Education Commons^™

Teacher And Student Perspectives On Collaborative Learning, Ray Peck, M Barnes

Ray Peck

In this article, the authors explain what they mean by collaborative learning and suggest ways of promoting effective collaboration in senior mathematics. Issues discussed include group composition, the design of suitable tasks for collaborative work, setting norms for student behaviour and the teacher's role in promoting effective discussion. Students' views on collaborative learning are also presented. Perceived advantages include improved understanding, enjoyment and communication skills. Some perceived disadvantages and ways of minimising them are also discussed.