team members originally designated that number during the count off respond as group spokespersons.
According the explanations above, it is clear that collaborative learning is group learning activity. It emphasizes on students’ interaction each other, share
the ideas, that involves groups of learners working together to solve a problem.
4. The Advantages of Collaborative Learning
There are many benefits of collaborative learning in the classroom activities. They contribute to academic achievement and to teaching learning development
by increasing the group work. In addition, activities such as sharing ideas, information, and thoughts-all of which contribute to teaching learning activities.
Collaborative learning gives students practice in working together when the stakes are relatively low, so that they can work effectively together later when
the stakes are high. They learn to depend on one another rather than depending exclusively on the authority of the teacher. They learn to construct knowledge
as it is constructed in the academic disciplines and professions.
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According Jo McDonough and Christopher Shaw, the advantages of collaborative learning are:
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a. Flexibility, the students are frequently ‘observer’ of others, and work to an
externally imposed pace. In small group and pair work, on the other hand, the possibility of and individual learning preferences being engaged is
correspondingly increased.
b. Collaborative learning is potentially dynamic, in that there are a number of
difference people to react it, to share ideas with and so on; exchange of
information is sometimes more ‘natural’ in smaller scale interaction.
c. Different tasks can be assigned to different group; this may lead to a cohesive
whole class environment it these tasks can be fitted together. Alternatively, a
25
Kenneth A. Bruffe, Collaborative Learning; Higher Education, Interdependence, and Authority of Knowledge,
London: the John Hopkins Press, 1993, p. 1
26
Jo McDonough and Christopher Shaw, Materials and…p. 203
teacher working with a mixed proficiency group may have the flexibility to
allocate activities according to learner’s levels.
d. Each students has proportionally more chance to speak and therefore to be
involved in language use. Because they are asked to have discussion during
doing the tasks.
e. Collaborative learning can promote a positive atmosphere or ‘effective
climate’ motivation is improved if learners feel less inhibited and more able to explore possibility self-expression, therefore collaboration in the classroom is
encouraged.
Slavin quoted from Vygotsky describes the influence of collaborative activity on learning as follows:” functions are first formed in the collective in the form
of relations among children and then become mental function for the individual. Furthermore, held that social-arbitrary knowledge-language,
values, rules, morality, and symbol system such as reading and math-can be learned only interaction with others.
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Collaborative learning classes are often more enjoyable and relaxed than traditional classes. This creates a positive learning environment. As a result,
academic achievement increases for all students. In addition, collaborative learning can help address the needs of heterogeneous classes. And, the most
important, collaborative learning offers a wide variety of techniques and strategies for teachers that have been elaborated by the writer above.
5. The Disadvantages of Collaborative Learning
