Collaborative learning

Talking about learning above all means talking about change: changes in knowledge (which can be increased, restructured and/or modified), in ways of learning, and in behaviour. Such change occurs through a process that can involve learners both individually (e.g. in traditional, taught classes) and in groups.

There are numerous other ways of learning that can be offered to groups in education, and these can be chosen according to the characteristics of the learners and/or the content, to the learning outcomes and so on.

Interactive tables produced by Practix support education in small groups, offering a setting that is favourable to so-called ‘collaborate learning’, which can be adapted to meet the objectives of the client through the various models and nuances of the chosen educational method.

In collaborative learning, a group of learners collaborates in order to reach a common, shared objective, by examining in more depth and reflecting critically on the content offered by the trainer (or by whoever is conducting the training session).

The methodology of collaborative learning can be described by considering some general characteristics:

• common resources: materials, documentation, and any tools that can/should be used are shared among learners in order to encourage all learners to participate and to take responsibility for their own part in the activity
• the objectives of the whole process should be clear and shared, structured in a way that means learners need to be interdependent in order to achieve them
• the entire learning process requires the use of social skills, including negotiation skills, coordination of different competences and aptitudes, managing leadership etc.
• the evaluation of the various stages has both collective and individual characteristics and focuses on the content, method and relationships (collaboration, climate, communicative patterns).

Practix designs tools for professional training, making use of new interactive table technology and introducing support techniques for collaborative learning.