Introduction to Workshop
Go through the schedule, learning objectives and activities.
Ask participants to reflect about what they're experiencing as they perform the activities.

• Activity: Cross-Grouping, "Work on a Blackboard" and peer evaluation (about 90 min).

  Define collaboration and contrast with cooperative learning.
  
  Collaborative Learning is an approach to teaching and learning in which students are required to work together in the learning process, and to reach a consensus through negotiation to accomplish group tasks (Bruffee 1993 cited McAlpine 2000).
  Cooperative learning means non-competitive learning, in which the reward structure encourages students to work together to accomplish a common end. Collaborative learning is always cooperative but takes students one step further: to a point where they must confront the issue of power and authority implicit in any form of learning but usually ignored. Collaborative learning always takes both the student and the teacher into "enemy territory"; cooperative learning generally maintains traditional boundaries.
  

  Article comparing Collaborative and Cooperative Learning

  1. Refer to the concept of roles.
     Roles can include:
  • A reporter or spokeserson
  • A recorder who writes the text as directed by the group
  • A facilitator who keeps the group running smoothly
  • A document keeper who gathers and returns materials as needed
    
    Also participants should consider the roles that we assume during the collaborative process and base their peer evaluation to some extent on how well these roles were taken up and fulfilled by group members :-
    
    • Decomposing refers to the job of splitting the given problem into tasks
    • Defining refers to proposing a goal from a task
    • Critiquing means countering the hypothesis proposed by a peer with an alternative hypothesis
    • Reviewing is the process of summarizing the actions taken in the collaborative session for a particular goal
    • Referencing is the job of providing facts and related material whenever requested by a peer.
  2. Explain the process of cross-grouping (illustrate on whiteboard with circles).
     
     Explain that facilitators (George and Eilean) are available to answer questions if required but that otherwise they will not intervene. Break into 3 or 4 groups.
     Hand out readings on "Mechanisms and conditions for collaborative learning".
     Groups will work at their own pace, and facilitators will let them know when to cross-over (5min warning before cross-over).
  3. After returning to their original groups they are given a group task to undertake. This is based upon a strategy termed "Work on a Blackboard" (about 30 min). Participants divide into groups and come up with a visual representation of the various collaborative learning mechanisms and discussions that they discussed while cross grouping. Facilitators to use the "Cross-over" circles as an example of a "visual representation". When each group has done visual representations of two mechanisms at play in collaborative learning then the participants are now asked to peer review the performance of the group.
  4. General class discussion follows that considers the difficulties involved in assessing collaborative learning activities.

Outcome of this activity: Participants are introduced to the concept of cross-grouping and "work on a blackboard". The various theories regarding the mechanisms of collaborative learning are examined and discussed at length. Difficulties of assessment are considered and the use of peer evaluation is investigated.