Teaching collaborative skills with a group leader computer tutor

This paper discusses how a group leader computer tutor may aid students in learning collaborative skills in a co-operative learning environment. However, students need to learn collaborative skills and practice using them. The group leader computer tutor discussed in this paper is designed on the principles of co-operative learning, intelligent tutoring systems and computer-supported collaborative work within an intelligent collaborative learning system (ICLS). The group leader aims to facilitate group work on the task level and to teach students how to use collaborative skills in the discussion level as students work on networked computers in the Jigsaw method of co-operative learning. The ICLS and its group leader were used by two classes at a liberal arts university. Qualitative research shows that the students' co-operative attitudes changed and academic achievement improved from pre- to post-treatment. Students, especially, used the communication skill of openness in comment type discussions. The students enjoyed working collaboratively through the ICLS and their teachers thought that the experience was valuable for them.     

Primary children's management of themselves and others in collaborative group work: ‘Sometimes it takes patience …’

We focus on children's approaches to managing group work in classrooms where collaborative learning principles are explicit. Small groups of 8–10 year olds worked on collaborative science activities using an interactive whiteboard. Insubsequent interviews, they spoke of learning to ‘be patient’ and ‘wait’, for multiple social and technical reasons. Conclusions are drawn about how children's dialogue during and after lessons constitutes and develops their collective capacities to deal with frustrations and problems arising for themselves and others. Attention to children's thinking and language about managing group work should promote their future success in collaborative learning.     

Fostering Students’ Collaborative Learning Competencies and Professional Conduct in the Context of Two Gross Anatomy Courses in Veterinary Medicine

Collaborative learning has been used in anatomy courses to support students’ learning of challenging topics but the success of group work depends significantly on the students’ ability to communicate in a professional manner. Veterinary students’ experiences with tasks related to collaborative learning and professional conduct were studied by comparing learning collaborative competences and pedagogy, as well as perceived positive and challenging aspects, in two gross anatomy courses. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected from students’ experiences of course assignments and collaboration, as well as from self-evaluated collaboration competence development. Trying things out oneself, practical application and professional conduct were positively highlighted particularly in the first-year course (myology and arthrology) group work and learning from others more in the second year (topographical anatomy). Various group work challenges, often relating to practical matters or communication, were the key concerns for students. The main difference between the two courses in learning of collaborative knowledge work competencies appeared to relate to the nature of the group work assignment. The topography course included the element of collaboration in preparing a presentation and teaching session for the rest of the class. Interestingly, students on the myology and arthrology course gave more positive comments on professional conduct than the students on the topography course despite the fact that the latter course included more practical elements relating to their future profession.     

Exploratory talk in the early years: analysing exploratory talk in collaborative group activities involving younger learners

Collaborative group work has the potential for providing rich opportunities for children to learn through talk with peers; however, in practice, little effective engagement in learning is observed within authentic learning contexts. Exploratory talk is associated with high levels of cognitive challenge within collaborative group work. Detailed observations of collaborative interactions which took place during activities in authentic learning contexts in Reception and Year 3 classes were analysed to identify exploratory talk episodes and to gain insights into the factors contributing to their development. This study makes a theoretical contribution to understanding the nature of exploratory talk in the early years and provides insights into the form that scaffolding of exploratory talk can take in authentic learning contexts.     

Theoretical and pedagogical perspectives on orchestrating creativity and collaborative learning

The role of teacher is increasingly related to designing and arranging collaborative learning situations in which fruitful and creative group work may occur. This thematic review presents recent studies on creativity and collaborative learning from the perspective of the teacher as conductor of learning processes. The precondition for the design and orchestration of these kinds of learning situations is analysing and understanding of creative and collaborative processes and their contextual adaption. Thus, the first section of this review focuses on the theoretical vantage points of creativity and collaborative learning mainly from socio-cultural perspective. Based on this theoretical grounding, the second section describes principles for orchestrating productive collaborative learning and supporting creativity from the teacher’s perspective. We discuss three dimensions related to how teachers can bring about collaborative learning and creativity: (1) general pedagogical bases, (2) teachers’ pre- and real-time activities and (3) opportunities and challenges for teacher activities. The review is concluded with theoretical and practical implications regarding collaborative learning and creativity.     

