How could collaborative-learning potentially impact on Primary Education?

How could collaborative-learning potentially impact on Primary Education?

Within education it is important that the teacher can incorporate collaborative learning within the classroom. Collaborative learning is a pedagogical approach, which helps to enhance the learning performance within the classroom (Blasco-Arcas, Buil, Hernández-Ortega & Javier Sese, 2013; McDonough & Foote, 2015). The teacher should be able to aid collaborative leaning by encouraging group and project tasks, by doing so the children should see how learning can be collaborative and that learning in groups can enhance instead of hindering their education. During collaboration, learning should include coordinated interaction in which ideas and perspectives are explored and exchanged (Goos, Galbriath & Renshaw, 2002), by allowing children to explore and learn collaboratively they are given the opportunity to learn and develop their skills together and to understand that there are multiple ways an individual can look at a problem or situation, this then gives them a wider understanding that the world does not ‘revolve around them’ and there are other people’s thoughts and feelings that have to be understood.

Vygotsky laid the foundations for collaborative learning. Through Vygotsky’s (1978) learning concept of the zone of proximal development, doubts start to form on knowledge-based tests as a proper means to measure the level of knowledge in students had been developed (Kulikovskikh, Prokhorov & Suchkova, 2017). Vygotsky took this theory further noting that social interaction was the core of the developmental process for children; this could give them a better understanding of topics in the classroom as children are learning together in a social environment where they can discuss work in a mature and sophisticated manner. By communicating and working together learners can suggest ideas and theories between one another to help solve a problem or plan and produce a project.  

Reynolds (1994) developed the theory of collaborative-learning by creating three reasons for using groups. The first was motivation; this is from the view point that people learn more when they are involved and enjoying themselves, by using games and stimulation learning can become memorable and engaging for the learners. Through motivation and stimulation, the child is given the opportunity to develop their learning and to take part in activities that not only involve the mind but their own and other people’s values and feelings. It has also been suggested that under these conditions of collaboration-learning, learning is more likely to ‘stick’ and the child grasp the concept of tasks. The second reason is for educational purposes, with a student-centred philosophy teachers and students work together to explore and examine their work with the possibility to work collaboratively. The third is for ideological reasons, this is the process of collective enquiry which prepares people for a society based on democratic principles. Through this method it helps to develop individuals to be able to participate in life, work and to sustain society based on these ideas. The theory of having different groups for collaborative-learning is for learners to understand that everyone is different and that the way you learn could be completely different to how your friend learns.

In recent years, collaborative-learning has been researched more. A study was conducted by Kutnick and Thomas (1990) that found when pupils worked in pairs they performed significantly better than those working individually. Kutnick and Thomas also discovered that learners that were in pairs improved upon their initial performance no matter whether they were placed in equally or unequally matched pairings. This suggests that collaborative-learning is beneficial towards learners as they can work effectively that aids in the performance of their work and essentially improving the learner’s knowledge and understanding of different topics.

Through the research shown and the different theories that have been developed it has become clear that collaborative-learning should be fostered in the classroom, different ways of doing so is by establishing group agreements. By doing so they are able to create some guidelines, these could be that each member of the group has a different role in process of completing the task at hand. Other ways to foster collaborative-learning is for the teacher to teach listening skills in the classroom, this not only will aid the children when they are working in groups, but this skill can be used outside of the classroom when they are interacting with other people. Collaborative-learning can be developed in the classroom by teaching children how to negotiate. By teaching children how to negotiate they will be able to work and communicate in groups effectively, and knowing how to solve any conflicts that could happen within the group. Another way to foster collaborative-learning can be by modelling behaviour in the classroom, teachers need to become the perfect model for collaborative-learning; by being able to promote and model skills such as listening, paraphrasing and negotiating. By fostering these skills, it gives the opportunity for collaborative-learning to grow and facilitate within the classroom.

References:

Blasco-Arcas, L., Buil, I., Hernandez-Ortega, B., & Javier Sese, F. (2013). Using clickers in class. The role of interactivity, active collaborative learning and engagement in learning performance. Computers & Education, 62, pp.102-110.

Goos, M., Galbraith, P., & Renshaw, P. (2002). Socially mediated metacognition: Creating collaborative zones of proximal development in small group problem solving. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 49, pp.193-223.

Kulikovskikh, I.M.; Prokhorov, S.A.; Suchkova, S.A. (2017). Promoting collaborative learning through regulation of guessing in clickers. Computers in Human Behaviour, 75, pp.81-91.

Kutnick, P. and Thomas, M. (1990) ‘Dyadic pairings for the enhancement of cognitive development in the school curriculum’. British Educational Research Journal. 16(4).

McDonough, K., & Foote, J. A. (2015). The impact of individual and shared clicker use on students' collaborative learning. Computers & Education, 86, pp.236-249.

Reynolds, M. (1994). Group work in education and training: Ideas in practice. (Educational and Training Technology). London: Kogan Page.

Vygotsky, L. (1978). Mind in Society. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.