Collaborative Learning in Junior Mathematics

The Challenge:

One of the assignments in my Junior ABQ course asked teachers to develop an inquiry question around an area of the curriculum. Since I am a math and science teacher at the secondary level, I chose mathematics as my subject area to focus on at the junior level. I am always struggling for ways to make math more interesting and engaging for my students. I feel this is a particularly important topic for junior teachers as junior students are very excited and curious about learning about the world around them. As teachers, we want to harness that enthusiasm for learning and engage students to develop critical mathematical thinkers. I figure a good way to engage students is through group learning. Therefore the question I am going to explore in this post is: How does group work and collaborative learning benefit junior students in learning mathematics?    

“We don’t inquire to eliminate alternatives, but to find more functional understandings – to create diversity, broaden our thinking and ask more complex questions.” (Burke & Short, 1991)

Defining Collaborative Learning:

Moore (2004) suggests that collaborative inquiry or problem solving constructs understanding of the “classroom encounter” – whereby instruction, curriculum, and student actions intersect. Collaboration encourages openness and flexibility, as students are encouraged to develop new questions, solutions and achievement.  Furthermore, student learning is the key driver of group work and collaboration. According to the Ontario Ministry of Education (2010), the role of collaborative learning is becoming a critical part of the daily work of teachers. In fact, the Ministry of Education identifies 7 key characteristics of collaborative problem solving.

 

1. Relevant- Student Learning guides Inquiry
2. Collaborative- Shared process
3. Reflective- Actions are Informed by Reflection
4. Iterative- Progressive understanding grows from cycles of inquiry 
5. Reasoned- Analysis drives deep learning
6. Adaptive- Inquiry shapes practice and practice shapes inquiry
7. Reciprocal- Theory and practice connect dynamically

Research on Collaborative Learning in Junior Mathematics:

                              

 According to Sousa (2006), lecturing results in an average knowledge retention of only 5% whereas methods that require students to practice by doing and teaching others, such as group work, result in 75%-90% of material retention! An interesting study by Van Dat, and Ramon (2012) compared lecture style teaching to group work over the course of 6 weeks among Grade 6 students. Students who participated in group work said they enjoyed working together, teaching others and sharing information. Researchers found group work promoted positive relationships among participants and improved students’ confidence. In addition, students who participated in group work demonstrated higher achievement on a knowledge retention test than those in the lecture style group. Overall, this study found students who learned through group work had significantly higher achievement on retention tests than students who learned through lecture and enjoyed learning.

Ross (2000) adds to the findings of the above study by suggesting a deeper understanding of mathematical ideas develop when students contribute to a solution. By discussing solutions with peers, students make their thinking visible to themselves and their peers. According to Ross (2000), “being explicit makes ideas accessible to others, reveals inconsistencies that can be addressed in dialogue and forces students to reorganize thinking to accommodate the views of others.” (p. 30).  In his study on mathematical reform, Ross (2000) states this occurs when students are placed in mixed ability groups of different mathematical ability, gender, social class and culture. He also suggests all group members are more likely to be involved if the teacher requests one product from the group with the requirement that each group member must provide part of it.    

The Ontario Ministry of Education developed a guide to assist primary and junior teachers with performing effective mathematics instruction. According to the Ministry, group work is especially beneficial to junior students because they benefit from hearing a variety of strategies and processes for problem solving. In order for effective group work to take place, teachers must assign an activity and a discussion to each group. For example “I want you to solve this problem, and this is what I want you to talk about.”

The teacher’s role is to interact with each group and encourage students to share their learning, ask questions and make prompts to promote a deeper level of mathematical understanding.

The Ontario Ministry of Education says that group work can be used to...

• Maximize student participation
• Give students opportunities to learn from one another
•  Provide a structure that encourages students to do a great deal of talking and sharing
•  Provide students with immediate feedback from their peers
•  Promote risk taking in students as their comfort level increases
•   Provide students with opportunities to develop independence and confidence a
• Provide English language learners with opportunities to work with other students who speak the same first langauge
• Expose students to varying viewpoints
• Reinforce students’ skills in cooperating with others (e.g., in listening actively to others, providing constructive feedback to others, and building acceptance and tolerance of others’ ideas)
• Assess students’ learning skills (e.g., group participation, cooperation, abilities in conflict resolution)
• Give students the opportunity to consolidate their understanding of a mathematical concept (e.g., by having them play a game as a group)
•  Foster a sense of community in the classroom

My Conclusion

From researching and reading a variety of different sources, it is clear to me that group work in mathematics benefits junior students in numerous ways. However, like anything in life, group needs to be done in moderation. Students still need whole class lecturing at times to help them learn a specific skill or knowledge piece. They also need time to work on their own and come up with individual solutions and strategies for solving problems. I think the place where group work fits quite well is during practice. Once students have a preliminary understanding, they can work with other students to share their thoughts and get feedback on their ideas. In doing so, they will learn to think in different ways and realize there is always more than one way to solve a problem. Students will also work towards building positive relationships with their peers, learning to communicate their ideas in clear and effective ways and having fun learning math!    

What Teacher’s Say About Group Work….

“The data or the ‘student work’ is actually more than just the finished product, [it’s] the process, the behaviours, the conversations and the non-verbal and verbal communication.“

“We have learned that perhaps the highest impact we can have on our students is taking the time to talk with them and connect with them.

"Teachers shouldn't just stand and teach whole class stuff. That's an old-fashioned way of doing things. If children learn in groups consistently, then they really can learn to work together."

Lastly, check out this video, it shows how just how group work and collaborative learning can be used among other instructional strategies for teaching mathematics to junior students.

References:

Moore, A. (2004). The good teacher: Dominant discourses in teaching and teacher education. New York, NY: RoutledgeFalmer.

Ontario Ministry of Education. (2010). Capacity building series: collaborative teacher inquiry. Secretariat, 18: 1-8.

Ontario Ministry of Education. Retrieved on March 8, 2014 from http://www.eworkshop.on.ca/edu/resources/guides/Guide_Math_K_6_Volume_2.pdf.

Ross, J.A. (2000). Mathematics reform: do some students benefit more than others? The Orbit, 31(3):30-32.

Sousa, D. A. (2006). How the brain learns (3rd ed.). Heatherton, Vic: Hawker Brownlow Education.

Van Dat, T. and Ramon, L. (2012). Effects of cooperative learning on students at An Giang University in Vietnam. International Education Studies, 5(1): 86-99.