previously. They will get a better understanding to the materials by doing this. c.
Individual and group accountability. Methods which use only a group grade or a group product without making
each member accountable do not consistently produce achievement gains. This means that in collaborative learning, not only a group must be accountable, but
also the individual. Slavin defines the individual accountability as being present when “the team’s success depends on the individual learning of all team
members”.
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The students must show that they have individually mastered the material. Every team member feels in charge of their own and their team mates and makes
an active contribution to the group. Although students work together, each student is individually accountable. They count on their selves for the sake of group
achievement and give the best without only depending on their other group member. This is very important, because the goal of teaching is not only the
highest rank of each group, but also highest comprehension of each member of group.
d. Interpersonally and small group skills.
These skills include the way students interact as team mates. Here, in collaborative learning, they are needed to train and to build the social skills they
have. Of course, the students must be taught effective means of working together and of discussing how well their groups are working to achieve their goal. The
team periodically asses what they have learned, how well they are working together and how they might do better as learning team.
Learning collaboratively is not only as a matter of working together in a group, but it is also emphasized to the learning process which includes a whole
and fair communication process in a classroom.
4. The Characteristics of Collaborative Learning
Collaborative classrooms seem to have four general characteristics. The first two capture changing relationships between teachers and students. The third
16 Steven G. McCafferty, George M. Jacobs, and Ana Christina DaSilva Iddings, Cooperative Learning and Second Language Teaching, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006 p.5
characterizes teachers new approaches to instruction. The fourth addresses the composition of a collaborative classroom.
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a. Shared knowledge among teachers and students
In traditional classrooms, the dominant metaphor for teaching is the teacher as information giver; knowledge flows only one way from teacher to student. In
contrast, the metaphor for collaborative classrooms is shared knowledge. Even teaching is can be defined as a process of transferring and sharing knowledge.
The teacher has vital knowledge about content, skills, and instruction, and still provides that information to students. When the teacher is teaching, he or she also
learns from hisher students. However, collaborative teachers also value and build upon the knowledge, personal experiences, language, strategies, and culture that
students bring to the learning situation. This will help the teacher in teaching and also help the students in learning.
b. Shared authority among teachers and students
In collaborative classrooms, teachers share authority with students in very specific ways. In most traditional classrooms, the teacher is largely, if not
exclusively, responsible for setting goals, designing learning tasks, and assessing what is learned.
Collaborative teachers differ in that they invite students to set specific goals within the framework of what is being taught, provide options for activities and
assignments that capture different student interests and goals, and encourage students to assess what they learn. Collaborative teachers encourage students’ use
of their own knowledge, ensure that students share their knowledge and their learning strategies, and treat each other respectfully. They help students listen to
diverse opinions, support knowledge claims with evidence, engage in critical and creative thinking, and participate in open and meaningful dialogue.
17M.B. Tinzmann, B.F. Jones, T.F. Fennimore, J. Bakker, C. Fine, and J. Pierce http:www.arp.sprnet.orgAdminsuptcollab2.htm
Teacher is in charge only in the classroom, but in students group, the leader of the group is in charge. This kind of sharing will build the confidence sense among
students that they can also handle and be responsible in their own learning. And they will feel the satisfaction in their learning when their goal is achieved. They
will feel success. c.
Teachers as mediators As knowledge and authority are shared among teachers and students, the role
of the teacher increasingly emphasizes mediated learning. Successful mediation helps students connect new information to their experiences and to learning in
other areas, helps students figure out what to do when they are confused, and helps them learn how to learn. Not strictly giving the answer but just tell or share
the information they have acquired. Above all, the teacher as mediator adjusts the level of information and support so as to maximize the ability to take
responsibility for learning. d.
Heterogeneous groupings of students The studies on the effects of different kinds of grouping indicate strongly that
students should be organized into heterogeneous groups for optimum learning. The teacher needs to understand that the perspectives, experiences, and
backgrounds of all students are important for enriching learning in the classroom. As learning beyond the classroom increasingly requires understanding diverse
perspectives, it is essential to provide students opportunities to do this in multiple contexts in schools. In collaborative classrooms where students are engaged in a
thinking curriculum, everyone learns from everyone else, and no student is deprived of this opportunity for making contributions and appreciating the
contributions of others.
5. Teacher’s Roles in Collaborative Learning
