Eric Berg (ESOL/TRS) participated in the Collaborative Learning strand of 2016 High Impact Practices Summer Institute for Faculty: Growing a High Impact Culture through Course Redesign. Here are his reflections 8 months after the experience.
How have you implemented what you learned about Collaborative Learning at the HIPs Institute?
The HIPs institute has changed the way I approach lesson planning. While I was aware of some collaborative learning techniques prior to the institute, I would sometimes include these as "add-ons" to my lesson plan. The institute challenged me to plan my lessons with a collaborative focus, rather than as an after-thought.
What were some highlights from your class last fall? Or, what is a highlight that you are working on now?
One of the greatest highlights from my class last fall was that after a while, the collaborative learning techniques became like second nature to the students. Even when a lesson did not explicitly require collaboration, I would often observe students working together informally.
What are your next steps with Collaborative Learning?
My next steps would be to identify those practices that are most effective and that align with my own personal teaching style. The options for collaborative techniques are vast, but some have worked better than others. I will always have an eye for refining and editing my favorite go-to strategies.
What impact have you seen on your students?
I noticed the classroom climate change throughout the semester. Before long, students did not hesitate at revealing their struggles and reaching out to their peers for support. The sense that everyone was "in it together" became apparent. Also, the particular section that I focused on last semester was very high-achieving compared to previous sections that I have taught. Whether this was just by coincidence or the effect of the high impact practice is not entirely clear - I think it was probably both.
What are some challenges that you needed to overcome?
I tried different approaches to organizing my student groups based on convenience, readiness, student choice, etc. Sometimes the groupings were very effective and at other times dysfunctional. Before long, some students earned a reputation for being difficult to work with for various reasons and would sometimes draw complaints from students who were grouped with them. This challenge sometimes took a lot of time and energy to overcome, which became frustrating.
Gena Merliss
Teaching and Creativity Center
04/14/2017 |