COLLABORATIVE LEARNING
Educators know that authentic collaborative learning prepares learners for the changing learning expectations in the real-world through an active learning process that teaches critical thinking, problem solving, teamwork, negotiation skills, reaching consensus, using technology, and taking responsibility for one's own learning. Social discourse and collaborative learning are critical to the development of well-rounded citizens. These skills are actually at the top of the list of qualification for success in almost any global profession.
How can schools be designed to support collaborative learning? Virtually all of the space presently in our seconardy schools are designed for lecture-mode, discipline-specific, teacher talk. When schools attempt to create collaborative space for students for cooperative learning, they are almost always limited to 24 x 36 self-contained boxes and standard turn of the century desks. Their options are limited.
However, there IS another way to create collaborative spacees, and we need only look to the adult work environment where collaboration is key to successful projects. School planners and architects are developing a variety of school designs that support personalized, self-directed learning.
COLLABORATION AS A PATTERN OF LEARNING
My partners at Fielding Nair International for the past 5 years has been translating both educational research and best practices to into usable design patterns for schools. At the core of our work is the notion that the conventional classroom has straightjacketed educators into thinking there is only one way to organize learners: one teacher to 25-30 students. With the notion of collaborative learning as well as collaborative teaching, this fixed notion "class size" has become obsolete accept in administrative bean counting.
Let the bean counting go on if necessary, but we shouldn't be limiting our thinking regarding how we organize ourselves for learning!
DESIGN FEATURES FOR COLLABORATION
Susan Wolff has identified a variety of features of collaborative environments:
- variable sizes spaces that are easily to change to support several learning activities within the same space, to encourage integration of courses and programs
- individual work spaces that can be personalized providing a sense of ownership and teaches responsibility for one’s own learning
- faculty team spaces with adjacent material preparation areas and meeting space that encourages team teaching, mentoring of faculty and collaboration.
Functional spaces for collaborative learning activities might include:
+ presentation spaces for individuals and teams to demonstrate their learning and share knowledge acquired with the larger learning community
+ the continued need for classroom spaces for direct instruction of concepts, content and skills
+ process galleries, studios that allow for the display of on-going projects to showcase concept development
+ project space that provides a variety of work surfaces, storage and access to technology to encourage critical thinking, problem-solving and teamwork
+ home base for gathering of learners and faculty to seek assistance and resources or hold group discussions
+ informal, non-classroom, learning spaces such as study spaces, lounges and outdoor spaces to provide areas for socializing, and serendipitous meetings that can foster creative thought and solutions to problems
+ and collaboration incubator, idea generation space to support creativity, teamwork, prototyping of concepts which can also encourage the involvement of local employers in the development of projects.
+ corridors can be replaced with other kinds of spaces, which permit circulation but also serve the goals of social and emotional development. There are informal social gathering places for student to assemble in conversational groups throughout the school and on the school grounds.
+ indoor collaborative spaces allow students to have access to full-service kitchen or mini-service area with a refrigerator, sink and or microwave.
+ collaborative spaces placed adjacent to more formal instructional areas can serve as additional informal learning breakout spaces. They are not visually or acoustically disruptive to more formal (quiet) instructional spaces.
+ Within the collaborative space there are areas for student display of events, work products and other announcements of interest to students.
+ Unique floor and wall surfaces, accent lighting and other physical features delineate the collaborative spaces.
Many of these design features are being used in new schools across the world, and many of them can be created in existing school buildings as well with a little innovative thinking and a willingness to take collaborative learning seriously.
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