Course:PSYC208TM/Benefits of Collaborative Learning

What is Collaborative Learning?

Collaborative learning is based on groups or teams of learners working together to solve authentic problems by completing assignments or presentations together. Collaborative learning is a social act where students in a team discuss issues amongst themselves, helping each other understand a concept. Communicating allows team members to present new ideas, suggest improvements, or raise any questions about the nature of work they are to complete together. Most importantly, every member is actively engaged.

What are the Benefits?

Collaborative learning has many benefits for you right now. The following is a list of potential benefits (Hargreaves, 2007; Rau & Heyl, 1990):

• Reinforces knowledge by articulating concepts to peers.
• Increases self-efficacy and confidence.
• Sharpens communication and social interaction skills.
• Helps you achieve beyond your own capacity.
• Allows a diversity of views on assignments.
• Develops higher-level and critical thinking skills.
• Increases your accountability to others.
• Builds positive peer relationships.

Collaborative learning also provides you with experiences that can be helpful in your future career.

The following lists some examples of skills developed from working in a team that can benefit you when you enter the work force (University of British Columbia, 2010).

• Working with different types of people and personalities
• Leadership
• Communication
• Conflict resolution
• Time management
• Peer review and editing
• Networking
• Online tool use (i.e. online communication tools)

What specifically can you learn from a team project?

Learning with colleagues in your class in a team-based environment can help you meet a variety of learning objectives that are useful for success now and in your career. Below is a chart of some of the learning objectives that are often achieved through collaborative team learning. Learning and collaborating within a team can be instrumental in understanding new concepts and being able to apply course content to assignments or real-world situations.

Example Learning Objectives
Develop basic skills such as writing, grammar, and editing How? You can proofread and peer edit each other’s work improving your own writing and grammar.
Understand complicated concepts and principles that you encounter How? Discussing new concepts with peers will help you construct your own understanding of a topic as you explain it and compare it with others’ understanding.
Enhance problem-solving skills How? Working on an assignment with your peers allows you to come together as a group and discuss the problems that you encounter. Thinking of solutions with suggestions from other people will be a lot easier than solving everything alone. Additionally, when conflicts arise within your team, you will further improve your skills in alleviating conflicts. Peer feedback “allows students to explore other students’ thinking and articulate their own thinking more clearly” (Sibley & Parmelee, 2008).
Accept and understand different perspectives & value diversity How? Through collaboration with your peers, you will hear different perspectives and views on certain issues. By being open to each other’s diverse opinions you will be able to refine your opinion and understanding.
Improve communication skills How? By working on a team assignment, you will need to clearly articulate your ideas and understanding to others, which will sharpen your communication skills. When students present ideas to their peers, they have to defend their decisions and explain to those who may question their decision making process. Communicating in teams helps students reach “a higher-level of reasoning, encourage divergent thinking, foster creativity, and promote long-term retention” (Sibley & Parmelee, 2008)
Assess a certain amount of resource material within a constrained amount of time How? Critically evaluating resource material can take time. However, if you and your team members each evaluate a certain number of resources for your assignment (i.e. sharing the task), you can evaluate a higher number of resources in a limited time.
Improving Peer Evaluation skills How? When students finish a project or an assignment, doing a peer evaluation will help students learn how to evaluate other people honestly and give constructive feedback based on their performance. This will help the individual succeed in the work force in the future because it will familiarize them with how to evaluate other people they work with. }