Teacher collaboration: 30 years of research on its nature,forms, limitations and effects

ABSTRACT

This article reprises and reflects on 30 years of the author’s work on teacher collaboration. The distinctive nature of this work has not been in making a case for teacher collaboration in terms of its benefits for students, teachers, or educational change. These arguments are widely available elsewhere. Rather it has examined ways of collaborating that are available to teachers, how formal or informal collaboration should be, how collaborative efforts can be misused or misdirected, and what factors must be considered when deliberately designing teacher collaboration so it will have the most beneficial effects. The article discusses the explanatory and strategic power of three concepts in particular—contrived collegiality, professional capital, and collaborative professionalism. Conclusions are drawn about next steps for educational research in terms of establishing clear typologies of teacher collaboration in relation to their impact and appropriateness in different circumstances.     

Collaboration and contrived collegiality: Revisiting Hargreaves in the age of accountability

Andy Hargreaves is internationally renowned for his work on many topics related to educational change. His work on how educational change shapes teachers’ work, particularly with respect to teacher collaboration, is well exemplified in his award-winning 1994 volume, Changing Teachers, Changing Times: Teachers’ Work and Culture in the Postmodern Age. In this volume, he taught us the important difference between collaborative cultures and contrived collegiality. This article will bring Hargreaves’ ideas about teacher collaboration to bear as I investigate a current educational reform movement: data-driven decision making. I describe how two school systems integrated teacher collaboration as an important feature of their movements towards using data, and I explain the consequences of their efforts. I close by raising critical issues for educators and researchers to address as we consider the role of teacher collaboration in the age of accountability.     

University–school collaboration based on complementary needs

This paper discusses school development as collaboration between local schools and universities based on complementary needs. I examine a 10 year case study of a long-term relationship between an elementary school and a university in a town in Sweden. The relationship is jointly constructed and mediated by local, national, and international projects. Such jointly constructed and shared projects represent innovations of both the school’s and the university’s pedagogical practices. The significant actors in the collaborative relationship have been teachers, undergraduate and graduate students, school pupils, and researchers. The collaboration, which still exists, started in 1996 and has experienced stages of varying intensity and scope conceived metaphorically as a thin string. Analysis of the case and collaborative process suggests an answer to the question: Why does this collaboration exist and what makes it sustainable? This case suggests that the collaborative projects provide solutions to problems intrinsic to the respective educational institutions.     

Learning through collaboration: student perspectives

This research examines the effectiveness of collaborative learning pedagogies from the perspective of students. There is a rich history of research on collaborative learning demonstrating the effectiveness and this has led to indexing educational quality by student engagement. However, the findings from this study question the efficacy of collaborative pedagogies in their actual implementation. While collaboration was a part of the most highly rated learning experiences, these pedagogies were typically described as ineffective. Key factors that students see associated with effective collaboration are reported. The students’ perceptions of learning as reflected in their comments on collaborative learning, implications for setting expectations for college learning, and needs for faculty development are discussed.     

The great neoliberal hijack of collaboration: a critical history of group-based learning in tertiary education

ABSTRACT

This article examines the teaching of collaboration within tertiary education, critiquing the hegemony of a neoliberal mandate. This review of academic literature first identifies the significance of social capital and an intrinsic motivation to collaborate, to theorize how an important and complex graduate attribute (termed here ‘collaborative dexterity’) might be approached by pedagogy. This leads into a historical analysis of research into higher education, revealing how the instrumentalization of collaboration to enhance the private advantage of learners continues to pervade academia’s understanding of collaboration. As higher education transitioned from learning ‘through’ collaboration to learning ‘to’ collaborate, extrinsic motivations for collaboration were promoted further through assessment procedures, maintaining a narrow economic-exchange approach to collaboration. These educational practices inhibit the development of collaborative dispositions, foster self-interest and ultimately limit graduates’ preparation for the needs of collaborative work environments. Moreover, while educational scholarship has extensively explored why collaboration is important and how it may be assessed, much less consideration has been given to how collaboration might actually be taught within diverse disciplinary areas in tertiary education. This suggests an urgent need for further research into how collaboration is taught within tertiary education, in ways that extend beyond a neoliberal conceptualization of collaboration.     

Collaboration and the growth of teachers’ knowledge

Studies of teachers working together have exposed the capricious nature of collaborative activity: sometimes it seems to work well; at other times collaboration actually works against improvement. Success in collaborative relationships is best understood through an appreciation of how teachers form and use knowledge. The teachers’ knowledge perspective is used in this paper to interpret qualitative data from two successful collaborative relationships in schools. Evidence supports the contention that personal qualities, underscored by mutual trust and respect for knowledge, form the basis for successful relationships in teaching, operating in different ways, for different purposes, for different people. Providing that teachers are approached with respect, collaboration holds promise as a slow (but powerful) path towards educational change.     

