Module 4 – Instructional Techniques
Group Work
Collaborative Learning
Have you ever bounced ideas back and forth with another person and created a solution neither of you would have come up with on your own? That’s the principle behind collaborative learning – dialogue among equals to create new knowledge or solutions. When adults work together collaboratively, they share their understanding, opinions, and ideas as a group; it is assumed no one person has the “right answer.” Collaborative learning is most effective for discussion of issues that do not have a clear right or wrong answer or solution. Collaboration-based instructional activities build critical thinking and communication skills while exploring topics such as, “How does the US Constitution apply in our daily lives?” or “What can we do to improve our writing skills?”
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“I think …providing support for students goes far behind just being there as a teacher. Activities like [this group work] show students they can use each other and outside resources to help them succeed. The more the teacher can get students to talk it out with one another instead of simply asking the teacher, the better off they will be in the long run!” |
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“I will say to [the students] ‘Hey, we are a team. You don’t have to worry about this.’ I will say that to them, for example, in regard to the essay. …they are like ‘uh-oh,’ they really don’t want to write the essay. …I’ll say, ‘It’s me. It’s just me. You don’t have to worry about me. I’m on the same team you are.’ So when you write it, we sit down together - this is not something you have to worry about because we are a team.” |
Take a moment to consider the implications collaborative learning can have on instruction for adult literacy learners.
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On your worksheet, record your initial thoughts about collaborative learning. |
A key element of fostering collaborative learning is that you, the teacher, are a member of the collaborative learning group. Your role is that of a co-learner or co-facilitator. As a co-facilitator, you help the group to establish and maintain an environment that fosters trust, respect, openness, sharing, and support for the various viewpoints each person brings as a result of previous experiences. Generally, a group will not simply become collaborative. They will need guidance and instruction in specific skills such as active listening, effective communication, and criticizing ideas, not peers, etc. Collaborative relationships and groups grow over time. They will need greater support in the beginning, but in time, the learners themselves should become facilitators.
Listed below is a real-life adult education scenario. While you are reading, consider the thoughts and feelings of the learners involved. What techniques might the instructor use guide their collaborative learning?
Real-Life Scenario – Bill and Alice:
Bill and Alice are both adult learners focused on improving their reading skills, struggling to decipher the meaning of a short passage. Their instructor, Barbara, suggests they collaborate to discuss possible meanings and perhaps discover the author’s intent. She moves on to work with other students. When she returns to the pair, she finds them sharply divided – they have brainstormed ideas, but cannot agree on a meaning. Barbara explains that they aren’t trying to find a single correct answer, but to discuss possible answers, actively listen to one another’s viewpoints, and perhaps build on each other’s thoughts and ideas to discover additional meanings. Bill and Alice ask Barbara to join them and guide their discussion.
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On your worksheet, record your thoughts on the thoughts and feelings of the learners, as well as the concerns of the instructor. |
Click the + sign in the box to the right to see ideas from other Adult Education Instructors. | [?] |
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My role is like a rudder – to gently steer, remind, and guide the students’ discussions. When they are first starting out, I often take notes and “steer” by asking them to repeat or summarize others’ ideas or the group’s progress. Later facilitation and note-taking becomes the responsibility of the group – the students take turns – and I listen and participate as a learner as well. I always try to model the behaviors of a good collaborative group member.
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After a collaborative session we stop and reflect on how the group did on using certain skills – like using ‘I statements,’ or encouraging others’ participation, etc. We make notes on what we need to work on as a group, what we’re doing well, etc. As they become more comfortable, I bring new skills or strategies for them to try – like the conflict resolution process.
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I think the best way I allow learners to play a major role in their own learning is by encouraging dialogue during any learning process, it’s like …a work in progress. We talk through hard-to-understand concepts until everyone is on the same page. During this time, I might be drawing on the board, trying to make things clearer, or trying to think of new analogies to get the point across. It becomes a group effort, and we continue until the whole group comes to an understanding.
In reviewing these ideas, did you find any similar to your own? Did any of them strike you as particularly interesting? Did they provide any new insights for your instruction of adult literacy learners?
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On your worksheet, make note of any tips, insights, or new ideas gained from the instructors’ suggestions. |
In Summary:
- Collaborative learning assumes all participants are equals bringing important knowledge and strengths to a discussion.
- Based in dialogue, collaborative activities focus on exploring a new concept, examining different approaches to solving a problem, brainstorming, or analyzing important issues. In sharing their views and understanding, the team works to gain insights, discover solutions, and build new ideas.
- An adult literacy instructor should plan to act as co-facilitator, working with students to build important team and communication skills for effective group discussion and problem-solving.
- In more mature collaborative groups, adult learners will facilitate themselves, needing occasional guidance from the instructor, who is a full participant in the collaborative process.
- Remember that in adult education classrooms, learners have different needs and may be learning different skills; therefore, everyone might not be involved in a collaborative activity at the same time. Maybe only a part of the class is working in a small collaborative group while the rest are working independently or with a tutor.
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On your worksheet, record any final notes or thoughts, specific ideas you want to remember, plans for further study, etc. |
Click "Next" below or a specific topic on the outline to the left to continue.
1 M.B. Tinzmann, B.F. Jones, T.F. Fennimore, J. Bakker, C. Fine, and J. Pierce, What is the Collaborative Classroom? NCREL, Oak Brook, 1990 http://www.arp.sprnet.org/Admin/supt/collab2.htm