Collaboration in the school environment or outside of school can help students to develop interpersonal skills as well as 21st Century Skills. When people are in a successful collaborative environment, they are better able to recognize the weaknesses and strengths of others, to help find problem solutions, be more responsible for their downfalls, be active listeners, and give credit when others contribute. Sharing knowledge or working together in a collaborative environment encourages participants to see multiple perspectives, be a reliable team player, and manage priorities (Doyle, 2020). This collaborative knowledge sharing helps the students to take more ownership of their learning and enables the teacher to switch from a role of knowledge sharer to a facilitator. The teacher can learn from the students’ knowledge sharing to broaden their perspectives and address their own misunderstandings. To utilize time effectively in a collaborative learning environment, students must be willing to use open communication, come together to decide on project strategies and goals, apologize when mistakes are made, acknowledge others’ contributions, and address obstacles cooperatively (Doyle, 2020). Students also reap the benefits of increasing their skills of active listening and communication (nonverbal, written, and verbal) (Doyle, 2020). Students can increase their diversity respect by learning about others religious and ethic backgrounds, learning about their viewpoints, discussing expectations and strengths, and having discussions as a group in an equal way (Doyle, 2020).
Collaborative knowledge sharing helps students to fix misconceptions and rectify misunderstandings. This can be considered a type of peer learning (Cornell University: Center for Teaching Innovation, n.d.). Deeper thinking is developed through peer learning because it is engaging, social, student-owned, and contextual. Students taking an active part in contributing to their learning helps to develop faculty-student interaction, increased student responsibility and self-esteem, higher-level thinking (leadership, verbal communication, and self-management), diverse perspective understanding, and employment and social situations (Cornell University: Center for Teaching Innovation, n.d.).
Doyle, Alison. (26 June 2020). What Are Collaboration Skills? Retrieved on 9 June 2021. https://www.thebalancecareers.com/collaboration-skills-with-examples-2059686
Cornell University: Center for Teaching Innovation. (n.d.). Collaborative Learning. Retrieved on 9 June 2021. https://teaching.cornell.edu/teaching-resources/engaging-students/collaborative-learning
It’s definitely important to mention that teachers are learning from the students. I think that when most people think of collaborative environments, they automatically think of students learning from each other or students learning from the teacher. We, as teachers gain just as much knowledge from our students as they (hopefully) gain from us!
I think this past year was proof that teachers can learn from students too! I know my students helped me through some of the technology challenges!
Kaitlin and Professor Casciole, yes, it is so true! I have a few kiddos that love to tell me facts (one about ocean animals and two tell me facts about insects). My assistant and I learn so much from them! Besides that, we learn so many other things that cannot be put into words, like patience, thinking outside of the box, and so forth!
Great points! I think that being able to see a situation from multiple perspectives is so important. With today’s technology, students are seeing not just their peer’s perspectives but perspectives of anyone in the world. Students can really increase their diversity respect because of this. Some of my classes aren’t very diverse (The male to female ratio in Computer Science is very lopsided). With a collaborative environment, student are able to see those other perspectives.