Learning Collaboratively

We are all different in the way we prefer to learn. Some students
like to work in groups, and others prefer to work alone. Some
students like to discuss things over Skype or messenger and some
like to work together in person. There is a reason why we have
the saying ‘two heads are better than one’, so let’s see how this
applies to different types of students.


If you think you always prefer to work alone:


It is great that you are very self-sufficient. Students who
prefer to work alone are often confident in their own abilities.
However sometimes these students make it more difficult for
themselves by not asking for help when they need it. So if you
are this type of student, don’t struggle on alone when you get
into difficulties or don’t understand something. Being able to
ask for help when you need it is an important skill for academic
success. Just become more aware that you don’t always ask for
help and instead try reaching out a little more when you need
help.

The other area to consider is that when you talk about things
with other people it can often help you to see things from a
different perspective. By discussing ideas with another person,
you also may find you clarify your own thoughts. By not being
open to collaboration, you might not develop your ideas as well
as you could or you might not see potential issues that a fresh
pair of eyes and ears might discover. If you haven’t done much
collaboration, give it a try and you might find yourself
surprised at how valuable you find the experience.



If you already love working with other people:


Make sure that you always contribute equally and don’t expect
other people to do all the work for you.

Collaboration doesn’t mean cheating. For example, it is ok to
discuss an assignment and what you think it is about and how you
might approach it, but it is not ok to write the assignment
together and hand in similar pieces of work.

Collaboration also doesn’t mean wasting time. If you are
working with other people make sure you are staying on task and
not getting distracted.

Every now and then you have to do things on your own. If you
always do your Maths homework with your friends, you might not
really know what you can and can’t do on your own. The first time
you find this out could be a test which could be a big issue.
Always ask yourself if the work you are doing is going to be
enhanced by collaboration or if it is more appropriate to try the
work on your own.

It is important each night to have a certain amount of
homework time on your own. If you want to collaborate when you
are working at home, make specific times to do this. Don’t skype
the entire night with your friends. Instead have set times for
collaboration and set times for independent work.