Collaborative learning in kindergarten: Challenge or reality?

https://doi.org/10.24130/eccd-jecs.1967201932113

Yazarlar

Anahtar Kelimeler:

Collaborative learning, Teaching, Interaction, Kindergarten

Özet

Collaborative learning is a twenty-first-century education trend with its main characteristic being the interaction among classmates. Collaborative learning in kindergarten, however, presents many difficulties, as preschoolers do not have advanced cooperation skills. As a result, teachers face challenges when applying this method. The study aimed to evaluate teachers’ opinions about collaborative learning. The study’s sample was composed of 107 kindergarten teachers in Greek schools. The tool was an improvised questionnaire that included personal characteristics of the sample, 14 multiple-choice questions on the application of collaborative learning and 33 questions regarding teachers’ opinions about collaborative learning. Analysis of the data has shown that collaborative learning is frequently used in kindergarten schools, even though almost half of the teachers have never attended a relevant training course. In addition, teachers have highly evaluated the results of the method, which includes social and cognitive skills and the effects of collaborative learning evaluation and skills advancement.

Yazar Biyografisi

Eleni Zisopoulou, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

Phd, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

Cooridnator, Primary Education Management Body

Referanslar

Alanís, I. (2018). Enhancing collaborative learning: Activities and structures in a dual language preschool classroom. Association of Mexican American Educators Journal, 12(1), 5−26.

Artut, P. D. (2009). Experimental evaluation of the effects of cooperative learning on kindergarten children’s mathematics ability. International Journal of Educational Research, 48(6), 370−380.

Baines, E., Blatchford, P., & Kutnick, P. (2008). Pupil grouping for learning: Developing a social pedagogy in the classroom. In R. Gillies, A. Ashman, & J. Terwel (Eds.), The teacher'’s role in implementing cooperative learning in the classroom (pp. 55−71). New York: Springer.

Bales, R. F., & Strodtbeck, F. L. (1951). Phases in group problem-solving. The Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 46(4), 485−495.

Barkley, E. F., Cross, K. P., & Major, C. H. (2014). Collaborative learning techniques: A handbook for college faculty. San Fransisco: John Wiley & Sons.

Blum-Kulka, S., & Dvir-Gvirsman, S. (2010). Peer interaction and learning. In P. P. B. McGaw (Ed.), International encyclopedia of education (3rd ed., pp. 444-449). Oxford, England: Elsevier.

Bonk, C. J., & King, K. S. (2012). Models of asynchronous computer conferencing for collaborative learning in large college classes. In Electronic Collaborators (pp. 193−218). Routledge.

Brassart, E., & Schelstraete, M. A. (2015). Enhancing the communication abilities of preschoolers at risk for behavior problems: Effectiveness of a parent-implemented language intervention. Infants & Young Children, 28(4), 337−354.

Clark, C., & McDonnell, A. P. (2008). Teaching choice making to children with visual impairments and multiple disabilities in preschool and kindergarten classrooms. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 102(7), 397−409.

Cohen, E. G. (1994). Restructuring the classroom: Conditions for productive small groups. Review of Educational Research, 64(1), 1-35.

Dillenbourg, P., Järvelä, S., & Fischer, F. (2009). The evolution of research on computer-supported collaborative learning. In Technology-enhanced Learning (pp. 3−19). Dordrecht: Springer,.

Dovigo, F. (2016). Argumentation in preschool: A common ground for collaborative learning in early childhood. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 24(6), 818−840.

Duţă, N., & Martínez-Rivera, O. (2015). Between theory and practice: The importance of ICT in higher education as a tool for collaborative learning. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 180, 1466-1473.

Fawcett, L. M., & Garton, A. F. (2005). The effect of peer collaboration on children’s problem solving ability. British Journal of Education Psychology, 75, 157−169.

Flanders, N. A. (1970). Analyzing teacher behavior (pp. 100−107). Addison-Wesley P. C.

Gillies, R. M., & Boyle, M. (2010). Teachers’ reflections on cooperative learning: Issues of implementation. Teaching and Teacher Education, 26(4), 933−940.

González, Y. A. C., & Muñoz-Repiso, A. G. V. (2017). Development of computational thinking and collaborative learning in kindergarten using programmable educational robots: A teacher training experience. In Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Technological Ecosystems for Enhancing Multiculturality (p. 5). ACM.

Guasch, T., Alvarez, I., & Espasa, A. (2010). University teacher competencies in a virtual teaching/learning environment: Analysis of a teacher training experience. Teaching and Teacher Education, 26(2), 199−206.

Häkkinen, P., Järvelä, S., Mäkitalo-Siegl, K., Ahonen, A., Näykki, P., & Valtonen, T. (2015). Preparing teacher students for 21st-century learning practices (PREP 21): A framework for enhancing collaborative problem solving and strategic learning skills. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Paivi_Haekkinen/publication/304991970_Preparing_teacher-students_for_twenty-first-century_learning_practices_PREP_21_a_framework_for_enhancing_collaborative_problem-solving_and_strategic_learning_skills/links/579f53b808ae80bf6ea7b212.pdf

Healey, M. (2014). Students as partners in learning and teaching in higher education. In Workshop Presented at University College Cork (Vol. 12, p. 15).

