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When you were in school, how did you feel about group projects? Were you excited that you wouldn’t have to do all or any of the work? Did you cringe, because you knew you would end up doing all of the work? Is collaboration in today’s classroom the new incarnation of group work? I hope not. I believe collaboration can be a powerful tool for learning. I think collaboration can ‘be’ the learning.
In Susan Cain’s article, she encourages the idea of a blend of ‘group’ work and ‘individual ‘ work. This makes a lot of sense to me as a teacher in a variety of ways. In education the incorporation of ‘multiple intelligence‘ or ‘habits of the mind‘ has become de rigueur. Collaboration can make differentiation easier. Roles can be assigned to students in a way that they can feel like they have something positive and productive to contribute. They can be a piece of the puzzle. Each student needs to understand the basic content framework, but that understanding can be accessed and demonstrated in their own learning style. Collaboration can also be tailored to allow for that sustained alone time that seems to be so crucial for creative work, but also allow room for brainstorming and feedback from peers.
As Don Tapscottexplains, collaboration has opened the boundaries of organizations. This is especially true for schools, or should be. Students today should be allowed to collaborate not only in their physical classrooms, but in the world classroom.
It’s a Small World!
There is a great collective global mind available through the world wide web and digital technology. This collective should empower teachers and students. This access to a global mind and collaboration should result in more authentic learning and more creative outcomes. A great benefit of collaboration for students is exposure to people, places, and perspectives they would otherwise never experience. Students can know about the world and know in real time. Technology provides the means. Collaboration(Knowledge) is power.