This presentation highlights the benefits of collaborative learning acknowledging that learning environments are part of complex adaptive systems.

1. Collaborative Learning
Benefits of Learning Communities

2. Students (Free Agents)

3. Content (Knowledge)

4. Super Agent

5. Students, Content, and Teacher
come together to form a complex system

6. Students, Content, and Teacher
come together to form a complex system

7. External Influences

8. Affordances

9. Benefits of Collaborative Learning

10. Benefits of Collaborative Learning
Provides Authenticity
In the real world people work in teams

11. Benefits of Collaborative Learning
Provides Authenticity
In the real world people work in teams
Augmented Cognition
ZPD (Vygotsky)

12. Benefits of Collaborative Learning
Provides Authenticity
In the real world people work in teams
Augmented Cognition
ZPD (Vygotsky)
Learners Develop Meta-Cognitive Skills
Learning to learn

13. Benefits of Collaborative Learning
Provides Authenticity
In the real world people work in teams
Augmented Cognition
ZPD (Vygotsky)
Learners Develop Meta-Cognitive Skills
Learning to learn
Learners Share Their Expertise
Everyone is a teacher

14. Benefits of Collaborative Learning
The evidence is strong and quite consistent across a broad array of
educational research studies that students who study under various
forms of peer interaction, including class discussion (versus
lecture), have more positive attitudes toward the subject
matter, increased motivation to learn more about the subject, and
are better satisfied with their experience than students who have
less opportunity to interact with fellow students and teachers
(Johnson et al., 1991; Light, 1992; Springer, Stanne& Donovan, 1998).
The data also indicate that students working in learning groups like
the instructor better and perceive the instructor as more
supportive and accepting academically and personally (Fiechtner&
Davis, 1992; Johnson et al., 1991).