).
Utilise the following general guidelines to make cooperative and collaborative learning successful:
).There are also several efficient tips you may use when applying cooperative and collaborative learning in your teaching, as explained by TeachThought (2020) . They are:
Work in pairs vs group work
Working in pairs is much easier for students to get along with one other person and the accountability level is higher. Having assigned peers also makes the transition process quicker. Encourage students to select peers that they work well with but are not necessarily their friends. Change the peer assignment every few weeks as students’ needs change.
Determining group placement
Lecturers should use their learning outcomes to determine whether they want to choose the groups, have students choose groups, or have them arranged randomly. It is good practice when the lecturer choose groups when they want to have a balance of high, middle, and low achieving students in each group with few personality conflicts. For activities in which lecturers do not mind much talking and some off-topic activities, let the students choose their groups. Lecturers could also choose groups randomly for activities that are just for practice, will not be graded, or do not require a lot of prior knowledge or skill.
It is important to prepare students to be part of a team. Students often need to learn how to work effectively with others and as part of a team. Lecturers have to help students understand what, why, and how of collaboration. They can do this in several ways:
Choosing groups based on learning preferences and intelligence
If students are creating projects or presentations, it may be advantageous to have a variety of strengths represented within each group, e.g., someone with interpersonal intelligence to take charge of the group and solve disputes, a verbal-linguistic student to do the writing or oral presentations, and a visual-spatial student to illustrate. This will ensure that the group runs smoothly, and each student can express what they have learned in ways that are comfortable for them.
Establish clear group goals
Effective collaborative learning involves the establishment of group goals, as well as individual accountability. This keeps the group on task and establishes a clear purpose. Before beginning an assignment, it is best to define goals and objectives that speak to the learning outcomes and the task at hand. Time frames, responsible individuals, meeting dates and communication channels can be identified.
Group size
Small groups of 3 or less lack enough diversity and may not allow divergent thinking to occur. Groups that are too large create ‘freeloading’ where not all members participate. A moderate size group of 4-5 is ideal.
Establish flexible group norms
The quality of interactions influences collaborative learning. Interactivity and negotiation are important in group learning. Lecturers may want to establish rules for group interactions or allow students to create their norms. Given their durable nature, it is best to have flexible norms. Norms should change with situations so that groups do not become rigid and intolerant.
Build trust and promote open communication
Successful interpersonal communication must exist in groups. Building trust is essential. Deal with emotional issues that arise immediately and any interpersonal problems before moving on. Assignments should encourage group members to explain concepts thoroughly to each other. Students who provide and receive explanations gain most from collaborative learning. Open communication is vital.
For larger tasks, create group roles
All together for cooperative learning groups to be effective, the lecturer/facilitator and students should all have their part. The lecturer’s job is to fill the part as facilitator and spectator, while the students must work together to finish the assignment. The nine team roles described by Belbin (2020) (strengths and weaknesses for each are described HERE) can, for example, assist students in dividing tasks according to their strengths.
Minimise opportunities for free-riding
When students complain about collaborative groups, it often has to do with the free-riding of one member who lets others do all the work and then benefits from the group grade. We can eliminate free-riding in several ways:
by assessing students both individually and as a group. For example, give students an individual quiz based on the intended outcome of their collaborative activity.Consider using different strategies
There are a significant number of cooperative learning techniques available. Some cooperative learning techniques utilise student pairing, while others utilise small groups of four or five students. Hundreds of techniques have been created into structures to use in any content area. Among the easy to implement structures are mentioned in the Formal cooperative learning activities section.
Allow and guide groups to reduce anxiety
When tackling difficult concepts, group learning may provide a source of support. Groups often use humour and create a more relaxed learning atmosphere that allows for positive learning experiences. Allow groups to use some stress-reducing strategies as long as they stay on task.
For some students and under certain conditions (especially where grading is involved), collaborative group work itself can be a source of stress. Several things which have already been mentioned in this resource can be put into place in order to alleviate the anxiety around group work. These include:
Establish group interactions
The quality of discussions is a predictor of the achievement of the group. Instructors should provide a model of how a successful group functions. Shared leadership is the best. Students should work together on the task and maintenance functions of a group. Roles are important in group development. Task functions include:
Maintenance involves the harmony and emotional well-being of a group. Maintenance includes roles such as sensing group feelings, harmonizing, compromising and encouraging, timekeeping, relieving tension, bringing people into the discussion, and more.
Build in opportunities for discussion and consensus
Many group projects are based on efficiency, dividing labour to create a product in the most effective way possible. This focus on the product means that we often ignore the process of collaboration. Rich discussions that connect students with the experiences of others, that engage them deeply in a shared intellectual experience, and that promote coming to consensus are essential to collaboration. For instance, students can come to consensus around a solution or decision where they must defend or propose a shared vision or develop a set of beliefs or principles. This focus on discussion and consensus builds both academic and social skills - students learn to defend their ideas through evidence and analytical reasoning, to negotiate meaning, and to argue constructively.
