Small Groups for Collaborative Learning Uses for Collaborative Learning
(Groups of 3 or more) to develop community and promote effective learning
Using ideas and
quotations from
Barkley, Elizabeth, K. Patricia Cross, and Claire Howell Major. Collaborative LearningTechniques.
San Francisco: Jossey-Bass,
2005. 
Purposes of all
collaborative learning groups: “to engage students actively in their own
learning and to do so in a supportive and challenging social context” (9).
Collaborative learning will promote five essential
elements for students:
1. Positive
interdependence
2. Promotive interaction (weird words to
mean students help and support each other)
3. Individual
and group accountability
4. Development
of teamwork skills
5. Group
processing (evaluative) (8-9)
Develop community during the first three weeks of the quarter
Collaborative Learning in Informal Groups Throughout the Quarter
Formal Groups for projects during the quarter
However, you may have questions!!
What is the most important and most common mistake teachers make in collaborative learning? They under-prepare. Collaborative learning is at least as much work as lecturing, if not more. - Decide exactly what you want to happen in each group during the collaborative learning exercise.
- Print out one copy of those instructions for every single student -- remember that some students learn visually!!
- Explain what you want orally.
- Demonstrate what you want with a co-teacher or an experienced student.
- Decide on the minimum time in which students might complete the task and stop them at that point, asking "Who needs more time? How much time?"
- Build in an assessment aspect for each exercise/ task.
- Leave time for de-briefing.
How often should I use collaborative learning? The answer to this depends on the subject matter, the "character" of each class, and your own style. In a four or five-hour-per week class, doing a collaborative learning task about once a week enhances learning and keeps students engaged with the material. In a two-hour class, I recommend either a collaborative learning exercise or a pair project (see Pairs) every class. When students are working in a formal group for a larger, long-term project, give specific tasks to accomplish with the group several times during the week. Never, however, just say, "OK, now get together with your group and work on your project." Kiss of death.
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