What is the role of collaboration in understanding? This question reveals my social constructivist nature - how much do we build understanding through collaboration, interaction, etc. And if it helps increase understandings and knowledge then what is the responsibility, and how do we build in collaboration in learning particularly in virtual environments? And if it helps in learning, how can it help in teaching? As librarians we are often collaborators in teaching, so it helps to understand or at least consider its role in teaching and learning.
Most people think of collaboration only in the terms of group projects, which can be frustrating sometimes, especially in an online environment. However, collaboration “in the classroom” is more than just group assignments or projects. It’s also interaction between the students and between the student(s) and instructor. It’s these interactions, whether they be discussion or Q & A, that can be key factors in understanding.
I think that many of us do build understanding through collaboration and interaction. There have been many times I have felt confused or unsure about instruction, a lesson, or a reading, but then suddenly feel like a light bulb goes off over my head after discussing with a classmate or participating in a Q & A session. It’s a great way to bounce ideas, thoughts and interpretations off one another, which is what contructivism is all about. We don’t just learn from our instructor and our texts, but we learn from one another. In The Perfect Online Course, Liu, Magjuka, Bonk and Lee quote Wilson, et al. (2004), “A positive and collaborative culture can provide a community with opportunities to learn from each other, accommodate diverse membership, contribute to others’ learning, and nurture the authentic expression of multiple perspectives”(2009, p. 525).
But how to do it effectively in an online environment? There are always the group assignments and projects, but sometimes these type of assignments aren’t really a good fit for the course material, or lesson. Group discussion forums and blogs are a good way to foster interaction, as well as Q & A sessions, whether in a forum or through some form of online conferencing (ie: Elluminate). These types of sessions get everyone together, and allow them to create a “classroom” environment, where ideas can be exchanged and dissected. Some online classes I’ve seen also require face-to-face orientation at the start of the semester, so that instructor and students can all meet in person, and will often follow up by setting up an online “café”, which allows students to interact off-topic. One of my SLIS instructors had a forum like this on ANGEL one semester, where we could go and start off-topic discussions or share information (ie: articles, web sites, etc.) that weren’t particularly relevant to the week’s discussion topics, but relevant to the course or program. These off-topic forums actually got a lot of traffic, and I picked up a lot of interesting sources from fellow classmates. I think that it is important for students to interact “off-topic”, in order to build camaraderie. This is particularly important in the online environment, where you only know your instructor and classmates through words on a screen.
If collaboration is important for understanding in students, it can also be equally important for understanding amongst faculty, especially in our field. Librarians should collaborate with instructors from other disciplines in order to foster understanding of the importance of library skills. Sure, English instructors usually “get it”, because they often overlap in teaching the skills needed for research and reference. However, in other disciplines it’s not so well defined. Students have to turn in research projects in other disciplines besides English. However, instructors in these other disciplines may not recognize the importance of library skills. It’s a very good idea for librarians to collaborate with these other faculty members and help them to understand the importance of the skills needed to be successful in good research and reference. If they cannot provide information literacy courses, then at least work with the other faculty in designing “one-shot” classroom sessions or online tutorials, that are geared towards the subject of instruction (ie: Health Occupations, Science research, Historical research). This type of collaboration will not only help the faculty in their understanding, but it will also help the students learn how to transfer their skills from one subject to another.
6 comments:
Hi Tracey!
What a great idea to have a “Café” where you can post ideas thoughts and random information that pertain to the class but don’t have a specific place! I might have to use that idea in my Unit plan!
Back when I was a sub, I worked in a library for a few weeks. The Librarian had a huge Economics section (topics like “How to Invest Wisely”) when I asked the other staff members they said that the librarian really tried to get materials that were “not typically” found in the library. You also raised a good point, how many teachers know what is available in the library and how many know how willing the librarian is. I got a chance to work with this librarian again and I asked her about the books and getting teacher (other then English) in the library. She said that it was difficult at first, but once they saw that she was willing to go out of her way and “was not going away, even if they ignored her” they started to be more willing to collaborate.
I wonder if anyone knows of any library “support groups” for librarians so that once in the field we can collaborate with each other? There is the ALA but I was thinking of more localized collaboration.
Well, there is the CLA for Californian librarians. Went to their conference last November, and made a lot of really good connections. I'm sure that other states you may become a librarian in would have an organization.
Although it might not be exactly what you are looking for, there are plenty of listservs available where you can post questions and get feedback from other librarians. publib is one of them, and I know that my consortium has its own listserve that people use to give away materials, ask all kinds of questions, and maybe just comment on a current issue in the library world.
As for your post, Tracey, it was very detailed and you made so many good points. I had a professor that had an off-topic forum as well and it was quite popular and provided some good info.
Another point that I would like to make about online classroom forums is that they really are so helpful and informative. I regularly check the Q & A section to see if anything has been asked about an assignment to make sure that I am on the right track. Or, I might be thinking about email the professor but when I check that forum, I find the answer to my question. I don't think that this would be the case in a f2f class. In many cases, students wait until the end of class to approach the professor if they are uncomfortable asking during class, and by using the online forum, the entire class benefits from the question and the answer. Many times other students are offering suggestions/answers to the questions. I think that helps us all realize that we are in this together and can support one another. :)
Thanks for the info you two! I did know about CSLA, but didn’t know about the listservs. Sometimes being overseas, I feel out of the loop.
I definitely think that talking or discussing an issue with someone else definitely helps me to see other “angles” on the subject. The discussion could also lead to different topics that are related and can expand my knowledge on the subject even more. The second semester in this program, I had a class that had three mandatory meetings at the Cal State Fullerton campus. It was nice to get to see the professor and my classmates face to face to see who I would be interacting with. We met the first week of class to introduce ourselves and to form groups for two assignments. We met in the middle of the semester to finalize everything we needed and also met again the last week to give our presentations to the class. It was nice to be in a class environment as this because all the students were fairly close to this campus and allowed my group to meet on several occasions. It was nice to have a semester where it was not completely online. This helped to slowly introduce me to the complete online program which I enjoy.
While I have been doing my fieldwork at a high school I have learned that many teachers outside of the English department do not utilize the library as much. They all feel that the library is to be used for research if you have an English paper to write. This library has an extensive architecture and art book collection as well as a wonderful history section yet these departments do not set foot in the library. The TL is having a hard time trying to find a way to encourage them to utilize the library and the databases that are there to support them. It is due to the lack of collaboration that the teachers do not understand the library and its full potential. This will be a work in progress for years to come and will entail the TL to think of different way to approach the departments to market the library towards them.
It does sound like that will be a work in progress Pilar. If there was more collaboration between the teachers, the TL would be able to recommend possible library uses according to the lessons that are being taught within the classroom. There are a lot of Interdisciplinary Units at the elementary and middle school level that would promote the use of the library by teachers in all subject areas. Unfortunately, it always seems that when students reach the high school level, it's almost as if each of the teachers is on his or her own island since there is no common group of students among the classes. This is not a reason for not using the library, but when teachers collaborate on lessons it would be more likely that one of them would encourage use of the library to the others.
Post a Comment