EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY

Chapter 15 page 342

CHAPTER 15

Collaborative Learning

Chapter Outline
y Reflecting on student thinking
y Collaborative learning: Goals, obstacles,
and productive processes
Goals of collaborative learning
Obstacles to effective collaborative learning
y Core processes of effective groups
Engagement
Positive interdependence
Mutual respect
Balanced participation
High-quality strategy use
Uptake of ideas
y Instructional methods for promoting
effective group processes
Using Rewards
Guided cooperation
Complex tasks
Scaffolding complex tasks
Preparing students for group work
Reducing status differences
What teachers should do as students
collaborate
Group size and composition
Summary
y Summary

Applied goals

Central theoretical ideas. You will learn ideas about goals

of collaborative learning and core processes in effective

collaborative groups that will be crucial to making group

work in your future classes effective. You will also learn

about potential problems in groups that you will want to

avoid.

Useful ways to structure group work. You will learn a

range of effective methods for implementing group work.

You will learn about research that bears on some of the key

decisions you will have to make, such as:

--who to put in groups

--how to set up the task

--how to encourage effective strategy use

--how to reduce status differences

--what to do while the groups are working

--how technology can help

You will also learn about why the instructional techniques

you learn about are effective.

What to strive for and what to look for in group work.

You will learn about what kind of talk and other processes

you should look for in group work, and what kinds of talk

and other processes you should try to promote. You will also

learn about how to evaluate teacher actions during

collaborative learning lessons.