor performing students improve as they work side by side with high performing students. This form of instruction works well in the classroom, around small group projects. Once it moves into larger settings, it might be defined as cooperative learning.

The distinction between the two teaching philosophies is that collaborative learning is focused on the students’ achievements where cooperative learning is usually an educator designed environment that focuses on the interaction between teachers and students. The terms are sometimes interchangeable as teachers are certainly involved in the collaborative learning model, too.

Collaborative learning has four distinct characteristics. They are:
The shared knowledge among teachers and students
The shared authority in designing lesson plans, goals and assessing what it is learned
Teachers as mediators instead of the authority
Diverse groupings of students to mix various backgrounds, cultures and experiences to enhance the learning model.

A critical feature of the collaborative learning philosophy is that it lacks segregation. Children are not separated by ability, interests or achievements. They are grouped together so that they can learn from each others’ experiences and knowledge. This fosters a deeper understanding of different cultures, lifestyles, and insights. Often brighter students actually learn something from the average or poor student, so the learning environment is enriched on a number of levels. Life skills, people skills and public interaction become lessons that are learned and improved upon in a collaborative setting.

How to Make Team Learning Successful

Team learning can be very successful if it’s structured right. However, a poor lesson plan or lack of accountability for the individuals in the group can spell disaster. In order to get the full benefits of the team learning environment a few criteria need to be met.

The groups have to be properly formed and managed. Typically, the group should be no bigger than five to seven students. There also needs to be an even distribution of member characteristics. In other words, four high achieving students placed with one poor student will not foster a good learning environment or produce satisfactory results. Likely the poor performer will continue to under perform as the odd man out.

The students must be made individually accountable for preparing their individual components for the group project, devoting time and effort towards the group project, and by interacting in a positive way. Therefore, the individual components have to be the same for each student.

The team assignment has to promote good team learning and good team development. Some of the biggest complaints from team members are the presence of free riders and conflict within the group. The best way to avoid team conflict is to make assignments that promote team decision making in simple forms. Don’t make it too complex where poorer students will fall behind.

The overlying philosophy in team learning is about the collaboration. Academics are certainly key, but so are the life lessons that are learned when students are expected to work together and achieve together. Ultimately, the unique characteristics of each team member should bring assets to the project that will make it successful.

Teachers should stress commitment by the entire team and allow the students to exercise free will in completing the project. In this way, the students engage in a collaborative learning model that allows them to teach and learn from each other.

Filed Under: Team Building Tagged With: Collaborative learning, Education, Learning Theories, Learning Through Collaboration, Lesson plan, Methods and Theories, Project, Student

Best Ways to Learn

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Everyone learns differently. Or so we’re told. In fact, there are a few things that consistently seem to be the best ways to learn. We’ve all heard that some people learn best visually, some by doing, some by hearing, some by experiencing, and so forth. These are true, but the best scenarios may be a little broader than just one sense coming into play.

The most important factor in learning is that the student has to want to learn. When people want to learn something, they do. It may be sooner or it may be later, but they’ll eventually learn it if they really want to.

Learning by doing is definitely one of the best ways to learn. It’s about trial and error, practice, and making mistakes. Without even realizing it, small children learn like this every day.

All people learn through feedback. Humans love positive reinforcement, so if the feedback is good, people will make greater efforts to learn, and they’ll remember what they got right. Humans are a feeling species, so we have feelings about everything we do.

Finally, people need to be able to make sense of what they are learning. If it doesn’t have a clear process that can be digested, it won’t be learned. Our minds naturally sort out what is useful and build on that while discarding what isn’t necessary. Therefore, we literally are digesting the information coming in. The task has to be understandable in order for it to be learned.

If teachers can employ these best ways to learn, even abstract concepts become easier for students to grasp. They just need to keep in mind that the student has to want to learn, has to experience or do the learning, get feedback as they go and finally make sense of it all. Keep in mind that these best practices will work best for a teacher who is motivational.

Filed Under: Learning Through Collaboration Tagged With: Education, Feedback, Learning Theories, Learning Through Collaboration, Methods and Theories, Reinforcement, Student, Teacher

The Best Education System in the World Uses Collaboration

Finland is considered the best education system in the world for many reasons, but one thing they understand very well is collaboration. Shorter school days, less years in school and strict expectation of parents are definitely key, but collaboration in the classroom guarantees all students can succeed.

The best education system doesn’t require children to start school until the age of seven. The Finnish believe that play is learning, so they want the children to learn and experience through play before their studies begin. Once the children begin school, the collaboration begins with the way the school system is structured. First, children don’t change schools between primary and secondary education. They keep the same teachers for a longer period time, so the teacher can watch each child grow and develop in a more consistent manner. Slower learners are not separated from the main class. They are kept in the standard teaching room, and everyone participates in making sure they are successful.

Teachers are highly regarded in Finland, and often think of themselves as a school mother who helps guide the kids through difficult times that can inhibit learning. It is an interesting concept that the best education system in the world is so different from the system in the U.S. To the Finnish, school should not be rigid. It should be fun, team or family oriented, and less time intensive.