The relationship between task structure and collaborative group interactions in a synchronous peer interaction collaborative learning environment for a course of Physics

Although collaborative group work is used by many instructors as a useful educational tool, there is much room for research on how learning actually occurs within collaborative learning environments. This paper attempts to explore the relationship(if any) between task structure and collaborative group interactions in a synchronous peer interaction collaborative learning environment. For this reason, we used the Cmap during a Physics course for Grade 12 students. This paper compares two groups of students, one studying concept maps with single answer task, and the other studying concept maps with variable answer task. The aim of the study presented in this article is to also investigate the influence of task structure on students’ interactivity according to certain indicators and cognitive performance.     

Social effects of collaborative learning in primary schools

There is conflicting evidence on whether collaborative group work leads to improved classroom relations, and if so how. A before and after design was used to measure the impact on work and play relations of a collaborative learning programme involving 575 students 9–12 years old in single- and mixed-age classes across urban and rural schools. Data were also collected on student interactions and teacher ratings of their group-work skills. Analysis of variance revealed significant gains for both types of relation. Multilevel modelling indicated that better work relations were the product of improving group skills, which offset tensions produced by transactive dialogue, and this effect fed through in turn to play relations. Although before intervention rural children were familiar with each other neither this nor age mix affected outcomes. The results suggest the social benefits of collaborative learning are a separate outcome of group work, rather than being either a pre-condition for, or a direct consequence of successful activity, but that initial training in group skills may serve to enhance these benefits.     

Team regulation, regulation of social activities or co-regulation: Different labels for effective regulation of learning in CSCL

Computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) is an approach to learning in which learners can actively and collaboratively construct knowledge by means of interaction and joint problem solving. Regulation of learning is especially important in the domain of CSCL. Next to the regulation of task performance, the interaction between learners who work in a CSCL environment needs to be regulated as well. Despite its importance, the regulation of learning in CSCL has received relatively little attention in research. In the contributions of this special issue different labels are used for various forms of regulation of learning during CSCL. During collaborative learning, the regulation of activities can take place at different levels of social interaction: the individual level, the dyadic level, and the group level. Regulative activities of all three levels are presented in the three studies. All studies have investigated whether the use of regulative activities affected performance, and have found that regulation at the dyadic and/or group level was positively related to group performance. In sum, these three contributions provide a constructive overview of the role of regulation of the (collaborative) learning process in CSCL, both in terms of the impact of regulation on learning processes and learning results as well as the influence of different kinds of support on the regulation of collaborative learning.     

Collaborative science activities and the social construction of understanding of physical science concepts by pre-service teachears in Fiji

The research reported was part of a larger study that was founded on the belief that the introduction of a teaching style informed by a constructivist view of teaching and learning and utilising collaborative group work would improve the understanding of science concepts held by pre-service primary teacher education studients in Fuji. It sought to test this belief, and to explore whether such an approach would be effective for students from different ethnic groups. Two intact classes in a teachers' college studied a physical science unit, one class being involved in extensive collaborative group activities and the other, the comparison group, being taught in the usual transmissive fashion. An interpretive methodology was adopted, involving a range of data sources and analytical techniques. Data presented here support the claim that the collaborative group work stimulated increased levels of discussion and fostered deeper conceptual understanding. There were, however, some unexpected learning outcomes for some students. Implications for science education in Fiji and similar locations are discussed.     

Computer Conferencing: An Environment for Collaborative Project-Based Learning in Distance Education

In this experimental study two independent variables were manipulated. Each was associated with online collaborative learning in a distance education context. One of these (group formation strategy) addresses one of the early decisions that must be made in forming groups for collaborative project work. The second (levels of tutor intervention) relates to the on-going process of group management in a computer-mediated environment. An additional independent variable (type of collaborative project) served as a within-group factor in the design. Two measures of individual achievement (final exam scores and idea units) and a measure of group dynamics served as dependent variables. Prior academic achievement (current grade point average) served as a covariate in the analysis of the achievement data. There were no differences across the two types of projects, but two slightly different interaction patterns emerged from the analysis of the achievement data. In general, however, these results favored the random assignment of students to collaborative groups (as contrasted with allowing students to pick their own partners) and the introduction of low tutor intervention during the course of project work. Two main effects emerged from an analysis of the group dynamics data, one of which supports the random assignment strategy. Because of these findings, it is difficult to suggest a totally unambiguous strategy for formulating and managing online collaborative project work. However, some tentative suggestions are advanced. Some guidelines for online collaborative learning are provided.     

