nelliemuller said:

How do cooperative and collaborative learning differ?

Do you agree with Ted Panitz’ definition?

mawstools said:

I’ve been following Ted Panitz for a long time now (seems like a decade at least) and I find the distinctions he makes between the various “branches” helps me see the whole tree for what it is – and what it isn’t.

Others?

nelliemuller said:

Meri,

Ted Panitz defines collaborative learning as “a personal philosophy” and classroom technique that is student centered and cooperative learning as “a set of processes” the help students interact that is teacher oriented. What is the value of distinguishing between the two? What is that whole tree? I find it hard to put into words. Can you clarify how you see it?

Peter Blomert said:

Hi Nelli, hi Meri,

I don’t get the difference between collaborative and cooperative learning that clear either. That may be a consequence of my german perspective, as we know especially the cooperative approach of Johnson et Johnson, adapted by Kathy and Norm Green to the german school-system.

Definitely for us Germans the cooperative learning we know is not reducible to a set of techniques to use in a classroom environment but is on the contrary deeply founded in an constructivist approach to learning. That may well be the reason for the central role this approach plays in e.g. “brain-based-learning” and similar approaches.

The five basic elements of cooperative learning (positive interdependence, individual accountability, group-processing, training of social competencies and face-to-face interaction) not only form intertwined sets of structures and concepts for class-instruction but also define the role of the teacher as a coach and facilitator of learning. The whole concept is competence-centered, that means, following Panitz, transformation-oriented. The products of instruction in any case are gained personal-, team-, and academic-competencies. Transmission – as Panitz coins it – may be best illustrated by the infamous Nuremberg funnel, and this is quite the opposite of the goals of cooperative learning.

So from my perspective is what we call cooperative learning very similar to what Panitz calls collaborative learning.

Cooperative learning uses all known structures and techniques of education and instruction – we steal where we can, whatever we find useful for transporting the five basic elements into classroom-interaction, but without the foundation on the constructivist approach, without the base of a well-structured safe learning-environment, cooperative learning will be scattered to pieces. Every mechanical approach to education will fall short – the humanistic approach is conditio sine qua non.

As I mentioned before, I can’t clearly see the implications and the meaning of the differentiation between collaborative and cooperative learning if not to differentiate between a humanistic and a mechanical approach to education – and then i have to state that cooperative learning definitely is a humanistic approach.