How Collaborative Learning is Reshaping Education

⁠Instructional Design and Content Creation

How Collaborative Learning is Reshaping Education

Evelyn Ogungbemi

November 21, 2023

Introduction

The 21st century demands that students move on from the era where they just have to memorize and regurgitate information. As the world becomes more interconnected and digital, educational approaches should evolve to keep students updated with the fast-changing trends.

Students need additional skills to keep up with the current pace since having just theoretical knowledge has become more undesirable than ever before. They should be able to analyze problems, think critically, and offer solutions to complex issues.

Collaboration, problem-solving, and critical-thinking are essential skills this generation needs to survive and provide value in these times. What better way to get started than introducing collaborative learning to the educational system?

Collaborative learning simply describes an educational technique that encourages students to learn by working together in groups. A group of two persons or more is set up to learn concepts, carry out assignments, and solve problems. They all try to understand difficult concepts and provide the solution to a problem/assignment they’ve been given.

In these groups, there should be no room for passivity. Each member is expected to express his/her ideas and opinions, understand the position of others, and work together to tackle difficult concepts.

With the active participation of every group member, they can achieve a deeper understanding of difficult concepts faster than they would if they worked solo.

In Africa, for example, collaborative learning is still in the process of gaining ground. However, some subtle forms of it exist. The schematics of this group of assigned projects vary from one institution to another, and it’s not exactly an integral or compulsory part of the current educational system.

Science students in secondary or tertiary institutions are usually given group assignments or tasks. They’re expected to study a topic and prepare a presentation. Usually, one or two persons are expected to present and represent the group; the supervisor can then either direct all questions to the representative or the entire group.

At VarsityScape, we are looking to modify this approach and integrate collaboration into online learning by encouraging active learning and deeper interactions between students and their instructors.

With VarsityScape, you get access to live sessions with instructors teaching on-demand content and you get the opportunity to both ask questions and share your views using the chat feature or even directly during the live sessions.

What is collaborative learning?

What are the benefits?

With collaborative learning, modern education births creative thinkers who are better equipped with skills to provide solutions to world problems:

Learning becomes an active process: Active learning is a more effective form of learning because it facilitates knowledge retention. Collaborative learning ensures each individual can make a presentation to explain their viewpoints and listen to others do so as well.
Critical thinking: Students must learn to think critically if they’d like to add value to the future workforce. Collaboration helps learners analyze information and adjust thoughts when met with roadblocks or inconsistencies. They are now able to take in new information and make meaning from it as quickly as possible.
Improves one’s listening and speaking skills: Active listening and clear communication are characteristic of collaborative learning so learners will immediately learn how to feel comfortable in any social environment and participate actively when necessary.
Improves knowledge retention: Since collaboration encourages students to acquire a better understanding of concepts, they can retain learned information for a longer period, especially because they are compelled to actively process information and share with others.
Develops leadership and self-management skills: During collaborative learning, students will have to organize, delegate tasks, and also explain concepts to their group members. These activities develop the ability to manage oneself and others as well.

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The many benefits of collaboration make it a worthy adventure for modern education. Active learning, better retention, cooperation, and the authentic relationships you form along the way are the very reasons collaborative learning is necessary for students everywhere.‍Good news! VarsityScape provides the perfect opportunity to get started. With live cohort-based sessions that are entirely interactive, learners gain access to quality curated content at their fingertips.‍Explore now- sign up to your preferred courses and get started today!

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