Hertz-Lazarowitz, R. (2008). Beyond the classroom and into the community: the role of the teacher in expanding the pedagogy of cooperation. In R. Gillies, A. Ashman, & J. Terwel (Eds.), The teachers’ role in implementing cooperative learning in the classroom (pp. 37−54). New York: Springer.

Jacobs, E. (2017). The privacy behaviour of preschool children: Mechanisms and functions in the day-care environment. In Paul F. Wilkinson, In celebration of play (pp. 119−134). Routledge.

Jenni, R. W. & Mauriel, J. (2004). Cooperation and collaboration: Reality or rhetoric? International Journal of Leadership in Education, 7(2), 181-95.

Jin, M., & Moran, M. J. (2017). Understanding preschool children’s cooperative problem solving during play: China and the US. In James and Cobanoglu (Eds.), Global Conference on Education and Research (GLOCER 2017) (p. 213).

Kultti, A., & Pramling, N. (2015). Limes and lemons: Teaching and learning in preschool as the coordination of perspectives and sensory modalities. International Journal of Early Childhood, 47(1), 105-117.

Laal, M., & Laal, M. (2012). Collaborative learning: What is it?. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 31, 491−495.

Larusson, J. A., & Alterman, R. (2009). Wikis to support the “collaborative” part of collaborative learning. International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, 4(4), 371−402.

Lohman, M. C. (2006). Factors influencing teachers’ engagement in informal learning activities. Journal of Workplace Learning, 18(3), 141−156.

Lopata, C., Miller, K., & Miller, R. (2003). Survey of actual and preferred use of cooperative learning among exemplar teachers. The Journal of Educational Research, 96, 232−241.

Matveev, A. V. (2002). The advantages of employing quantitative and qualitative methods in intercultural research: Practical implications from the study of the perceptions of intercultural communication competence by American and Russian managers. Theory of Communication and Applied Communication, 1(1), 59−67.

Morris, P., Mattera, S., Castells, N., Bangser, M., Bierman, K., & Raver, C. C. (2014). Impact findings from the Head Start CARES demonstration: National evaluation of three approaches to improving preschoolers’ social and emotional competence. OPRE Report, 2014. 44. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED546649.pdf

Nevin, A. I., Thousand, J. S., & Villa, R. A. (2009). Collaborative teaching for teacher educators: What does the research say? Teaching and Teacher Education, 25(4), 569−574.

Otto, B. (2014). Language development in early childhood. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

Richardson, J. (2010). Interventionist art education: Contingent communities, social dialogue, and public collaboration. Studies in Art Education, 52(1), 18−33.

Rudd, L. C., Lambert, M. C., Satterwhite, M., & Smith, C. H. (2009). Professional development+ coaching= enhanced teaching: Increasing usage of math mediated language in preschool classrooms. Early Childhood Education Journal, 37(1), 63−69.

Said, M. N. H. B. M., Forret, M., & Eames, C. (2013). Online collaborative learning in tertiary ICT education: Constraints and suggestions for improvement. In 2013 International Conference on Informatics and Creative Multimedia (pp. 153−158). IEEE.

Sinha, S., Rogat, T. K., Adams-Wiggins, K. R., & Hmelo-Silver, C. E. (2015). Collaborative group engagement in a computer-supported inquiry learning environment. International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, 10(3), 273−307.

Stellakis, N. (2018). Access to and quality of early childhood education and care in Greece. Journal of Early Childhood Studies, 2(1), 151−171.

Strait, D. L., Parbery-Clark, A., O’Connell, S., & Kraus, N. (2013). Biological impact of preschool music classes on processing speech in noise. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, 6, 51−60.

Tarim, K. (2009). The effects of cooperative learning on preschoolers’ mathematics problem-solving ability. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 72(3), 325−340.

Tolmie, A. K., Topping, K. J., Christie, D., Donaldson, C., Howe, C., Jessiman, E., Livingston, K., & Thurston, A. (2010). Social effects of collaborative learning in primary schools. Learning and Instruction, 20(3), 177−191.

Vasileiadou, M. (2009). Cooperative learning and its effects on pre-primary, marginalized children. Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties, 14(4), 337−347.

Zhan, Z., Fong, P. S., Mei, H., & Liang, T. (2015). Effects of gender grouping on students’ group performance, individual achievements and attitudes in computer-supported collaborative learning. Computers in Human Behavior, 48, 587−596.

Zheng, B., Niiya, M., & Warschauer, M. (2015). Wikis and collaborative learning in higher education. Technology, Pedagogy and Education, 24(3), 357−374.

Yayınlanmış

2019-10-04

Nasıl Atıf Yapılır

Zisopoulou, E. (2019). Collaborative learning in kindergarten: Challenge or reality?. Erken Çocukluk Çalışmaları Dergisi, 3(2), 335–351. https://doi.org/10.24130/eccd-jecs.1967201932113

Sayı

Bölüm

Araştırma Makaleleri