Summary of “Implementing In-Person and Virtual Collaborative Opportunities”

Video Transcription

Welcome back for a summary to the unit Implementing In-Person and Virtual Collaborative Opportunities. Congratulations on completing all of the lessons in this unit. Today, we will review some of the important ideas and concepts that we explored as we took a deeper look at ways that you, as a teacher, can create a collaborative teaching and learning environment in your classroom.

We started off the unit by thinking about why collaboration is so essential for our students. It is essential for our students to work in groups both in person and virtual settings. Their lives are, and will continue to be, full of the need for communication, collaboration, and the ability to think critically in school, in the workplace. And in society. They are also growing up in a world dependent on technology.

So why should we change the way that we collaborate in the classroom? We are seeing drastic changes. Students and society are reliant on technology. And we are finding that bringing technology into classroom settings has many benefits, and changes collaboration. Collaboration can occur in so many different ways now-- videoconferencing, Skype, social media, texting, Google documents, and the list goes on. We can use this wide range of diverse and innovative tools to our advantage to create a classroom full of inquiry, communication, collaboration, and deep learning.

As we moved through the video lessons in this unit, we worked toward four main learning objectives. The first of the four learning objectives was to analyze the purpose of collaborative learning and problem-based learning writing, creating, and producing. We looked at the importance of collaboration, and how collaboration and this learning environment benefits our students, including the levels of achievement.

In this unit, we reviewed problem-based learning, and covered project-based learning, which is almost identical, but generally extended over a longer period of time and focused on students creating a project. We looked at personalized learning, which is the alternative to that one-size-fits-all model of teaching. And we connected collaborative learning back to communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity.

The second learning objective was to analyze collaborative learning connected to social learning theory and networked learning theory. To do this, we looked at each of these three-- collaborative learning, social learning theory, and networked learning theory. We looked at the importance of collaborative group work, and how that involves students working as a member of a team-- a team and defines group roles and works together in person and virtually to solve authentic problems.

We discussed social learning theory, a theory of Albert Bandura's. And this is a theory that people learn from observational imitation and modeling of other individuals. We watch the actions of others. And we model based on the information we receive from those observations.

We looked at network learning theory. This is a theory all about relationships. And communication is essential to this theory, as it supports learning.

The third learning objective was to develop a problem-based activity that required both in-person and virtual collaboration. You were asked to create your own lesson and reflect on this lesson. And we walked through how to use Understanding by Design's framework to create this lesson and reflect upon this lesson.

We revisited problem-based learning, and how it connects to collaborative teaching and learning, and discussed the many connections, including how they both require communication, critical thinking, collaboration.

We looked at some very innovative and exciting tools out there on the internet. And I showed you how you could use those tools to bring collaboration into your classroom, especially virtual collaboration.

Final learning objective was to reflect on how collaboration will support student achievement and growth in your classroom. Not only did we look back and reflect on the lesson, but we also reflected on the many benefits of collaborative learning. We practiced using reflection tools like plus minus delta. We looked at Marzano's teacher evaluation model, in particular Domain 3 elements 50, 51, and 52. And we used this as a tool to look at your collaborative teaching and learning.

We also dove into deeper learning, and how we can reflect on collaborative teaching as it relates to deeper learning, which is students' ability to develop a deep understanding of content, transfer that knowledge, and build communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity skills. The concepts that we learned and the learning objectives apply to any environment where collaboration and learning are essential-- any classroom, any learning environment, professional development, and workplace settings.

The first of the two objectives-- analyzing the purpose of collaborative learning-- and analyzing the connections of collaborative learning between social learning theory and network learning theory are equally important to understand. These two objectives prepared you for creating your own problem-based learning lesson that involved collaboration. And after creating that lesson, you were able to reflect on the lesson itself, as well as how collaboration supports the student achievement in your classroom, and the many other benefits of collaborative learning in your classroom. All of these objectives together will prepare you as a teacher for developing those greater levels of student achievement in your classroom.

You should now have the knowledge to answer the following questions that stem from our learning objectives. What is the purpose of collaborative learning and problem-based learning, writing, creating, and producing? How is collaborative learning connected to social learning theory and network learning theory? How can you develop and reflect on a problem-based learning activity that requires both in-person and virtual collaboration? And how can you reflect on how collaboration will support student achievement and growth in your classroom?

Thanks again for joining me in this unit-- Implementing In-Person and Virtual Collaborative Opportunities. We've learned so much in this unit. And I hope that you are able to apply your understanding and collaborative teaching and learning to your own classroom.