Collaborative learning...the first thing that comes to mind is GROUP PROJECT. I must say that I despise group projects. OH!...every time we had to do one in my undergrad course I wanted to scream. I hated the fact that my grade rested upon the shoulders of the slouched, barely awake, never contributes anything to class, "student" who happened to reside next to me the ENTIRE semester. Why, God? Why? It just felt so unnatural. This is not how we are supposed to learn. We are supposed to learn by lecture and papers and test...not by collaborating on a project that determines 70% of your final grade. For awhile I thought I was alone in my tormented thoughts. But...I found similar thoughts within the gems I like to refer to as English majors. None of us ever liked it when we were given a project. The farthest I got to liking a "group project" were the discussions that I experienced in my seminar classes. But guess what...?!!!
[insert drum roll]
Bruffee says that that is normal for those that are in humanistic study!!! There is light at the end of the tunnel. There has slowly been a pull to more and more collaborative learning within the classroom and I find that I am getting more and more accustomed to it. But I was just so pleased to know that someone actually recognized this fact!
3 comments:
I have always loathed group projects as well. I find the collaborative learning part informative; however, the dependency on others to complete their part frustrates me.
Working in group requires effort to understand differences in communication.
Comments from Rachel and others in class point to the downside of collaborative learning. We've all felt this way. Certainly group work is not appropriate for every learning situation. I find it works best when the group is asked to produce something that requires different skills. Otherwise, it is too easy for the group to let the person with the one necessary skill do all the work. Furthermore, group work is not effective when on one in the group has the skills or knowledge for the task. I also prefer smaller projects for groups instead of large semester projects.
My previous comment should have read "no one..." not "on one..." If I had been in a group with an editor, that wouldn't have happened. :-)
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