Collaborative solving of information problems and group learning outcomes in secondary education / Resolución colaborativa de problemas informacionales y resultados de aprendizaje grupal en la educación secundaria

This research focuses on the study of the processes of collaborative solving of information problems and their impact on group learning outcomes. Forty-nine pairs of students solved three learning tasks with learning goals of increasing complexity: information selection, information interpretation, and interrelating concepts. We analysed two types of data: group work processes and group learning outcomes. The group work processes were assessed using eight dimensions, and group learning outcomes were evaluated in two ways: quality of the group written product, and shared correct knowledge. Findings reveal the significant influence of some aspects of the group work processes (such as searching for information, processing information, shared task regulation, the construction of shared knowledge, and emotional climate) in the group learning outcomes. Results also show that this influence is most evident in tasks with more complex learning demands. Finally, some educational proposals for school education are provided.     

基于知识生成的工作场所学习

工作场所学习作为一种有别于传统"学校本位教育"的学习方式,发生在工作场所之中,其内涵经历了知识技能观、交互观、过程观和混合观四个阶段的发展演化。伴随新媒体技术在工作场所中的应用与普及,工作场所学习的内涵发生了新的变化:工作学习一体化、集体知识群建共享、工作学习内容生成而非预设等。知识生成视角下的工作场所学习是工作场所学习的高级形式,它的提出是以知识生成隐喻为基础,强调集体知识库的生成、虚实结合的协作交流与分享、学习者之间的交流与互动。学习元平台作为一种能够支持协同创建、内容生成以及语义关联的知识社区,可以支持虚实结合的工作场所学习方式,实现知识与技能获得、参与工作任务、知识系统化生成三个阶段的学习。     

‘One girl had a different idea’: children’s perspectives on learning and teaching models in the traditional classroom

ABSTRACT

This paper explores learning from the perspective of primary pupils in Egypt. The article explores models of learning and teaching and how pupils respond to traditional models and to changes within those. Qualitative data was collected from 57 interviews with 81 primary pupils in Alexandria, Egypt. Our research approach was interpretivist and our method was individual interview and observation. Teachers had introduced for the first time the practice of group and/or pair-work in the English language classroom. Following this change, pupils described their learning as benefiting from: peer support; exercising self-direction; participating more actively; and enjoyment of collaborative work. These findings accord with the research literature on collaborative learning. We conclude that even in traditional sites of learning, children appreciate aspects of collaborative learning.     

The Effectiveness of Collaborative Augmented Reality in Gross Anatomy Teaching: A Quantitative and Qualitative Pilot Study

In the context of gross anatomy education, novel augmented reality (AR) systems have the potential to serve as complementary pedagogical tools and facilitate interactive, student-centered learning. However, there is a lack of AR systems that enable multiple students to engage in collaborative, team-based learning environments. This article presents the results of a pilot study in which first-year medical students (n = 16) had the opportunity to work with such a collaborative AR system during a full-day gross anatomy seminar. Student performance in an anatomy knowledge test, conducted after an extensive group learning session, increased significantly compared to a pre-test in both the experimental group working with the collaborative AR system (P < 0.01) and in the control group working with traditional anatomy atlases and three-dimensional (3D) models (P < 0.01). However, no significant differences were found between the test results of both groups. While the experienced mental effort during the collaborative learning session was considered rather high (5.13 ± 2.45 on a seven-point Likert scale), both qualitative and quantitative feedback during a survey as well as the results of a System Usability Scale (SUS) questionnaire (80.00 ± 13.90) outlined the potential of the collaborative AR system for increasing students' 3D understanding of topographic anatomy and its advantages over comparable AR systems for single-user experiences. Overall, these outcomes show that collaborative AR systems such as the one evaluated within this work stimulate interactive, student-centered learning in teams and have the potential to become an integral part of a modern, multi-modal anatomy curriculum.     