Use real-world problems
Experts suggest that project-based learning using open-ended questions can be very engaging. Rather than spending much time designing an artificial scenario, use inspiration from everyday problems. Real-world problems can be used to facilitate project-based learning and often have the right scope for collaborative learning.
Focus on enhancing problem-solving and critical thinking skills
Design assignments that allow room for varied interpretations. Different types of problems might focus on categorizing, planning, taking multiple perspectives, or forming solutions. Try to use a step-by-step procedure for problem-solving. A simple procedure to follow is:
Value diversity
Collaborative learning relies on some buy-in. Students need to respect and appreciate each other’s viewpoints for it to work. For instance, class discussions can emphasize the need for different perspectives. Create a classroom environment that encourages independent thinking. Teach students the value of multiplicity in thought. You may want to give historical or social examples where people working together were able to reach complex solutions.
By definition, learning is social. Using different media, whether it be books, discussions, technology or projects, we study and develop new ideas. We impart ideas and share perspectives with others. Collaboration is a learned process. If managed correctly, it is a powerful tool that can allow lecturers to tap into new ideas and information.
Mixed groups that include a range of talents, backgrounds, ideas, and experiences are best. Studies have found that mixed aptitude groups tend to learn more from each other and increase the achievement of low performers. Rotate groups, so students have a chance to learn from others.
Consider demographics
Equally, balanced gender groups were found to be most effective.
Some research suggests that male group members were more likely to receive and give elaborate explanations, and the group more readily accepted their stances. In majority male groups females were ignored. In a majority of female groups, ladies tended to direct questions to the male who often ignored them. You may also want to discuss or establish gender equality as a norm specifically. This may seem obvious, but it is often missed. It may be an issue you may want to discuss with older students.
Use scaffolding or diminished responsibility as students begin to understand concepts.
At the beginning of a project, you may want to give more direction than the end. Serve as a facilitator, such as by gauging group interactions or at first, providing a list of questions to consider. Allow groups to grow in responsibility as times goes on. In your classroom, this may mean allowing teams to develop their topics or products as time goes on.
After all, increased responsibility for learning is a goal in collaborative learning.
Include different types of learning scenarios
Studies suggest that collaborative learning that focuses on rich contexts and challenging questions produces higher-order reasoning. Assignments can include laboratory work, study teams, debates, writing projects, problem-solving, and collaborative writing.
Create complex learning activities
Students need a reason to collaborate. If the assignment is too simple, they can more easily do it alone. At most, they may check in with each other or interact in superficial ways. The real reason to collaborate is that the task is complex - it is too complicated and has too many pieces to complete alone.
Complex activities are challenging, engaging, stimulating, and multilayered. Complex activities require “positive interdependence” (Johnson, et al., 2008) , a situation in which attaining the goal, completing the task, being successful, and getting a good grade require that the team work together and share knowledge.
One way to do this is through rigorous projects that require students to identify a problem (for example, balancing population growth in their city with the protection of existing green spaces) and agree - through research, discussion, debate, and time to develop their ideas - on a solution which they must then propose together.
Technology makes collaborative learning easier
Collaboration has the same results via technology as in person, increased learning opportunities. Try incorporating tools for online collaboration. HERE and HERE and HERE are some examples. You may also use MS Teams, Google Meet, and Collaborate in clickUP for online meetings.
Please refer to the section on Formal online collaboration and the section on Informal online collaboration for more details on suggested tools for peer instruction.
Avoid ‘bad group work’
As with any learning strategy, it is essential to have a balanced approach. Some criticise collaboration for not allowing enough time for individual, creative thinking. You may allow some individual time to write notes before the groups begin. This may be a great way to assess an individual grade.
Focus on strengthening and stretching expertise
The challenge of designing suitable collaborative activities is ensuring that all students, even those who struggle, play an important role. Collaboration should not just strengthen students’ existing skills but ensure that their interactions stretch existing knowledge and expand one another’s expertise. If, for example, a student is much stronger in one skill than her peers in her group, she can teach others, and her grade can be contingent upon how much her peers learn.
In collaborative activities, we want to ensure that students do not just occupy the same physical space but that they share an intellectual space - that they learn more, do more, and experience more together than they would alone. As teachers, we can promote real collaboration by shifting our role from lecturer to coach - promoting team autonomy, checking in on students and providing instant feedback, and helping them increasingly learn to work together productively to attain a common goal.
Be wary of ‘group think‘
While collaborative learning is a great tool, it is always important to consider a balanced approach. At times, group harmony can override the necessity for more critical perspectives. Some new research suggests that groups favoured the more confident members. Changing up groups can help counter this problem.
Classroom management of groups
To effectively manage groups in your class, you may consider the following: