Topic 3 - Learning in communities – networked collaborative learning - Reflections by Chamara
Topic 3 - Learning in communities – networked collaborative learning
Let me start my reflections by giving out
real-life experience related to networked collaborative learning. This might
not directly related to teaching but definitely a learning experience for
me.
So me and one of my collogue was asked to write two project proposals to
get funding for our post-doc research. we had to come up with a 12-page
document within two weeks that covers so many aspects related to the project
including comprehensive budgeting, time plan, companies, and how collaboration
is achieved between industry and academia. For both of us, it was the first
time we had to do such a task and did not know where to start and what
expectations to be full filled. The first thing we did was asking around from
our colleagues who also have written similar applications before. So we had a couple
of discussions with them and got their project proposals as a guide to help us
in writing. This gave us an accelerated start that ultimately helped us to
finish the proposal well within the deadline. In the proposal, we had to write
about our academic environment for about 2 pages. We both decided that we do
this part of the proposal together since it was common for both of us. The end
result was something that we would never have imagined. If we would have
written it individually, it would not have been this good. Working together
helps us to come up with nicely written two pages about our academic environment.
Sharing ideas, build upon someone's idea further, having a different
perspective on the same idea are some of the key benefits that could be achieved
by collaborative learning. The things you could do with one finger is
less than the things that you could do with all the fingers combined!
The simple experience that I shared above shows
the positive side of networked and collaborative learning. However, if you are
a teacher, and want the students to encourage to do networked collaborative
learning through group work, be prepared for some challenges. The articles by Jane & Christine
and Neus
& Margarida discuss this nicely. Most of the things that we discussed within
our PBL group as also in line with their findings. Infect PBL group is also fitting
to this collaborative learning. They highlight 7 key strategies that one could consider
to improve the quality of these group works. When relating to the ONL course
and PBL groups, I could see the teachers have thought about these strategies and
implement them in the ONL. Thus, we are able to function in a better way in
this course.
Indeed, collaborative learning can start with a simple act of seeking and looking around us without being inhibited. Thanks for sharing this great article by Jane and Christine where they touch upon key elements of instructional design and the challenges of creating effective study groups. Scaffolding communication, collaboration, cooperation and community are very well described in their article, and are truly key aspects of the continuum of involvement.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing Chamara, your example of successful collaboration shows perfectly a way in our world where complexity is high and the need of different perspectives gets more and more important to get things done. Complexity is increasing, and we are not able to handle our objectives alone any more. We should consider our attributions as what they are: One aspect of an issue, a question, a phenomenon. Ask your peers for their perspectives, ask experts of other fields for theirs. It will be eye-opening :-)
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