The topic of today's online class was "Cooperative Learning vs. Collaborative Learning." As we were exploring the differences between these two social interactive models of instruction, a thought occurred to me: I only need to look as far as the design of this course to find concrete examples of these different methods of instruction and learning.
For example, the entire course is based on the Social Interactive Model. That is, we work with others in order to learn about literacy and technology. Then, there are different types of social interactive technologies within the course. So, when we meet with the whole class and Dr. Smirnova asks us to answer questions for the class or assigns our group a task to complete, we are engaging in cooperative learning. Dr. Smirnova is acting as the facilitator and mediator. It is a teacher-centered activity. When we meet in smaller groups in order to complete an assigned task, we are engaging in collaborative learning. The activities are student-centered. The group is the director of the group's actions.
So, the next time I need to give an example in this course, I will be sure to look to the design of the course itself before going to outside sources.
No comments:
Post a Comment