Perspectives from graduate students on effective teaching methods: a case study from a Vietnamese Transnational University

Abstract

Vietnam is emerging as an accelerated economic and political society with an increased global presence; thus, increased attention has been given to producing qualified college graduates who can contribute to the growing global economy. Yet challenges exist due to lack of educational infrastructure and ineffective teaching practices. As a result, the Vietnamese government embraces international collaborations in higher education as a way to address educational needs; however, although research exists on policy implications and government priorities, very little is known about how students perceive the teaching methods provided at these collaborative transnational universities. The purpose of this qualitative case study is to examine graduate students’ perceived effectiveness of teaching methods at Vietnamese-German University (VGU), a predominantly technology and engineering university that is an international collaboration between Vietnam and Germany. We seek to answer the research question of, ‘how is the use of student-centred practices effective in an international learning environment?’ Findings from graduate students indicate that collaborative learning, specifically through group work and modified flipped classrooms, are effective ways to maximise student learning. Implications for practice and future research are discussed as ways to emphasise the benefits of student-centred teaching and learning at transnational collaborative universities.     

Mobile panoramic video applications for learning

The use of videos on the internet has grown significantly in the last few years. For example, Khan Academy has a large collection of educational videos, especially on STEM subjects, available for free on the internet. Professional panoramic video cameras are expensive and usually not easy to carry because of the large size of the equipment. Recently, at least two companies have launched a new type of product that enabled panoramic video for certain smartphone users. The aim of this article is to analyze how panoramic video can be adopted, how attractive it is for actual everyday use, how it is used today, and how technology and other solutions should develop to become popular and accessible for mainstream users in learning applications. This research is based on the qualitative research method, namely content analysis. The analysis involved 1595 panoramic videos that users posted to two panoramic video sites. The videos represent a snapshot of videos from the beginning of the panoramic video sites. The videos were classified in 22 groups. In addition, the comments and discussions related to each of the videos were analyzed. Based on the study, it is concluded that panoramic videos are not yet widely used for learning, even though they have much potential for this purpose. Panoramic videos are good for documenting complex interaction situations in settings where a lower image quality is sufficient. Typical social media features are present in panoramic video sites, but they do not provide any extra support for learning or collaboration.     

Collaboration for the effective and efficient management of school financial resources

Abstract

This paper examines the collaborative relationship between principals and School Governing Bodies (SGBs), and how this impacts on the management of financial resources in public schools. In South Africa, educational trends such as decentralisation, the shift of responsibility in roles, community involvement, building of partnerships and accountability in schools resulted in changing associations and patterns of interaction amongst participants in schools. Collaboration may be viewed as central to each of these trends. As principals and SGBs grapple with the demands of managing their schools’ financial resources efficiently and effectively, it is important to reflect on the collaborative relationship that society expects of them. Principals are required to cultivate processes of authentic collaboration in order to empower SGBs on school governance. It is thus imperative for schools to initiate and maintain a collaborative relationship between principals and SGBs, through mutual trust, teamwork, collaborative decision-making, open-communication and co-operation. Using a qualitative research paradigm, we determined the perceptions and experiences of school governors on their collaborative efforts in managing the school financial resources. This study revealed, amongst others, that many SGB members were unclear about their roles and functions which resulted in serious conflict situations and accountability implications.     

教育人工智能(eAI):人本人工智能的新范式

人工智能是未来教育创新发展的重要推动力,遵循人本主义理念并形成人本人工智能教育新应用,将有力促成一种新型的研究与应用范式——教育人工智能(educational Artificial Intelligence,eAI)的形成。eAI注重以人为本的协作教育理念,在智能技术的支持下,以人和机器的交互、协作为研究对象,理解教育活动并揭示其发生的规律,从而促进人和机器智慧的共同成长。因此,在以人为本理念的引领下,eAI必将是人本人工智能的持续动力和新的研究范式,也是未来教育创新发展的新诉求。文章深度融合人本人工智能与教育,开展eAI的理论探究。首先,从人工智能、人在回路和奇点生态三方面阐释了人本人工智能的内涵,并解析eAI创新所需要的支持智能、增强智能和人机协同智能的一体化联动。在此基础上,剖析eAI的核心要素,构建了人本人工智能引领下eAI的研究框架,以人在旁路、人在回路和人在领路模式贯穿三大智能(支持智能、增强智能和人机协同智能)来透析eAI生态。最后,从基于混合智能的eAI环境、面向协同增智的eAI技术、底线思维引领下的eAI实践理性、面向设计思维的eAI创变力量、基于和谐共生的教育伦理等方面探寻了人本人工智能视域下eAI新范式,以期为构建人本人工智能视角下人机协同的eAI新生态提供设计思路和实践指导。     

