Collaborative Learning

*In your past classroom experiences, do you feel that collaborative learning has been a benefit or a burden to your educational experience?*

In my past experiences, I feel that I have truly benefited from collaborative learning. I enjoyed having the opportunity to work with other students in order to solve a given problem. I also feel that working together with my peers allowed me to feel less anxiety about a given task. Not only did I feel less stressed by this idea, but it was also helpful for me to hear others' views on the situation at hand.

As an aspiring teacher, I learn best by explaining things to others. It has always been helpful to me to explain my ideas aloud, and then to receive feedback from my peers. As Bruffee mentions in Collaborative Learning and the "Conversation of Mankind," I feel that peer criticism can be very beneficial to both the writer and the reader as well. While partaking in peer criticism, the writer benefits by receiving an outsiders' opinion and the reader benefits by having the opportunity to be exposed to a different perspective, style, or technique.

Because I am in the field of elementary education, I have been exposed to many different forms of collaborative learning which I feel are extremely beneficial to students' learning experiences. I believe that through collaborative learning, students benefit not only intellectually, but socially as well. This style of learning can allow students to progress their social and communication skills while also allowing them to learn from others' points of view. Overall, I feel that collaborative learning is a valuable technique that should be present, in some way, in every classroom.