During the pandemic with lockdown and the rising norm of online education, many students have faced the brunt of isolation. Both teachers and students are experiencing fatigue during video calls and students feel worn out from continuously sitting in front of the screen for hours. This results in low concentration levels, which can have a negative impact on their learning. To overcome this, collaborative learning helps the students engage better, which, in turn, improve their learning efficiency.
Collaborative learning teams are known to attain higher-level thinking and are likely to preserve information for a longer period of time than students working individually. The adoption of collaborative learning activities in an online course result in positive student learning outcomes.
Top 8 Collaborative Learning Strategies for Online Teachers are as follows:
#1. The Jigsaw Technique:
The Jigsaw method’s main premise is to divide a large group of students (home group) into smaller groups (expert groups) and assign each of them a specific topic. This allows pupils to study diverse topics in a shorter amount of time and retain the material more effectively.
The basic idea behind the Jigsaw method is to break down a large group of students into smaller groups and assign each small group with a defined topic of one chapter/section. Each group is entrusted to learn and research the topic and then teach the same to other groups. This collaboration enables students to become experts in their topic. Also, they get to learn different topics in significantly lesser amount of time and can grasp the new information better.
#2. Think-Pair-Share Method:
It is one of the most common and useful collaborative learning technique where the teacher breaks students into pairs. Pair-based strategies are effective with open-ended questions which allows more intellectual freedom and thoughtful discussion. The teacher gives a question at the end of the session, which the students meet in pairs, before the next session and discuss their thoughts.
#3. Brainwriting:
The class is filled with both active & engaging as well as shy & introverted students. The traditional method of teaching isn’t helpful for the shy learners as they don’t participate more. Brainwriting levels the field and allows the nervous students to participate and shed light on more interesting answers.
#4. Break-out Rooms:
As many students are uncomfortable speaking up in large groups of hundreds. These break-out rooms/groups meet for brainstorming ideas or for schedules sessions which fosters community building.
#5. Scaffolding:
This method involves gradually regularly sharing the teacher’s assistance as students increase their understanding of a concept. By setting learning outcomes, the teacher/guide decides the kind of instructional guidelines which are then fed to the students over the duration of the online course.
#6. Value Diversity:
Mixed study groups which include a varied range off backgrounds, talents, ideas, and learning styles are more effective. Diversity is vital to any collaborative learning environment as it brings people from different backgrounds and encourages them to interact without any bias or prejudices.
#7. Peer Review:
Peer review allows students to review and offer feedback on the tests and assignments of their fellow students. This strengthens the student’s evaluative skills and make them more independent.This can be done anonymously to ensure fair evaluation.
#8. Offer Learning Scenarios:
Learning scenarios help in breaking down complex concepts and making students think out of the box.
To conclude, the collaborative learning strategies are beneficial and ensures that students enjoy online learning and perform better in their academic.
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