Collaborative Learning Techniques: A Handbook for College Faculty

by Elizabeth F. Barkley, Claire Howell Major, K. Patricia Cross

A guide to thirty-five creative assignments for pairs and groups Collaborative Learning Techniques is the bestseller that college and university faculty around the world have used to help them make the most of small group learning.A mountain of evidence shows that students who learn in small groups together exhibit higher academic achievement, motivation, and satisfaction than those who don't. Collaborative learning puts into practice the major conclusion from learning that students must be actively engaged in building their own minds. In this book, the authors synthesize the relevant research and theory to support thirty-five collaborative learning activities for use in both traditional and online classrooms.This second edition reflects the changed world of higher education. New technologies have opened up endless possibilities for college teaching, but it's not always easy to use these technologies effectively. Updated to address the challenges of today's new teaching environments, including online, "flipped," and large lectures, Collaborative Learning Techniques is a wonderful reference for educators who want to make the most of any course environment. This revised and expanded edition techniques, with an all-new chapter on using games to provide exciting, current, technologically-sophisticated curricula A section on effective online implementation for each of the thirty-five techniques Significantly expanded pedagogical rationale and updates on the latest research showing how and why collaborative learning works Examples for implementing collaborative learning techniques in a variety of learning environments, including large lecture classes and "flipped" classes Expanded guidance on how to solve common problems associated with group work The authors guide instructors through all aspects of group work, providing a solid grounding in what to do, how to do it, and why it is important for student learning. The detailed procedures in Collaborative Learning Techniques will help teachers make sure group activities go smoothly, no matter the size or delivery method of their classes. With practical advice on how to form student groups, assign roles, build team spirit, address unexpected problems, and evaluate and grade student participation, this new edition of the international classic makes incorporating effective group work easy.

Genres: Education, Teaching, Nonfiction, Research

448 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 8, 2004

Reviews

[LSC-University Park SLRC]

Read it through Lone Star College's EBSCO Ebook Collection.

[Peyton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading and re-reading. I've read this a few times over the last 10 years. I had the earlier edition and my college bought us each a copy. I think when you use this book with Classroom Assessment Techniques (Angelo/Cross), you're pretty much set. Adjuncts have how to assess learning and how to teach stuff in the class. Both are indispensable to me. I'm lucky to have had a college program that bought us both books. Also, these books would work in high schools as well. They are lists of the best techniques for teaching. CoLTs has dozens of tried-and-true techniques clearly laid out. You could pick one or two a week and immediately use them in class. I feel like a lot of my research has been done on what works and what doesn't. 5-stars for sure!

[Anyeliz]

This book is a great primer and handbook on incorporating collaborative teaching techniques in higher education. It includes a brief theoretical framework on the value of collaborative learning and several techniques with explanations and examples of its implementation in different teaching scenarios (from large lectures to online education). I do find, however, that it falls a bit short in terms of its explanation of grading procedures for collaborative learning, which is at times somewhat vague and general.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was recommended to me by a teaching colleague. Honestly, I was not overly interested as I incoprorate group work in my classes already. However, I found many useful ideas, not only for my face to face classes but also for my online classes and workshop presentations. I will no doubt be re-vamping all year long. I have already recommended it to another colleague as we work on developing a hybrid training.