Introductory Reading

Collaborative Work

Theorists point to Piaget as one of the first to correlate social development with learning. Critics of Piaget point out that his sample sizes were too small for his vast generalizations. But he does contribute one enduring idea: children learn best through interaction and that they are cognitively different from adults, not cognitively inferior.

Vygotsky is an interesting person if for no other reason than ideas did not come into the western world until he had been dead for 40 years. He suggests that Piaget is off base: he thinks that learning can occur before development.

Piaget thought a child could not perform some cognitive Task until his/her brain had developed adequately. Vygotsky thought a child reached a Zone of Proximal Development in which he/she could perform the task by mimicking either a teacher or a more developed peer.

Both men can be called constructivists, though, because they think that learning depends upon the child’s ability to construct knowledge out of past experience.

In America these ideas and other constructivist ideas influence the “Harkness method” which is the method taught at virtually all of the best boarding schools in America.

Although impractical for classes larger than maybe 16, elements of the Harkness method may be brought to bear on classes in the 20-30 range (like here at BC).

Broken into its simplest parts, collaborative instruction means:

• Students are responsible for “keeping the class going.” The instructor provides direction, some content, a few comments. But students have to actively participate in order to learn.
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• Students have to learn to depend upon one another as peers in order to accomplish goals.
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• The course knowledge is not “in the teacher’s mind” or “in the book.” It does not even exist until it broaches the student’s consciousness…the student constructs it.
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• The idea of creative play is very important across the board here.
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• The role of the teacher changes. Firstly, the teacher lights the fires, breathes life in it…inspires. Next, the teacher manages the flow of the course content to the conversations and projects. Finally the teacher explains points that students still miss, even after doing the reading and the projects. And in an overall sense, the teaher makes sure that course stays within the framework of the national standards.