How do YOU like to learn? By talking through a problem? Listening to someone else talk? In a group or alone? By reading on your own and asking questions in class? By practicing skills on the water?

Average retention rate (after 24 hours) Lecture – verbal Reading – processing Audiovisual – verbal and Demonstration – visual processing Discussion Group – Practice by Doing – Doing Teach Others/ Immediate use of learning - 90 % 5% 10% 20% 30% 50% 75%

Collaborative Learning Instructor Development Committee Presentation

SEMINAR OBJECTIVES To present an instructional strategy for teaching classes and seminars. Provide information and experience to allow participants to use the strategy for part of their teaching.

What is collaborative learning? Collaborative learning can be defined as learners working together to refine their collective understanding of a concept or skill. Planned instructional strategies designed to allow participants to use the content. Decision making or problem based learning.

How does it work? The learner has previously read the content or had experiences for basic understanding. People are involved in the learning directly, not passively listening or looking. The instructor is more of an observer or supporter of the learning. There is more pulling information from memory by the student which makes the learning stronger.

Why collaborative learning? Increased involvement for the learner. Stronger reinforcement for the learner. More social connections to education classes. Increased variety for teaching. The method more closely matches how people learn in the work world. We are usually teaching adults who want to be involved in the learning.

Experiencing learning Being involved in the learning provides stronger memory and more paths to recall and use the information. Each time a learner brings the content to their working memory they reinforce the understanding. We do not learn from experience, but from the reflection on the experience.

Social experience from learning Members that interact with each will often form a stronger friendship. Members that support each other’s learning will also be more likely to take additional classes together. People are naturally social. Facebook, Twitter, and other social media are popular because they fit people’s connections.

Consider people new to boating People that start boating without past experiences have weak memory connections to the content. The boating information does not have a path to long term memory when it is simply delivered in a presentation. Creating additional time to use the information creates more memory paths.

Variety = teaching/learning energy Students “tune out” when only receiving material one way. Using the same method reduces the excitement for the teacher. Having to organize the content a different way helps strengthen the teacher’s understanding of the content.

What will collaborative learning do for the instructor Provide a way to observe student learning & understanding. Provide more options for teaching the concepts & content. Allow the instructor to increase enthusiasm for teaching the content. – Avoid burnout – Move out of their comfort zone

What will collaborative learning do for the student? Allow the student to process the material several times to reinforce learning. Allow the learner to process in the manner that they use at work. Create stronger ownership of the learning experience and content. Helps make the learning meaningful for the student.

Why use collaborative learning Most people can read the text to get an introduction to the information. New boaters may not gain enough experience from reading to ask questions. The collaborative learning process allows a “meaning making” of the material by the learner. Provides the instructor with information about learner understanding and lesson variety.

Collaborative Learning Activity When you entered you were given a card with information about boating decisions. You will be asked to be in a group. This activity assumes that you have some boating experience. We are going to ask you to explain your thinking for the decision you support.

Collaborative learning is like/ not like Because:

Boating decisions Play with boats long enough and something will happen. (Quote from 2 delivery captains) We are going to look at some boating scenarios and ask you to consider the probability that the event will occur. Of course your level of experience will determine your confidence to deal with the problem.

Boating Decision Making 1 ABC Book – Appendix E topic Likelihood of an Event – Probable = an event will occur several times. – Occasional = an event will probably occur sometime. – Remote = an event is unlikely to occur, but is possible. – Improbable = an event is highly unlikely to occur

Boating Decision Making 2 How serious is the problem? – Will it cause you to postpone the trip or activity? – Will it cause you to change the activity or trip significantly? – Will you carefully check equipment and make contingency plans and continue with the activity or trip? – Will a quick check with the crew & of the equipment be ok before proceeding?

Activity Directions You will be asked to decide how probable you think it is that the presented problem will occur while boating. Your group will also attempt to decide how serious the situation or problem is for the boating decision making scenario. Share the decision with the whole group and explain why the decision was reached.

Decision Making Scenarios Your boat is sinking The boat radio is providing intermittent service The fog rolls in while you are underway Malfunctioning GPS Boat engine problems

Debrief the activity What did you learn from other boaters? What did you learn about your own boating experience level? How will this change your approach to preparation for boating? What boating understandings are more clear after the exercise?

Activities Reflection Would such activities help boaters create a stronger understanding? What reasons would an instructor have to take the time to use collaborative learning? What are the benefits for the student from collaborative learning? What are the potential benefits for the squadron if more classes are collaborative?

Meaningful Learning Long term memory of information in the brain – Does it make sense to the learner based on experiences? – Is it relevant to the learner? It may make sense to know something but it may not be meaningful to the person.

True or False Question Learners who can perform a new learning task well are likely to retain it? False. We cannot presume that because a learner performs a new learning task well, it will be permanently stored. Sense and/or meaning must be present to some degree for storage to occur.

Planning a lesson Suggestions for Collaborative work

Important Content First make sure that class members were previously exposed to the content through experience, reading, video, or an earlier presentation. Focus on important content or areas where there were learning challenges discovered in past lessons. What does the content tell you about the strategy you will use?

Consider group members How well do they know each other? Have they worked together on other projects, activities, or problems? What is their background/experience level when working with people? What is the total group size? Will you have help implementing the activity?

Choosing a group strategy What are you planning to accomplish with the activity? – Activating interest and focus to work together – Goal setting and planning – Dialogue and discussion – Summarizing learning – Text and information processing

Group organization Divide the group into smaller groups of 2, 3, or 4 members for active participation. Mixing members by experience and knowledge increases interactions. Structure the group through time, roles, interaction patterns, materials and or space

Use a lesson at least twice Remember that the first time a lesson is used it is never perfect. What will you add, delete, or expand? Plan to evaluate the lesson. Ask questions or have an strategy to measure effectiveness. Consider having an observer or videotape the lesson to get feedback on the lesson.

Impact on person’s learning style Active and Reflective Learners have time to be involved with the materials. Sensors and Intuitive Learners are given the opportunity to interact with the material from each style and share viewpoints and understandings. Visual and verbal learners have time to visualize or express understandings.

Final Questions Learners who do the most talking, thinking, reflecting or moving learn the most. True or False Do you believe that when the learner feels good about what, how and with whom they learn, they will be more likely to take classes and seminars?

Thank you for attending the seminar today. Please take a handout that describes some aspects of collaborative learning and provides a couple of activities that may be used with courses.