Intentional Design

Collaborative Learning

It is all about working with others. This is the thinking behind the 5 I’s in the book The Magic of Making Training FUN! Even though collaborative learning has been called by many different names, the essence of it all remains stills the same, working together to achieve shared learning goals cost effectively. Whatever names, it maybe called; there are three essential features

1. Intentional Design
2. Co Labour
3. Meaningful Learning

Intentional Design

Having a group exercise if of no use unless and until the facilitator structures intentional learning activities for the learners. Very often, I have seen facilitators give a group exercise simply to break the monotone of a lecture. There is no purpose of alignment to the learning objectives. And, the learning gained is also not processed adequately. In today’s world where there are many ready-made prescriptions available, facilitators may structure learning activities by choosing a suitable one from a list of pre-structured activities. These have been sometimes called as frames too,

We will discuss the other two essential features of collaborative learning in tne next blog post.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Innovation

Making Innovation work for you I had the opportunity this morning to review Martin Lee’s article in the morning newspaper. The second paragraph quoting Jeff Immelt of General Electric made a lot of sense - the only source of profit, the only reason to invest in companies is their ability to innovate and differentiate. Five simple principles made the article readable: 1. Lead the way, as a leader walk the talk and show that you are an innovator. 2. Look for good ideas – as they say in Procter and Gamble – search and re apply. 3. Check out your assumptions – the business school professors gave a C to Fred Smith’s idea of overnight packaging service FEDEX. He went to create history. 4. Acquire the habit of creative thinking, set aside some time for brainstorming. 5. Innovation is not about mega ideas; it could be about small things too.
Read more

Implementing Collaborative Learning

We have discussed in the last couple of blog postings on the need for collaborative learning. The discussions on the three essential components for collaborative learning - intentional design, co labouring and meaningful learning set the groundwork for our discussions. Sometimes the research on instructional methods is highly criticized for comparing average classroom sessions with carefully designed experiential learning. Hence, the need for comparing the best classroom session with the best experiential activity. Results show greater learner satisfaction, involvement and learning based on the results. Though most of the research is often in the educational setting, my own experiences in corporate training can vouch for it - I have found experiential learning extremely powerful. The criticism from practitioners that collaborative learning takes more time and results in the content not being followed is being overcome by the strong results. Collaborative learning when well done leads...
Read more

Using Small Groups for Effective Learning

Small Groups Enhance Learning We looked at collaborative learning and the three essentials for it. Our discussions revolved around the use of small groups for collaborative learning. I had the opportunity to visit a website that detailed how small groups can lead to effective learning. Small group work can enrich your learners’ learning experiences. Small groups are a good motivational tool because they add variety to an instructional activity and allow participants to learn in different ways. For example, by participating in small groups, some of your learners may be able to comprehend the content that they may find difficult in a lecture. Small group activities are also important because they help your learners learn social skills such as cooperation and communication, which they are not always able to do to the same extent in a regular lecture environment. In addition, some learners especially in an Asian situation - high context cultures, do especially well in small groups because...
Read more