An example of collaboration in online environments and peer collaboration during COVID19:
Tiria mai au whakaaro: Sharing My Thoughts:
January 27, 2018
This article aims to discuss the challenges and benefits of 3 specific activity types, suggestions, and the learning theories to which collaborative learning activities are supported.
I will concentrate on a snap-shot of this article by focussing my points on the learning theories in relation to collaborative online learning and peer collaboration:
Collaborative Online Learning Activities: What Does The Research Say About Them?
Online learning environments prove beneficial through the experiences, the social interaction, collaboration and agency of learning. There is evidence to suggest that online learning may in fact have an advantage in supporting collaboration and creating a sense of community (1). Even so, instructional and pedagogical best practices must be implemented correctly for it to be effective. Online collaborative learning as a result can also directly support the development of a range of high level intellectual skills, such as critical thinking, analytical thinking, synthesis, and evaluation, which are key requirements for learners in a digital age (2). And so, what happens between us as educators when we apply the same principles, our learners reap the rewards like job prospects in the future and positive socialising while maintaining independence.
Theoretical Frameworks
Behaviorism, cognitivism, connectivism, and constructivism are the most common learning theories utilised when developing online learning environments, which I believe applies to educators and learners.
Behaviorism = Where people learn through repetition - whether positive or negative. Behaviorism equates learning with changes in either the form or frequency of observable performance (3).
Cognitivism = Internal knowledge and mental structures - Cognitive theories focus on the conceptualisation of students’ learning processes and address the issues of how information is received, organised, stored, and retrieved by the mind (3). This is where educators use a catch & hold technique through a quiz like Kahoot, while giving encouraging and positive feedback.
Connectivism = It stresses the connections and combinatorial creativity. All the knowledge is out there - it’s a matter of making the connections (4). Educators are not the fountains of knowledge, 'information' is available everywhere. The fact that there is knowledge and experience in say a professional learning group as well as a learner group, so then everyone learns from each other, everyone grows together becoming better practitioners and learners.
Constructivism = The focus of constructivism is on creating cognitive tools which reflect the wisdom of the culture in which they are used as well as the insights and experiences of individuals (3). This is about learning through discovery, exploring and connecting through new experiences of learning opportunities.
The challenge for online instructors is how they can construct a collaborative discussion activity, which is engaging and meets the needs of all learners. A way this can be addressed is for instructors to develop discussions that are specifically focused on 1 or 2 specific learning goals (5).
Overall Critique:
The impact on learning for learners is that the power is with the learner and because technology is forever changing, we must be able to discern what is beneficial for our learners Cognivitism. We as educators also need to model and practice what we preach. For example, if we expect students to work together then we need to demonstrate what that looks like, sounds like and feels like for us but for their benefit Behaviorism.
Collaboration is not just about the formal set times of meetings but the in-between times of informal, small, incidental moments, (this can happen during breakout rooms online) that help to build trust in our perspectives so that when you do meet in a more formal environment, we find more successful ways for learning and development to happen connectivism. As a result, staff come together and learners follow suit in true peer collaboration that enriches ideas, deepens thinking and learning, even if you have disagreements or differing points of view, the process allows you to see how you can work constructively and effectively with fellow peers. Openness, bouncing ideas off each other, giving things a go, taking some risks, and if it doesn’t work, it's ok because you can then come back and reassess together constructivism.
Barriers: Lack of training, lack of relevant resources and the FUN factor.
School-wide PLD is always helpful in up-skilling staff (BOT/SLT to make these decisions), funding and allocating appropriate school finances to source relevant resources is a priority (government, public or private funding). Fun while learning is never a bad thing, its conducive to learner development, educator best practice and overall morale in peer relationships and collaboration.
Educators, learners and whanau: Regular reflection (interrogation of self) helps to push the boundaries of traditional ways of thinking and doing, to be open to all possibilities to engage, to be empowered and take ownership and control of one's future. Also, in regards to empowering relationships the need to be open and willing to collaborate with our learners, peers and whanau proves that we do not leave things to chance - where we inform and include rather than inform but exclude.
References:
(1) Garrison, D.. (2006). Online collaboration principles. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks. 10. 10.24059/olj.v10i1.1768.
(2) Bates, T. (2018). Teaching in a Digital Age: 4.4 Online collaborative learning. Retrieved From: https://opentextbc.ca/teachinginadigitalage/chapter/6-5-online-collaborative-learning/
(3) Ertmer, P. A., & Newby, T. J. (2013). Behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism: Comparing critical features from an instructional design perspective. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 26(2), 43-71.
(4) Lee, T. (2016). LEARNING THEORIES: BEHAVIORISM, COGNITIVISM, CONSTRUCTIVISM, AND CONNECTIVISM. Retrieved From: http://traviselearning.net/blog/2016/2/25/learning-theories-behaviorism-cognitivism-constructivism-and-connectivism
(5) Higley, M. (2018). eLearning Industry: Reasons Why Collaborative Online Learning Activities Are Effective
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