This unique model means that the country has the highest literacy rate among teenagers and the highest percentage of regular readers. Finnish students excel in math and science, too. They are only second to South Korea in math, but South Korean kids keep very long school hours.

The Finnish believe that a heavy economic investment in being the best in the world is the future of their country due to their small, affluent high-tech position in the the world.

Filed Under: Learning Through Collaboration Tagged With: Education, Finland, K through 12, Learning Through Collaboration, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, South Korea, State school, United States

Second Life Can Provide Effective Learning

In the age of technology, collaborative learning has taken on a new atmosphere. Second Life can provide effective learning through its virtual class rooms and universities. For those who have to telecommute or engage in online learning, Second Life has become a useful forum for students and teachers.

Many universities have set up virtual campuses on the website. Business also use Second Life to conduct conferences and training sessions. Professors can teach their courses via this new technology. What makes it different from traditional online learning is that each participant has an avatar, or online alter ego, that is present in the virtual classroom. Where it isn’t the same as real human contact, it does take virtual learning beyond the simple webinar.

Second Life began as a social game where people could shop, interact and create an alternate universe to be in. However, it’s potential wasn’t lost on top educators who saw it as a way to create communities among students who wouldn’t otherwise be in each others’ presence. Even medical schools have experimented with using Second Life with their second year students to give them an opportunity to explore the workings of a real hospital and medical settings. To the wary, it’s important to know that these medical students will be expected to make flesh and blood rounds and do real life residencies before they are licensed to practice medicine.

However, the availability of learning opportunities for college students is certainly increased with the virtual college campus and classrooms. Some of the universities that are present in Second Life are Ohio State University, University of Wyoming, Clemson, California State, University of Texas, many international schools and many, many more U.S. colleges.

Courses of study can be anything from medicine, to design, to history or specific cultural studies. The list is large, and really does provide a new and refreshing angle to traditional teaching methods.

Filed Under: Learning Through Collaboration Tagged With: Classroom, E-learning, Education, Ohio State University, Second Life, Student, University of Wyoming, Virtual education

Sylvan Learning’s Corporate Model is a Tutoring Option

If a parent has the resources Sylvan Learning’s corporate model can be a tutoring option for a child who is struggling in a particular subject. Sylvan is also an option for preparing for college entrance exams. Although it is expensive, it can definitely create positive results for the student.

Sylvan offers tutoring in math, reading, and writing. They also offer homework help as well as preparation for the SAT and ACT college entrance exams. For those who do not have a Sylvan Learning Center near them, online tutoring is available, too. The Sylvan Learning Corporation has been around since 1979, and it became a publicly traded company in 1986. The additional funds allowed the organization to expand and reach more struggling students. It has since sold to new owners, and few of the original employees and founders are with the company.

The corporate model is good for spreading the educational help throughout the country in a consistent model. The problematic part of the Sylvan Learning model is that the local branches are franchises, and if they fall into financial trouble, the corporation is not obligated to help bail that local office out. If the office closes, the corporation will not refund the student’s tuition but rather offer online courses in exchange.

Not all children learn the same way, so offering one style of learning in exchange for another may not be a successful match for a particular child. With this in mind, any parent considering Sylvan Learning for his or her child should probably do plenty of research on the financial health of the local office. Parents should ask plenty of questions, get referrals, and ask about the general workings of the company. In a tough economy, expensive tutoring may be a bill people won’t pay. If that happens, then the office would have to close its doors.

With this in mind, it might be worth finding an independent tutor to protect the investment.

Filed Under: Learning Through Collaboration, Workplace Collaboration Tagged With: Education, Entrance examination, SAT, Services for Hire, Student, Sylvan Learning, Sylvan Learning Center, Tutor

The Value of Alternative Secondary Education

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Although there are standard requirements for a secondary education in America, not all students are created equal when learning. There is significant value in alternative secondary education in America.

Where more emphasis has been put on academics in recent years; especially math and science, not all students are equipped to succeed in a technical world. Education systems that recognize this and offer alternatives that speak to individual interests and talents help guarantee that all young adults have a chance to be successful.

These alternative programs can range for science academies to performing arts schools. In some cases, the schools are designed for high achieving, highly motivated and academically advanced students. An example would be Thomas Jefferson in Northern Virginia. However, some schools are designed to enhance the area of interest that best suits the student. For example, The Performing Arts Academy in Dallas, Texas. A child who does not succeed in normal academics can feel successful in these specialized classrooms. It’s also possible to find schools that serve special interest groups, such as LGBT students who may have trouble adapting in a general population.

As long as the basic education criteria are met for a school district, alternative education is possible and even valuable to a community. Some parents choose to home school. Again, the education system will have standards set up that have to be followed in order for that student to receive a diploma.

For highly advanced students, some states allow secondary students to attend community college while still in high school so that they can get ahead in their post secondary education. Many bright students take advantage of this to get core courses out of the way and be better prepared to begin studying within their major when they actually enter college.