Student Collaboration in Group Work: Inclusion as Participation

Group work is an educational mode that promotes learning and socialisation among students. In this study, we focused on the inclusive processes when students work in small groups. The aim was to investigate and describe students’ inclusive and collaborative processes in group work and how the teacher supported or impeded these transactions. Social Interdependence Theory was utilised as the theoretical perspective overarching the study. The observational data employed were collected by video-recording group work. A part of Black-Hawkins framework of participation was used to define inclusion and for the analysis of inclusive and collaborative processes. The results suggest that students’ active participation in the discussions around the group work structures and analytical discussions, together with the teacher’s more defined feedback and avoidance of the traditional authoritative role, are examples of prerequisites for group work to be enacted in an inclusive manner.     

A single-display groupware collaborative language laboratory

Language learning tools have evolved to take into consideration new teaching models of collaboration and communication. While second language acquisition tasks have been taken online, the traditional language laboratory has remained unchanged. By continuing to follow its original configuration based on individual work, the language laboratory fails to take advantage of the potential provided by collaborative learning. We propose the use of a language laboratory based on single-display groupware (SDG) for learning vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, and listening comprehension. By adopting SDG, the language laboratory benefits from the advantages of small group collaborative learning. In this paper, we first describe the design and pedagogical merit of the SDG collaborative language laboratory. We then share the results of a quasi-experimental pre–post comparison study, and use an observation guideline to analyze whether the conditions for collaborative learning have been fulfilled. Based on the results of this study, we conclude that developing pronunciation skills can be more effective when using a collaborative language laboratory versus an individual language laboratory. In addition to this, it can also be concluded that collaborative learning is most effective when accompanied by adequate instructional design.     

Social presence and virtual collaborative learning processes in higher education / Presencia social y procesos de aprendizaje colaborativo virtual en educación superior

The concept of social presence proposed in studies on communities of inquiry has highlighted both the importance and the challenges of integrating aspects such as affective and relational expressions among team members while solving collaborative learning tasks, in order to advance in a global comprehension of learning processes. This paper presents a theoretical and methodological proposal for tackling this issue from a socio-cultural perspective by analysing the participants’ discourse in relation to expressions of self-competence (at an individual and group level) concerning the task and group cohesion (task cohesion and social cohesion). This proposal’s potential is illustrated by the empirical results of a case study that analyses social presence during a collaborative work task by university students using the Moodle learning platform.     

Learning about friction: group dynamics in engineering students’ work with free body diagrams

In educational research, it is well-known that collaborative work on core conceptual issues in physics leads to significant improvements in students’ conceptual understanding. In this paper, we explore collaborative learning in action, adding to previous research in engineering education with a specific focus on the students’ use of free body diagrams in interaction. By looking at details in interaction among a group of three engineering students, we illustrate how they collectively construct a free body diagram together when learning introductory mechanics. In doing so, we have focused on both learning possibilities and the dynamic processes that take place in the learning activity. These findings have a number of implications for educational practice.     

Tensions in equity- and reform-oriented learning in teachers' collaborative conversations

This paper explores how teachers' collaborative conversations afford and constrain their learning opportunities, through the close analysis of an interaction between equity-oriented mathematics teachers who were working together. The analysis reveals that although the group seemed like an ideal professional learning community in many ways, the teachers were frequently caught in tensions between restrictive and inclusive discourses about mathematical competence. The existence of these tensions presented opportunities for the teachers to learn, but teachers' framings of their own collaborative work stifled these opportunities. This paper contributes to understanding the challenges of equity- and reform-oriented learning in teachers' professional communities.     

WWW-Based Environments for Collaborative Group Work

Since 1994, we have been involved in the design and use of a series of WWW-based environments to support collaborative group work for students in a technical university in The Netherlands. These environments, and the course re-design that accompanies each new environment, began in April 1994 and continue to the present (March 1998). What are the major issues emerging from this stream of experiences? What are the major lessons we have learned about the design and deployment of WWW-based environments to support collaborative learning in project groups in higher education? How has HCI (human-computer interaction) research informed our work? These questions will be addressed in this paper. One conclusion is that HCI research needs to become more focused on supporting HHD (human-human dialogue) than on human- computer interaction in order to better support collaborative learning in higher education. © IFIP, published by Kluwer Academic Publishers