Building interfaces for on-line collaborative learning

For several years we have been engaged in the development and research of software environments for collaborative learning, for example in the recently completed CoLabs project (which we presented at the IFIP TC3 WG3.5 working conference in Budapest in 2004, see also http://matchsz.inf.elte.hu/Colabs/), also within lately defended long-range doctoral research, in which the co-author of this paper together with his undergraduate students had developed and evaluated cooperative computer activities for children aged 10 to 18. They observed children when using those environments and studied the influence of different approaches and solutions on the degree of their involvement and will to cooperate. We have also been involved in the London Knowledge Lab pilot project for developing a collaborative layered learning space travel games construction kit. Our department’s prior engagement in the development of collaborative activities also includes publishing a popular on-line journal (developed by A. Hrusecka and D. Lehotska, this on-line journal (in Slovak) can proudly boast up to 250,000 visits per month) for children, which intensively exploits on-line collaboration. This topic attracts us not only as a support for the learning process, but is a challenge for us as developers of educational programming tools as well. In our SuperLogo and Imagine environments we have always tried to provide users (ranging from children to developers) with new and powerful options to foster learning by exploring and developing. Thus we have equipped Imagine with the means for building objects and their behaviours in incremental loops, with parallel independent processes, event-driven programming and complex yet intuitive support for developing on-line environments for collaborative learning. In this paper we place our collaborative applications in the context of other related interfaces reported in literature. We use eight criteria to classify them and conclude that collaborative applications being developed by us and our students—future teachers—are distinguishable from others along two or three of those criteria: they combine in themselves typical features of Logo microworlds and inspiring support for on-line cooperation. We then analyze in detail our collaborative Imagine microworlds along four dimensions of their development. We specify means for establishing and maintaining on-line connection among any number of participants. We study tools for sending and receiving items (data, active characters with their behaviours, instructions etc.). We reflect on what can be shared by two or more participants in a collaborative activity. We examine all possible operations with common and private characters of a participant from the collaboration point of view. Our goals in this research and development are to:

1. Better understand potential the interfaces for on-line collaboration offer to support the learning process,
2. Place our Imagine Logo microworlds into context of other related applications,
3. Build a detailed map of all aspects important for their development (i.e., build a framework for the development),
4. Present the observations from our long-range experimental development and evaluation of the collaborative environments,
5. Point out how simple and natural it is (in the academic surroundings) to develop small and yet powerful collaborative microworlds—built for instance for immediate need in a classroom—with exceptional potential for interaction and openness.

Most of all, however, we want to motivate the endeavour to overcome all obstacles connected with the integration of on-line cooperation into children’s learning.     

The effectiveness of educational technology applications for enhancing mathematics achievement in K-12 classrooms: A meta-analysis

The present review examines research on the effects of educational technology applications on mathematics achievement in K-12 classrooms. Unlike previous reviews, this review applies consistent inclusion standards to focus on studies that met high methodological standards. In addition, methodological and substantive features of the studies are investigated to examine the relationship between educational technology applications and study features. A total of 74 qualified studies were included in our final analysis with a total sample size of 56,886 K-12 students: 45 elementary studies (N = 31,555) and 29 secondary studies (N = 25,331). Consistent with the more recent reviews, the findings suggest that educational technology applications generally produced a positive, though modest, effect (ES = +0.15) in comparison to traditional methods. However, the effects may vary by educational technology type. Among the three types of educational technology applications, supplemental CAI had the largest effect with an effect size of +0.18. The other two interventions, computer-management learning and comprehensive programs, had a much smaller effect size, +0.08 and +0.07, respectively. Differential impacts by various study and methodological features are also discussed.     

THE COLLABORATIVE COURSE: INNOVATIVE TEACHING AND LEARNING

Advances in information technology provide an opportunity for academic librarians and professors to offer innovative collaborative courses. The purpose of collaboration between a faculty member and a professional librarian is to integrate instruction in the course subject matter with bibliographic instruction. This integration promotes learning information acquisition skills and critical thinking, as well as the use of library resources. Research skills that students need in order to use contemporary information technology are included. The integration of those skills with the subject material of the course is described.

Two applications of freshman/sophomore level courses are discussed in the paper. Course rationale, topics, and course assignments are illustrated. It is argued that students must learn modern methods of acquiring information in order to make informed independent judgments and in order to achieve understanding in any particular discipline. Providing students with the skills required to achieve access to the ever‐widening body of available information is an essential requirement of contemporary liberal education. These skills are transferable to subsequent course work and will provide the basis for life‐long learning habits. The paper presents the argument that students' achievement of “library literacy” can be promoted by effective course collaboration between faculty members and professional librarians. Benefits and problems of such collaborative courses are also discussed.     

