Learning in Collaborative Settings

This week's readings centered on learning in collaborative settings. In the 4 studies that I read there are important lessons that can be learned and generated to all virtual learning communities

Theoretical constructs

Collaborative settings are a way to move from a transfer of knowledge model to a constructionist model of learning.

To learn a person must be able to 1), Direct their own work, and two have the ability to work with others.

Collaborative learning communities allow people to develop skills needed to empower them to be successful.

Objectives

Ideally the following things should occur in a collaborative setting

• The learning is understanding focused rather than task focused
  
• Discussion should be generated by the learners rather than a response to teacher generated questions
  
• Participants find meaningful resources to get learning materials rather than reciting from classroom textbooks
  
• The outcome is to develop a deep understanding rather than memorizing facts
  

Challenges

Problems that can occur in online classroom collaborative activities

• Collaboration – discussion content is repeated from the text, students do enough to meet the requirements, but no more
  
• Rather than making reflective comments students make superficial comments such as, good work, I liked that, or pointing out spelling errors
  
• Students are not experts and may not provide helpful feedback
  
• Students sometimes start out with underdeveloped ideas that are more like a list of topics than a true question that can be researched and collaborated on.
  

Strategies

How teachers can help facilitate discussion that meets the objectives of what should occur in a collaborative online setting

• Provide guidance with the construction of the initial portion of the project to make sure the discussion begins in the right direction
  
• Encourage students to ask questions and then gather the resources to discuss and make conclusion before looking at the research materials.
  
• Provide guidelines for the expectations of the finished product
  
• Provide guidelines for the expectations of collaborative comments
  
• Stress to students the importance of understanding
  
• Recognize that novices to the subject matter are going to need more scaffolding than more advanced groups
  

Online learning communities offer a medium for learning that has benefits that cannot be achieved in other mediums. Developing a meaningful online learning community takes a special skill set.