Do you believe that humans have a basic instinct to “interact and work as a group?
As humans I believe our basic instinct is to do for self. Interacting as a group only works if their is some type of outcome that must come from working in a group. Most of us do not realize that in our everyday life we are working together even if we are apart. I am one of those people that believes that I can do what needs to be done and I would rather not have any help. While group collaboration promotes social interaction it also brings out those who would rather sit back and do nothing while everyone else does the work. "
Students working in small groups tend to learn more of what is taught and retain it longer than when the same content is presented in other instructional formats. Students who work in collaborative groups also appear more satisfied with their classes." (Davis, 1993)With that being said it is of great benefit for collaboration to occur.
How can technology facilitate collaboration among learners based on constructivist principles?
"Constructivism refers to the idea that learners construct knowledge for themselves---each learner individually (and socially) constructs meaning---as he or she learns."(Hein, 1991) With the influx of technology learning the constructivist way becomes more complex. If learners are to construct knowledge for themselves then the internet will be a great hindrance to that fact. With so many ways to acquire information it is harder now to do so. The way to overcome that is to create problem based projects and lessons that require the student to want to learn more and want to do the research. If that is the case then the internet becomes a learning tool, like a book, and students will construct the knowledge they need to acquire.
Research Study
To see more on this subject and develop a more educational opinion on it please view the link below which tells of a study on constructivism and how it affects student learning.
http://userwww.sfsu.edu/~jmromero/juans%20docs/eportfolio%20docs/constructiviststudy.pdf
References
Davis,B.(1993)Tools for Teaching ;Collaborative Learning: Group Work and Study Teams.Jossey-Bass Publishers: San Francisco
Hein, G(1991)Constructivist Learning Theory.Retrieved from http://www.exploratorium.edu/IFI/resources/constructivistlearning.html.
Hello.
ReplyDeleteSimilar to the stages concept of Piaget or Bruner do you think that the "basic instinct to do for self" is a stage of life instinct?
There are expections; however, we tend to think about self in different contexts during different stages in our lives, or different events in our lives.
Thank you, D Forest
I agree that collaboration is not in everyone's nature. It is an important educational element and it requires guidance and structure to create a successful collaborative effort. Collaboration is a skill that has be learned; it is not easily found.
ReplyDelete-Mike K.
Hi
ReplyDeleteI disagree with your post, I believe we have an natural instinct to collaborate. I believe when we are little we work and play together, but if you are not allowed around other children you learn to work alone. I have a grandson who was never around children when he was younger and he would work with his mother, but it was hard for him to get along with other children when he entered school. I usually see this with only children. I have also watched as I put my six month old grandchildren in the floor for the first time of seeing each other and they start playing together and sharing. So I do believe that there is a natural instinct of collaboration.
Collaboration is something that some come by naturally, some learn with time and experience, and an element that seems to eludes a very small group who get ahead with competition and having the upper hand (so to speak). This perspective is becoming an anachronism, with the digital age making the physically meek (who are conversant with technology) having distinct advantages over those who are not as tech-savvy.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with your theory about instinct. We are all different. I don't think that everyone's preference is the same. Some people prefer to work alone, while others prefer to collaborate when learning something new. I think that your natural instinct would dictate you preference in many cases. Therefore, everyone's basic instinct for learning varies.
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