How features of educational technology applications affect student reading outcomes: A meta-analysis

The purpose of this review is to learn from rigorous evaluations of alternative technology applications how features of using technology programs and characteristics of their evaluations affect reading outcomes for students in grades K-12. The review applies consistent inclusion standards to focus on studies that met high methodological standards. A total of 84 qualifying studies based on over 60,000 K-12 participants were included in the final analysis. Consistent with previous reviews of similar focus, the findings suggest that educational technology applications generally produced a positive, though small, effect (ES = +0.16) in comparison to traditional methods. There were differential impacts of various types of educational technology applications. In particular, the types of supplementary computer-assisted instruction programs that have dominated the classroom use of educational technology in the past few decades were not found to produce educationally meaningful effects in reading for K-12 students (ES = +0.11), and the higher the methodological quality of the studies, the lower the effect size. In contrast, innovative technology applications and integrated literacy interventions with the support of extensive professional development showed more promising evidence. Although many more rigorous, especially randomized, studies of newer applications are needed, what unifies the methods found in this review to have great promise is the use of technologies in close connection with teachers’ efforts.     

Distance Artist: Building the Skills of Future Creatives. Developing Evidence‐Based Criteria for Global Virtual Team Tutoring and Management in Art and Design Education

This article reflects on six years of research activities in the field of long‐distance collaboration and more specifically on how creative virtual teams operate and respond to challenges set by emerging and developing technologies. Furthermore, it considers how to build, manage and shape a more inclusive virtual team, documenting the methodologies applied in each activity, the experiences of both tutors and students and the educational context in which the international study took place. The project set out with a methodology for observing, managing and developing the interaction dynamics between each creative team member involved in the design of activities and practice of delocalized teams. The project is positioned within the field of educational technology and identifies a set of operative recommendations aimed at educators so that remote creative collaborative work can result most effective. The article explores the potential of virtual teams supporting communication and design.     

Teachers talking: the role of collaboration in secondary schools in Bangladesh

Teacher collaboration and support given from one teacher to another, focused on improving teaching and learning in the classroom, are notable by their absence in secondary schools in Bangladesh. This article identifies a number of constraints to developing a collaborative culture including the difficulty of the curriculum, the perceived low ability of many students, the teachers' own educational background and contextual factors which influence teachers' motivation. It suggests that informal collaboration for mutual support has the potential to increase teacher motivation but that this will only be achieved through building more collaborative ways of working through formal programmes grounded in classroom observation. It questions the validity for Bangladesh teachers of the model of teacher development programmes focused on teacher collaboration which emphasise teaching the ‘perfect’ lesson and suggests that without attention to student learning such programmes are unlikely to lead to increased collaboration or improved teacher practice in schools.     

Ethical dilemmas in designing collaborative research: Lessons learned the hard way

In this article I use my own problematic experience as a well-intentioned educational researcher to highlight some of the dilemmas and complexities of collaboration with classroom teachers. Engaged in an otherwise pleasant and productive research project in partnership with a primary grade teacher, I experienced deep methodological difficulties linked to the ethical heart of collaborative research. Given that this model - university-based researchers entering into "collaborative" research relationships with classroom teachers - is becoming an increasingly prevalent strategy, it is important to consider fully the potential challenges and obstacles we might face in these relational research contexts.     

语义网格环境下的资源协同学习平台研究

网格计算技术为构建支持动态、开放、群体行为的跨组织大规模协作提供了良好的技术和环境支撑。在分析了语义网格相关的元数据描述、本体服务的基础上,构建了基于语义网格的教育资源协同平台体系结构,通过网格中间件技术和基于消息的发布/订阅(Pub/Sub)机制提供协同消息的发送和接收,实现协作支持服务功能,使用户获得真正所需要的资源。     

On the Logic and Process of Collaborative Innovation in Higher Vocational Education and Industrial Development

Abstract

Modern development of vocational education requires the joint participation of multiple departments and entities, and industry-education cooperation is a basic requirement. Against the backdrop of the third industrial revolution, cultivating skilled, innovative graduates and transforming the model of industrial technical innovation requires building a new, coordinated collaboration between higher vocational education and industrial development. From an open science perspective, collaboration between higher vocational education and industrial development takes place based on the basic inherent logic of entities’ heterogeneous innovative capabilities. Based on theoretical research and case studies, the collaboration between higher vocational education and industrial development must focus on establishing common visions for diverse industrial and educational entities, common interest foundations for school-enterprise microentities, and order parameters of collaborative frameworks and on establishing a long-lasting process for coordinating diverse school-enterprise entities, value integration, interest integration, resource integration, and collaborative implementation.