Collaboration - In a community of learning?


The student group today is increasingly "diverse" (heterogeneous and fragmented group) (see eg. Biggs & Tang, 2012). An “available teaching” is a requirement, according to the Equal Treatment Plan at Universities, in Sweden*. It means that the University must respond to the students' needs, and in an accessible manner, on equal terms. Furthermore, based on a norm-critical thinking (described for example by Kalonaityté, 2014), the teacher needs to be able to act; in order to succeed in meeting today's diverse student-groups.


Knowledge is not something that is "forever given" or "absolute", there is not "a best truth", since knowledge is relative, and changeable. It lives (a phenomenological approach) within persons according to eg. Spiegelberg (1982). At the highest (taxonomi-level) it should be able to be expressed, lived, and implemented in a specific context, related to something, or someone.


Curiosity and collaborative learning, seen as a way to deepen the students learning online. And collaboration is moreover described in the literature (by eg Biggs & Tang, 2012). Researchers also describes it eg. Duckworth (2013), Hrastinski (2013), Hrastinski and Cleveland-Innes (2016), as well as Brindley, Blaschke and Walti describes in (2009). According to this perspectives, students are accountable to each other.


TRUST in collaboration, and letting go of the fear!
There is moreover a culture of sharing and helping. In collaborative learning: The process is in the focus (not the product!) Community of Inquiry as a frame-work is focusing on the social relevance in learning situations. Social presence however requires social skills, and according to research a “mindset of growth” is essential according to as Hrastinski and Cleveland-Innes (2016) describes it. A fixed mind-set, on the other hand, is more obstructive….(Duckworth, 2013).




References;
Biggs, J & Tang, C (2012). Teaching for learning quality at university. Society teaching, fourth edition.
Brindley, J. E., Walti, C, & Blaschke L. M. (2009). Creating effective collaboration Learning Groups in an online Environment. International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning. June, Vol 3 (No.10).
Duckworth, A.L. (2013). The significance of the grit: A conversation with Angela Lee Duckworth. Educational leadership 71(1), s.14-20.
Hrastinski, S. (2013). Nätbaserad utbildning: en introduktion. (2. uppl.) Lund: Studentlitteratur.
Hrastinski, S. & Cleveland-Innes, M. (2016). Emotional Presence in a Relationship of Inquiry: The Case of One-to-One Online Match Coaching Online Learning. Volume 20 (Issue 1).
Kalonaityté, V. (2014). Normkritisk pedagogik – för den högre utbildningen. Lund: Studentlitteratur.
*MDH (2018). ”Equal Treatment Plan”. Mälardalens University College.
Spiegelberg H. (1982). The phenomenological movement: A historical introduction. The Hague, The Netherlands: Martinus, Nijhoff.


Kommentarer

  1. Lotta Fröjdfeldt20 maj 2019 kl. 08:08

    You lift the challenges for the teachers with a more diverse student group. You also describe that knowledge lives “within persons”, and you connect this to collaborative learning. You emphasize the sharing for learning, growth mindset and that the focus is on the process. But it also makes me wonder how the internal personal learning are connected to the intrapersonal? What are your view? What are your thoughts on this connection?

    SvaraRadera
  2. FiloSofia21 maj 2019 kl. 01:48

    I see it that we are connected, sharing some common meanings, in relation to eg knowledge, the essence (connected with us by our living-world). However, we are always "subjective" (from the life-world perspective). Therefore, we should be very careful to "assume" things about the students in the learning-situations. We must be very open for new perspectives etc., and also humble as persons for other point of views. Best H

    SvaraRadera

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