Collaborate is the key word in this reflection. You can relate this concept with many aspects but, I am going to keep relation with CLIL (Contend and Language Integrated Learning).
There are many ways to define this concept because after investigating about it I know that it has different points of view or many ways to use it in different contexts. Also, I have studied something about this last summer in a course and it seemed very interesting and important to apply with the students.
First, it is important to start saying:
WHAT DOES “COLLABORATE” MEAN?
For example, If I research this word in “Teaching Knowledge Test” document I can see that “collaborate” is the same that: “ To work together in class in order to plan, create, discuss and evaluate”. (University of Cambridge; Content and language integrated learning, 2009, 5)
May be, it could be enough with this, although in my opinion, it is an easy and simple definition about an interesting topic as can be Collaborative Learning.
For that reason I have others definitions that could be able to get that people interested or not interested about “collaborate” could understand what it wants to say.
In the page refers to “Scientific Reasoning Research Institute” (Collaborate group Techniques; Methods for teaching via small-group cooperative learning work), I read that:
“Collaborative groups refer to a variety of structured classroom management techniques and grading systems developed and studied by Aronson, Johnson and Johnson, Kagan, Slavin and others” (The Scientific Reasoning Research Institute. University of Massachusetts Amherst, 2013 )
With this definition we can be more informed about the word that I have chosen. However, there are different books that talk about this topic: Collaborate or collaborative groups (being cooperative and collaborative two concepts very similar). So, one author explains that “Cooperative or collaborative learning essentially involves students learning from each other in groups. It is the way that the students and teachers work together and the teacher helps students learn how to learn more effectively” (Being “effectively” one of the benefits in CLIL.)
(Larsen- Freeman, 200, 164)
With these explanations I can realize that with a Collaborative Learning the students will develop and improve different social skills because in this method the teachers prepare several activities for their students and they, have to work in pairs or in small and interactive groups for to reach the solution. In addition, i think that if the teachers apply this method, will exist a meaningfully environment inside the class.
The majority of us when we learn something or when we want to teach something, we search a beginning and then, we search an end for to understand the content. May be the start was the different definitions that you can see in this reflection and the next step could be the advantages or disadvantages of the concept.
For this reason I can say that there are many advantages and benefits when we use the CLIL method in the classroom. The “European Commission Language” page offers us some of them: The children can build intercultural knowledge and they can develop communication and social skills. Inside the classroom, they can learn through different methods and in this way it is possible that they can increase their motivation in the subject.
I believe that if the teachers work in groups in their classes, the benefits of CLIL will be better than before and the aims will be acquired faster.
In many subjects, as Science, the students learn new vocabulary and new concepts. Simply, they learn the contents in other language different to their mother tongue.
For that, we can find several types of groups that teachers can use in their subjects connected with CLIL or even in a different moments and contexts.
The Collaborative learning, which teachers can use in CLIL has got several opinions by authors, web sites and documents. There are many different ways to work in groups, although I have chosen some collaborative groups structures from a website that we can use to teach contents.
- FISHBOWL: One team of three or four people has to work on an exercise, but other team has to observe the first team that will be working, while they are looking for a solution (even if one team has not finished the problem, all the class can discuss.)
- THINKING IN PAIRS: In pairs, the students have to think about the questions and then, they have to discuss the answer of the question with all the class.
- TEAM PRODUCT: The students will work together but each person will have different role (manager, reader, writer, speaker…).
- ROVING REPORTER: When a team has problems, one person can walk in the room, for observing and to find a solution.
(The Scientific Reasoning Research Institute (SRRI), University of Massachusetts Amherst, 2013)
With the examples that I have shown before, we can realize that in CLIL and specifically in Collaborate Learning, is possible to get the social and communicative skills. In fact, I could find that it is possible to create a variety opportunities to acquire more skills as reading or writing if we work in groups or in pairs:
“If you are discussing globalization, first have the students write down some of their own thoughts about the pros and cons of globalization. In pairs, each student could read what the other wrote. The two students can then combine their answer into one written statement.
They can practice presenting their conclusion. One pair then presents to another pair. The two pairs discuss their different and try to establish one common text.”
(Mehisto, Marsh & Frigols, 2008, 33)
We know that everything in the world has got good side and, in the other hand it has got bad part. Even I can say that in the Collaborative learning we can find some disadvantages. For example, if I remember my experience during my practices in the school the last year I can say different things that I could observed when children were working in groups.
Sometimes, I saw that the groups needed more experience into know how to work and... Also, we have to know that the person who explains the instructions must be careful when he or she creates the activity.
It is necessary that the activity is well planned and for children in Primary Education it can be a little bit complicated. The teachers will have to know that they have to do a well plan about of each activity or exercise duration, because the students need time to get the aims.
Finally, if we apply a Collaborate Learning, we have to create a lot of materials and activities because is not the same to think to work in an individual way that to create something for more people who will work in groups.
It is possible that there are people who think that Collaborative Learning is positive or negative to develop a class. However, I found something that may support my opinion. (Collaborative Learning is necessary)
Inside of a book I found many activities and in many of them the students have to work in groups. Specifically, I found something that can help us to know what we can do for a 60-minute lesson and I have seen in the example, that the teachers can do many things in their classes connected with the topic of the subject and in addition, they can do things related with the Collaborate or cooperative Learning . So in this way and from my point of view, a professional teacher will create a dynamic and motivated class because he or she is able to combine different types of things and styles of teaching.
“Discussing”, “doing peer co-operative work to compare results from reading, and using information to create something as a plan or a list of recommendations”…
(Mehisto, Marsh & Frigols, 2008, 33)
The Collaborative work connected with CLIL has got important functions for example I think that with this methodology the students can change and to think new ideas, analyze and speak, with the different groups. So, the aims can be obtained efficiently and also, will exist a meaningful learning, where the students acquire the Social and Communication skills.
We know that the learning of a second language is too hard, but it is possible that if we use the collaboration in class, the students can feel that the subjects are not boring or complicated. Therefore, we can get that children are motivated.
In the other hand, I think that this style of working can be related with the assessment because the learners sometimes in groups, individually or in pairs, can give a feedback to the other classmate. (Perhaps, I believe that it is necessary to give students an opportunity to evaluate the group work.)
I want to highlight that COLLABORATE is used to work and acquire many values because while we are learning a second language we need everybody´s help, not only the teacher´s help. If we work in groups, the student and also the teachers will work better.
I suppose that there are many documents and books where we can read a lot of actual experiences.
In fact, I have had the opportunity to read some experiences of real teachers that they have had in their classes while they were applying the Cooperative Learning. The teachers worked contents of a second language and I have seen that the results are positive.
So I want to say to all the future teachers like me…
Why do we not try it?
References:
-Barkley, F.,
Patricia Cross, K., & Howell Major, C. (2007)
Técnicas de aprendizaje colaborativo:
manual para el profesorado universitario (Collaborative Learning Technique). Madrid:
MORATA S.L.
- Larsen-Freeman,
D. (2000) Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching. Oxford University Press: Oxford.
-Mehisto, P., Marsh, D., & Frigols, M. (2008) Uncovering CLIL. (Content and language integrated learning in Bilingual and Multilingual
Education).Oxford:
McMillan.
-Teaching Knowledge Test (TKT) (2009) Content and language integrated learning. University of Cambridge.
