Bruna's+Essay

Collaboative Learning: the perspective of the knowledge construction

The Collaborative Learning working in groups in which they will research some topic trying to find solutions and creating their own knowledge. However, use this perspective can bring some challenges not only for teachers but also for students. In my opinion, the big challenge in this proposes resides in the acceptation of different functions and roles assumed by teachers and students. Once overcome this challenge is possible to use Collaborative Learning in the process of learning and teaching.

First of all is necessary to conceptualize Collaborative Learning. According to Barbara L. Smith and Jean T. MacGregor, “Collaborative learning is an umbrella term for a variety of educational approaches involving joint intellectual effort by students, or students and teachers together." (1992, p. 1). In this perspective students work in groups researching and constructing their own knowledge. But in Collaborative Learning there is a reconfiguration of roles, fact that can interfere in the process of teaching and learning.

The teacher is just a coach to the students, he has to guide the students in the way to an have intelectual experiences, searching for the best way to construct their knowledge. On the other hand, students become the real charge of their learning. So, Collaborative Learning comprises some assumptions about learning, one of them is the learning as an active process. This assumption considers that students have to work actively to create something new. For me this is really an important fact. When I have to write an essay about a topic that I even don't know, for example, if I read just one article it still will be a totally unknow topic to me because what I know is somebody opinion and not my own.To construct my own viewpoint about the topic I will have to search for as much information as possible. When the student try to construct his own knowledge, this process become much more meaningfull.

In Collaborative Classrooms the teacher has to stimulate the students in the learning process and make all of them interact to each other. Barbara L. Smith and Jean T. MacGregor says that "Learning is inherently social" (1992, p.2). It is similar to a soccer team training where the coach guide the players and they have to find harmony inside field to win the game. Thus, Collaborative Learning requires social and intellectual involvement.

There is some tools very used in Collaborative Classrooms as Wiki and Web2.0. A wiki is a collaborative website which the content can be edited by the visitors of the site.The Web2.0 involves a variety of technologies as blogs and wikis. It is a facilitating tool once it allows users to be criative and edit other person's work. However, it presents the possibility of online classes, so in Collaborative Classrooms it is not necessary to have a physical meeting. Teacher and students can communicate amongst themselves between internet at the same time in different places.

This deconstruction of the classroom as a physical place can be a problem to some traditional students and teachers once it proposes a completely new concept of teaching and learning. This fact added to the changes in teacher and student's roles is what can create difficulties when using Collaborative Learning. This way is important to highlight the benefits of working with online classes.

Online C lasses can be accessed from anywhere with internet sign. People don't have to go out home and can also be in touch with your colleagues and teacher at the same time. The internet have a big variety of materials and people don't have to go until one library and look at a lot of books. People can make how many modifications in their works and documents as necessary in a short time. All these facts facilitate the Collaborative Learning.

Work on this proposal can be not e asy because it involves traditional concepts and methods still very used in our society, but Collaborative Work comes to break paradigms and present a new perspective of learning, the learning that can be constructed and where teaching and students have to stay together and be responsible for their own knowledge.

REFERENCES
 * SMITH, Barbara L. and MacGREGOR, Jean T. // What is Collaborative Learning // . 1992.
 * PARKER, Kevin R. and CHAO, Joseph T. //Wiki as a Teaching Tool.// 2007

Marina's suggestions:

"On the other hand students become the real charge of their learning." I think you should change charge for another word.(third paragraph) "Teacher and students can communicate themselves between internet at the same time in different places." I think you coul change the order between "themselves and between"(fifth paragraph) You should change one of the last sentences from paragraph 1 or 2 because they are very alike and try to not repeat the words.

Besides that your essay is great,I love it. You really understood the whole concept and also you explained it very well.

Best.

Collaboative Learning: the perspective of knowledge construction

The Collaborative Learning working in groups in which they have to find solution s and create their own knowledge. However, this perspective can bring some challenges not only for teachers but also for students. In my opinion, the big challenge is to accept different functions and roles assumed by teachers and students. When possible to us e Collaborative Learning in the process of learning and teaching.

According to Barbara L. Smith and Jean T. MacGregor, “Collaborative learning is an umbrella term for a variety of educational approaches involving joint intellectual effort by students, or students and teachers together." (1992, p. 1). In this perspective students work in groups researching and constructing their own knowledge. Collaborative Learning is a reconfiguration of roles, fact that can interfere in the process of teaching and learning.

The teacher is just a coach to the students, he has to guide the students in the way to an have intelectual experiences, searching for the best way to construct their knowledge. Otherwise, students become responsibles for their learning. So, Collaborative Learning comprises some assumptions about learning, one of them is the learning as an active process. This assumption considers that students have to work actively to create something new. For me this is really an important fact. When I have to write an essay about a topic that I even don't know, for example, if I read just one article it still will be a totally unknow topic to me because what I know is somebody opinion and not my own.To construct my own viewpoint about the topic I will have to search for as much information as possible. When the student try to construct his own knowledge, this process can be much more meaningfull.

In Collaborative Classrooms the teacher has to stimulate the students in the learning process and make all of them interact with each other. Smith and MacGregor says that "Learning is inherently social" (1992, p.2). It is similar to a soccer team training where the coach guide the players and they have to find harmony inside field to win the game. Thus, Collaborative Learning requires social and intellectual involvement.

There are some tools used in Collaborative Classrooms as Wiki. A wiki is a collaborative website which the content can be edited by the visitors of the site.The Web2.0 involves a variety of technologies as blogs and wikis. It is a facilitating tool once it allows users to be creative and edit other person's work. However, it presents the possibility of online classes, so in Collaborative Classrooms it is not necessary to have a physical meeting. Teacher and students can communicate amongst themselves trough internet at the same time in different places.

This deconstruction of the classroom as a physical place can be a problem to some traditional students and teachers once it proposes a completely new concept of teaching and learning. This fact added to the changes in teacher and student's roles is what can create difficulties when using Collaborative Learning. It is also important to highlight the benefits of working with online classes.

Online classes can be accessed from anywhere, people don't have to go out and can also be in touch with their colleagues and teacher at the same time. Besides that the internet has a big variety of materials. People can make many modifications in their works and documents as necessary in a short time. All these facts facilitate Collaborative Learning.

This proposal cannot be easy because it involves traditional concepts and methods still very used in our society, but Collaborative Work comes to break paradigms and present a new perspective of learning, the learning that can be constructed and where teachers and students have to stay together and be responsible for their own knowledge.