Collaborative Learning

What is collaborative learning?

It is an approach to teaching and learning that involves groups of students working together to complete a task, solve a problem or create a product. Collaborative learning is based on the idea that learning is a naturally social act in which participants talk among themselves. It is based on the following principles:

Learning is an active process whereby students assimilate the information and relate the new knowledge to a framework of prior knowledge.
Learning requires a challenge that calls for the learner to engage actively with his/her peers, and to process and synthesise information rather than simply memorise and regurgitate it.
Learners benefit from exposure to diverse viewpoints from people with varied backgrounds and experiences.
Learning flourishes in a social environment where conversations between learners take place.
In the collaborative learning environment the students are challenged both socially and emotionally as they listen to different perspectives and are required to articulate and defend their ideas. In so doing the learner begins to create his own conceptual frameworks and not rely solely on an expert’s framework or a textbook.

In a collaborative learning setting learners are given opportunities to converse with peers, present and defend ideas, exchange different beliefs and question other conceptual frameworks. Collaborative learning can be incorporated into normal lesson periods in a variety of ways: the teacher may simply pose a question and ask students to discuss their ideas with a neighbour, or an activity may be planned to span several lessons and require a number of stages and resources.

Regardless of the approach taken, or the amount of time in a lesson given to collaborative learning, the aim is the same: to shift learning from a teacher-centred to a student-centred model.

Evidence for the relative effectiveness of teaching methods

Students learn more effectively (i.e. deep learning rather than shallow learning) if they are active rather than passive during the learning process. Learning by doing is generally more effective than learning by listening or reading, and when learning is by doing (using information to solve a problem) students are more likely to remember what they have learned, and are also more likely to process the information they are receiving and reflect on how they learned, especially if there are incentives for them to do this. Incentives include being able to see the relevance of what they are learning so that the information is seen in context and is connected. When students learn actively they are learning several skills at once, for example: finding and digesting information, as well as having to communicate and explain the information to others. Learning also requires feedback which encourages through constant checks telling us we are on the right track, providing input into the trial and error process and reassuring us that we are learning successfully. The motivation – wanting to learn – is not automatic in students. Needing to learn – for example to pass an exam, or learning to drive – can sometimes act as a powerful motivator too.

What are the key outcomes of learning?

Knowledge – of things, people, ideas, actions
Skills – with things, people, ideas and actions
Feelings and emotions – success, satisfaction, learning from mistakes
Ideas and strategies about learning
Motivation to learn more
A sense of oneself, including oneself as a learner
A sense of others and how to interact with them
A sense of membership of a community.

When learners together create a joint product and understanding they develop higher-order thinking skills, interpersonal skills, improved communication skills and management skills. The teacher’s role becomes less concerned with mundane tasks and more with higher-level enquiry.

What is collaborative learning?

Evidence for the relative effectiveness of teaching methods

What are the key outcomes of learning?

Further reading

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