SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES
This unit was a little tougher to keep all the strategies separated, nonetheless, I was able to pull a good deal of information from each section...beginning with the similarities. What I found most similar is that although the names may lead one to believe otherwise, the four sessions all center around teamwork and working toward a goal with the assistance and or resources of others. I enjoyed that there are models that are used that teach a person--who may not otherwise think so--to get out of his or her own way in order to achieve a goal for a group as a whole and ultimately themselves. With guided design, Casada and DeShazer (1995) stated from a book by Stephen Covey that to be an engineer you have to be trusted, you have to trust yourself to voice your ideas in order to be a integral part of the team. That, to me, suggests that someone only interested in individual success would not do well in a collaborative environment.
I related Guided Design and PBL more similar to the others because they require some pre-exisitng knowledge whereas Cooperative Learning is based on the group venturing out and conducting research, then coming together as a collective and presenting the results. This is similar to how University of Phoenix conducts its group projects--each participant takes a topic and researches it, they then return with the results, every topic is discussed and those agreed upon for the project as a whole is written and presented by the one designated to represent the group. Everyone havin a part in the research makes for expanded knowledge for the individuals and the group.
Although I initially resloved to not be fond of Situated Learning because of the level of assistance it appeared participants receive from teachers, after reading "Watch It, Do It, Know It", I've come to see it as more of a real world environment with real world experiences that carry a safety net for students to be able to learn through real world experience and also have the security of teachers to fall back on as a means of coaching/guidance.
ANY BARRIERS?
In terms of barriers, I can easily see where Guided Design and PBL would be a challenge for participants with limited or no knowledge of the topic discussed and having to work through a lesson from only what they know. I tend to like a cooperative learning environment because I do enjoy conducting research then presenting my findings. I've found many times at University of Phoenix when I was in a situation of digging too deep for the topic being covered. My need to learn as much as possible about those things I know nothing of most times lead to "too much" for the needs of the project. The only barrier I see in a situated learning environment is the potential stress put on those individuals who wouldn't otherwise put themselves in a situation to--as the 'Watch It...' article suggests--conducting research out in the public eye. With the attention given by the facilitator, it could easily be used as a tool for confidence boosting as well as learning.
WHAT WOULD I USE?
I'm really fond of Cooperative Learning because it does give individuals the opportunity--with the Jigsaw strategy--to obtain and learn from other points of view. I love that someone can see a situation with a totally different eye than me! It's the whole tom-a-to/tom-ah-to thing! With that, I would definitely hope to use Jigsaw and Find the Fib--an interesting tactic to enhance analytical skills.
TOOL SUGGESTION.
In terms of applications I would use to translate this over onto the Web, I'd love to dive into the various software offered by Kagan. There is a series called Instant Engagement that is designed for cooperative learning. It can be used for Think-Pair-Share and also has software designed for use within teams. It appears to be fun and easy to use. This seems ideal until I could design my own application for such learning.
This unit was a little tougher to keep all the strategies separated, nonetheless, I was able to pull a good deal of information from each section...beginning with the similarities. What I found most similar is that although the names may lead one to believe otherwise, the four sessions all center around teamwork and working toward a goal with the assistance and or resources of others. I enjoyed that there are models that are used that teach a person--who may not otherwise think so--to get out of his or her own way in order to achieve a goal for a group as a whole and ultimately themselves. With guided design, Casada and DeShazer (1995) stated from a book by Stephen Covey that to be an engineer you have to be trusted, you have to trust yourself to voice your ideas in order to be a integral part of the team. That, to me, suggests that someone only interested in individual success would not do well in a collaborative environment.
I related Guided Design and PBL more similar to the others because they require some pre-exisitng knowledge whereas Cooperative Learning is based on the group venturing out and conducting research, then coming together as a collective and presenting the results. This is similar to how University of Phoenix conducts its group projects--each participant takes a topic and researches it, they then return with the results, every topic is discussed and those agreed upon for the project as a whole is written and presented by the one designated to represent the group. Everyone havin a part in the research makes for expanded knowledge for the individuals and the group.
Although I initially resloved to not be fond of Situated Learning because of the level of assistance it appeared participants receive from teachers, after reading "Watch It, Do It, Know It", I've come to see it as more of a real world environment with real world experiences that carry a safety net for students to be able to learn through real world experience and also have the security of teachers to fall back on as a means of coaching/guidance.
ANY BARRIERS?
In terms of barriers, I can easily see where Guided Design and PBL would be a challenge for participants with limited or no knowledge of the topic discussed and having to work through a lesson from only what they know. I tend to like a cooperative learning environment because I do enjoy conducting research then presenting my findings. I've found many times at University of Phoenix when I was in a situation of digging too deep for the topic being covered. My need to learn as much as possible about those things I know nothing of most times lead to "too much" for the needs of the project. The only barrier I see in a situated learning environment is the potential stress put on those individuals who wouldn't otherwise put themselves in a situation to--as the 'Watch It...' article suggests--conducting research out in the public eye. With the attention given by the facilitator, it could easily be used as a tool for confidence boosting as well as learning.
WHAT WOULD I USE?
I'm really fond of Cooperative Learning because it does give individuals the opportunity--with the Jigsaw strategy--to obtain and learn from other points of view. I love that someone can see a situation with a totally different eye than me! It's the whole tom-a-to/tom-ah-to thing! With that, I would definitely hope to use Jigsaw and Find the Fib--an interesting tactic to enhance analytical skills.
TOOL SUGGESTION.
In terms of applications I would use to translate this over onto the Web, I'd love to dive into the various software offered by Kagan. There is a series called Instant Engagement that is designed for cooperative learning. It can be used for Think-Pair-Share and also has software designed for use within teams. It appears to be fun and easy to use. This seems ideal until I could design my own application for such learning.
Hi Kim!
ReplyDeleteI loved your quote: "That, to me, suggests that someone only interested in individual success would not do well in a collaborative environment." I think that you are touching on something important here, about working together and making the commitment in an online setting, which can be more challenging than working in person.
Good synthesis of the readings, too. I loved the idea of a safety net in terms of a teacher/instructor's relationship toward participants. I didn’t know about the tools you suggested. I am going to look into them!