Group+1

Does girls collaborate differently than boys? Test Response-- This is group #3. How are you (and when is lunch?)

Do co-ed classrooms experience collaborative learning differently than single sex classrooms? //Don't know. We don't have any first-hand experience, but research on single sex classroom activities in general would indicate they would lend themselves better to collaborative projects.//

How do you encourage someone to cooperate with/contribute to the group? //Take the student aside. Ask them to describe his or her role in the group. Use that perception of the role to develop a plan with the student for making a contribution.//

Does it all have to be computer based to provide collaborative learning? //No. As we said, a collaborative project could be run without computers in class. It would bemore of a challenge to run the project outside of class without a common workspace.//

Does the computer take away communication skills? //Fascinating question. You must mean interpersonal communication, because in general, computer networks increase communication. There are some issues that cannot be solved without a real conversation. One of the lessons of the project is understanding when personal interaction is necessary or preferable. I don't let kids send messages to each other when they are working on the project in class.//

How do you know if the kids have learned the goals of the course? //Nothing changes. They should be assessed on the content. If the project is consistent with the goals of the course, then there should be no problem.//

What are the real goals of collaborative learning - skills or knowledge?

How are resources checked/confirmed?

How do we know that each group member is actually doing their own work?

At what age - grade level - should collaborative learning be introduced or take place?