– Saurabh Modi, Founder-Chairman, Neerja Modi School, Jaipur
One of the foremost tenets of today’s classrooms is collaborative learning, which involves making students work in small groups to collaborate on projects, answer problems, and learn from one another.
The principle of collaborative learning or skill building is not new; a significant amount of the early research on collaborative learning, was conducted in the 1980s and 1990s, when the majority of classrooms preferred the traditional instructor lectures and individual student work. But as technology has progressed and society has learned to value teamwork increasingly, collaborative learning has become progressively prevalent. Furthermore, employers are looking for individuals with skills of decision-making, adaptability, problem-solving and team work which form the basis of collaborative learning.
One of the other very significant benefits of collaborative learning is learning collectively as a team. It has been demonstrated that collaborative learning helps students not only acquire higher order thinking abilities but also strengthens their self-assurance and self-esteem. Group projects can enhance learning by showcasing the subject matter and enhancing social and interpersonal skills. Along with developing their leadership abilities, students learn how to collaborate with different types of learners. Working together gives students a safety net; it propels their thoughts and enables them to explore ideas that may at first appear ludicrous. Peer-to-peer collaboration may take a simple concept and transform it into the beginnings of something amazing.
We must also not overlook the fact that collaborative learning nurtures the art of sharing. A valuable ability that comes young and carries over into adulthood and the workplace is the ability to collaborate with others and share ideas. However, not everyone finds it simple to exchange ideas, particularly when there is a complicated interplay between different personality traits, such as shyness, introvertist, talkative, reluctance to speak in front of a group, or people with stronger personalities who don’t let others participate. Students are able to be more tolerant of one another through collaborative learning, and all participants can successfully learn to share ideas with one another through cohesion and support.
Finally, collaborative learning and skill-building engenders empathetic citizens. We carry what we learn in childhood into adulthood. Collaborative practices ingrained in schools will equip students with personal and professional traits that will remain with them for life. The more people are equipped with collaborative attributes, the more progressive society will be.
Collaboration is at the heart of the comprehensive approach to education called phenomenon-based learning. It enhances constructivism and inquiry-based learning. This interdisciplinary approach shifts the emphasis of learning from discrete subjects to phenomena, subjects and events including life practises into a pedagogical framework.For instance a teacher might assign a task to a group of students to research and present the source of drinking and washing water in their community. Students would be able to collaborate and work independently as a result. Their communication abilities would be improved through teamwork and discussion. Additionally, practical exercises might aid in group learning for pupils. They might learn to share resources in real life as well through sharing tools and other components. As students would connect with peers outside of academics, school excursions might aid collaborative learning initiatives.
It’s crucial to keep in mind that successful collaborative learning is not always simple. It may take time for everyone involved and is not always easy to switch to a new type of learning experience. Schools must think of the shift to collaborative methods as a journey that management, teachers, students and parents will all take together. With time and progress, schools must continuously evaluate and improve methods to eventually develop an understanding of how collaborative learning operates most successfully.
Having said that, it’s not a difficult either. The brilliance of a collaborative method is that it provides such flexibility, allowing teachers to effectively group students together and then adjust and modify groups as they proceed. Collaboration provides a wide range of models for learning that may be tailored to fit situations.
Most significantly, a successful collaborative approach keeps the teaching-learning process in focus. Teachers are aware of the unique characteristics of each student and the significance of adapting their teaching to suit their individual learning preferences. Collaboration fits brilliantly to make sure that all perspectives and talents are considered, and there is still opportunity for the teachers to provide individualized teaching and direction.