Whether the child is college bound or not, alternative secondary education can be the key to that person’s life success.

Filed Under: Learning Through Collaboration Tagged With: Alternative education, Education, Education in the United States, LGBT, Northern Virginia, Secondary education, Student, Thomas Jefferson

Virtual Collaboration: Online Degree Programs

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The purpose of the online world has forever been defined to thrills. The idle questions can be answered with the touch of a button. Friendships can be formed with astonishing ease. It is an endless supply of games and delights — each more impressive than the last; each more craved.

For some, however, this intention seems futile. They may revel in what the Internet can offer but find it offensive within their quest to learn. Information seems denied; universities seem refused; and the relationships between teachers and students is made an ugly imitation of itself. There is no depth. There is no certainty.

Virtual schools therefore are thought to have no value, confused as parodies.

This is incorrect.

Online degree programs can provide the same collaborative spirit that their land-based counterparts do. The involvement of a keyboard does not temper communication. It instead merely offers a global appeal. Individuals can find themselves in unique classrooms, seeking aid from others who share their interests. This is not the lonely pursuit of knowledge. This is instead the nurturing of dialogue.

Assignments can be shared through chat sessions. Forums can offer lengthy debates. And professors are available at all times, able to reached through email and other messaging methods (leaving their office hours defined only to their desires, not the warnings of a clock). This helps to ensure that all students are given an interactive — and encouraging — experience. Conversation is made a simpler thing, scheduled without concern for time or distance.

And this is invaluable to those seeking to fulfill their education.

Too often are online programs deemed solitary, thought to be independent of all vital connections. The truth, however, is that relationships can flourish in this environment — able to devote themselves to learning and not the obligations of life beyond a computer.

It is collaboration without concern. It is relief that can’t be denied.

Filed Under: Virtual Collaboration Tagged With: Academic degree, Distance education, Distance Learning, E-learning, Education, Higher education, Institution, online degree

The Peer-Led Team Learning Approach

The peer-led team learning approach offers a unique collaborative learning technique that allows groups of six to eight students to work on course study together. A student peer leader will guide the group. The individual who is chosen to lead is a student who has previously succeeded in the course.

As a peer leader, the student receives valuable experiences that can have a huge impact on professional growth. The leader is not there to give answers, but to provide guidance, support, motivation and constructive criticism. This style of teaching helps provide timely assistance when the group encounters a problem, brings new techniques and ideas to problem solving and keeps encouragement in the forefront.

There are six critical components that make peer-led team learning successful. First, the workshop has to be a regular led course that students are expected to attend. The teacher has to be closely involved in the workshop and its leaders. Naturally, the peer leaders have to be well trained and closely supervised. The workshop materials have to be challenging and conducive to collaborative learning. The space, time and other organizational factors have to be optimal for group learning, and finally, the school has to support the peer-led learning approach and it’s innovative way of guiding students.

For those interested in exploring peer-led team learning, there is a website that helps explain and guide, as well as offer current news and publications. It can be found at http://www.pltl.org. The FAQ section of this website is very comprehensive and can answer the questions that even the most critical educator may have about this style of teaching and learning.

What is most important to understand is that the peer leader is not the teacher. He or she is a guide and a support. The experience is about the group, not the individual.

Filed Under: Learning Through Collaboration, Team Building Tagged With: Collaborative learning, Education, FAQ, Learning Through Collaboration, Methods and Theories, Peer group, Student, Teacher

The Internet Makes Online College Classes Available

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It’s a familiar scene at many libraries and coffee shops; two people walk in, search for and find the other, and sit down to collaborate on a project or study for an exam. Collaboration has been the key to the success of many people over the years that education has allowed such a thing. We’re a very long way from one room schools where students of all ages and grades, as well as academic ability, were stuffed into the same room to endure the taunts of the oldest and biggest kids. Since leaving such a seemingly barbaric, unenlightened format behind, education has vastly improved as talented kids are noticed and given additional encouragement in their academic pursuits.

And while books seem likely to forever remain as the backbone of knowledge, the Internet has changed everything. This is obvious as one looks around at all the Internet has touched. Music players now handle music that requires no trip to the store, only to the online site that sells the music. Automobile tires are purchased online after the purchaser reads a few brief descriptions and compares speed ratings and different grip qualities. The way that knowledge is transferred from one person to another has now changed as well.

Online college classes have changed the physical arrangement involved in higher education, but the basic premise has always remained the same. By presenting a selection of classes to the aspiring student for study on their own time-frame in the comfort of what location they choose, doors have been opened for years with what might be called alternative educational routes. However, learning from an online format is akin to home schooling in that it provides a personalized learning experience without exposure to the distractions of a classroom. For those students who struggle to concentrate when other things are going on in a room, online classes offer a real solution.

Filed Under: Virtual Collaboration Tagged With: Academic degree, Distance education, Distance Learning, E-learning, Education, Higher education, Online Courses, Student