7105 Module 3 blog: Collaboration and constructivist principles – Tracy Snow
I do believe that humans have a basic instinct to “interact and work as a group”. For the most part people are at their best when they are working with other people. The sharing of ideas and clarification of problems makes projects easier to tackle. Rheingold (2009) talked about a new form of wealth in the form of collective action. People work well together than alone. The goals of constructivist is to problem solve, reason, critical thinking, and active and reflective use of knowledge (Driscoll, 2005). The constructivist conditions should embed learning in realistic environments; provide for social negotiation; support multiple modes of representation; and nurture self awareness (Driscoll, 2005). Technology facilitates collaboration of this by way of online learning. Social learning or learning as part of a group is an important way to help students gain experience in collaboration and develop important skills in critical thinking, self-reflection, and co-construction of knowledge (Brindley, Walti, & Blaschke, 2009).
Resources:
Driscoll, M. (2005). Psychology of learning for instruction. (Third edition). Boston, MA; Pearson Education, Inc.
Brindley. (2009). Creating Effective Collaborative Learning Groups in an Online Environment. http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/675/1271
paper ID: 241616132
Clarification:
ReplyDeleteThe research study that I found to support collaboration as an effective tool for learning can be found at http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/675/1271
I also ussed it as a resource.