User:Nazia Tarannum/sandbox

Collaborative Learning
Collaborative Learning is a strategy which is widely used by teachers across the world to enhance learning of students .It has its origin in Social constructivism theory of Lev Vygotsky, according to which There are activities that a student or learner can do and cannot do so the area  which  lies between these two areas wherein a student  can learn to do an activity with the help of guidance   is called Zone of Proximal development. Social constructive theory emphasizes on the fact that students construct knowledge from their interaction with peers, teachers and society .Thus this approach is often used in IB schools to transact the curriculum in the best possible way. It also focuses on scaffolding wherein the teacher facilitates students wherever teacher assistance is required. Collaborative learning is a popular teaching and learning approach in followed IB schools as it focuses on student learning by interacting with peers and doing tasks in group in anon time, however it is not in isolation away from the teacher, but the teacher acts as a facilitator and ensures that the discussion in on the right track thus, avoiding any distractions which might hamper the learning of students. Thus it is expedient to both the teacher and the student. Collaborative learning engages the student and ensures that all the silent spectators’ join the discussion thus become active participants in the class. IB education gives lot of importance to collaborative tasks as it probes creative, critical thinking in students and trains them to be a good team player, contribute to the group by working on their strengths and weaknesses which makes them feel confident and thus results in improved performance. It is also been observed, that students are able to remember more from what they have learnt by practice rather than what they read, watch and listen.

Significance and relevance of Collaborative Learning
Collaborative learning is an essential strategy in recent times to increase the student motivation and academic achievement. It also generates interest in the subject thus no board, curriculum can do away with it. It develops higher level thinking skills, stimulates critical thinking and helps students share their ideas through discussion, it also enhances self-management skills, builds relationship between student and teacher and also between students, increases student retention and student satisfaction by developing social interaction skills and oral communication skills thus students learn to co-exist with each other peacefully and to express their views with assertiveness which in turn makes them leaders for life. Apart from helping students it is also beneficial to teachers as teachers can assess a students learning by observing his, her interactions with peers in the group thus teacher can understand where the student is lacking and thus help to overcome shortcomings of student. Thus collaborative learning engages student to an extent that a student learns everything in the class itself and with a little reading or revision can do well in exams and their assignments ,as the student is prepared for exams it reduces the homework which usually is a burden for both teachers and students. Thus it is the most preferred form of learning by this generation.

= 'Collaborative Vs Cooperative Learning'= The term collaborative and cooperative learning are often used interchangeably however there are some significant differences which distinguish them from one another. In collaborative learning, the progress of a learner is on an individual level that is the learner progresses individually, and they are not dependent on each other for their success, whereas in cooperative learning they progress together by working towards a common goal thus, they are answerable to one another and have a greater accountability towards other learners as all of them have a role to play. Thus, in cooperative learning everyone involved has to make a significant contribution in terms of efforts and hard work to ensure success, which with correct guidance can be managed well. Another major difference between the two is that teacher monitoring is not necessary however teacher can assist if required and the students assess their performance on their own whereas in Cooperative Learning teacher plays an important role right from sharing of knowledge between students to assessing their performance.