How could collaborative learning potentially impact on Primary Education?

                                      

Collaborative learning builds a deeper understanding, it allows the ability to share ideas and thoughts openly alongside another person. Enables both learners to develop a combined answer, response and a solution about the topic or issues being discussed. Combines different notions, beliefs and theories into one concrete explanation or solution which represents a group. ‘’Collaboration is acknowledged as an act that entails groups of individuals functioning collectively and cooperatively to disentangle a problem or accomplish an objective’’ (Smith and Macgregor, 1922: Macgregor, 1990). Collaborative learning has been shown to result in:

·         Higher student achievement

·         Higher self-esteem

·         Higher motivation

                                             

All students benefit, across socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds (D.W Johnson & R.T. Johnson 2009). It is believed that collaborative learning helps empower each other and enables students to ask their peers for help when needed, ‘’cooperation is working together to accomplish shared goals’’ (Johnson & Johnson, 1989, 1999; Johnson, Johnson, & Smith, 2006). Also focuses on testing their own theories. Learn to respect and listen to one another. Encourages students to work with more than one person, team work which cannot be achieved by one’s own, also challenges students due to everyone having a different perspective and stand points in various topics and matters. In a situation where viewpoints are very different can be difficult to overcome however, if you join forces and pull resources together will develop into an easy discussion to understand the other opinions in the group. ‘’The basic premise of social interdependence theory is that the type of interdependence structured in a situation determines how individuals interact with each other that, in turn, largely determines outcomes’’ (Deutsch, 1949a, 1962; Johnson, 1970; Watson & Johnson, 1972). A positive outcome results in effective interaction and discussions throughout the group, however, a negative interaction results in oppositional and defines the purpose of the interaction.

According to Barnes (1976), ‘learning to communicate is at the heart of education’ (Barnes, 1976, p.73). Children developing their understanding of certain topics through collaboration benefits each child by expanding a person availability to view information from many angles. Also, different viewpoints facilities new learning, opens their horizon to new skills such as communication, time management, problem solving and resource allocation. Robinson holds the view that when it comes to collaboration we have to take a different mindset, collaboration is a key operating principle for the next fase of development in the 21^st century (Robinson 2010). Vygotsky (1978) acknowledge the importance and benefits that children receive when interacting with each other, this is now known as ‘’scaffolding’’ a child can have control on their level of collaboration among their peers or teacher, this aims for them to fulfill a precise goal (Vygotsky 1978).

                       

To conclude, collaboration allows each other to substitute and invest in positive emotions in each other also being collaborative enables students to be open minded to being influenced by each other. Donaldson’s (2015) agrees with this view as he stated ‘’substantial implementation of collaboration in classrooms is significant to compel children can explore in their unique ways, developing their interests through collaboration (Goos, Galbriath & Renshaw, 2002).

References:

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, 193-223.

Johnson, D. W., Johnson, R., & Smith, K. (2006). Active learning: Cooperation in the university classroom (3rd ed.). Edina, MN: Interaction Book Company.

Johnson, D. W., & Johnson, R. T. (2009). An educational psychology success story: Social interdependence theory and cooperative learning. Educational Researcher, 38(5), 365-379.

Robinson, K. (2010). ‘Collaboration in the 21^st century’. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63NTB7oObtw (Accessed: 6^th November 2017).

Smith, B. L. and MacGregor, J. T. (1992) What is a Collaborative Learning? In Collaborative Learning: A Sourcebook for Higher Education, the National Center on Postsecondary Teaching, Learning, and Assessment at Pennsylvania State University, pp. 10-30.

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

Barnes, D. (1976) From Communication to curriculum. Harmondsworth: Penguin.