Collaborative Learning

Learning is inherently social. We learn with and from each other: by figuring out how to explain something; by listening and understanding; by sharing in a new experience; by learning alongside someone who has more practice; by watching a more expert peer succeed at a challenging task. Hearing something someone says or does might spark an idea or a question that leads us to learning something unexpected. Listening to a podcast or watching a show may cast an idea in a new light. There are so many ways that we learn together! In that spirit, Marion and I are collaborating this week, writing some joint blog posts and inviting others to share their thinking as well.

So what are some ways to do collaborative learning at home? While siblings make some of this more intuitive, it can also make things more difficult (remember the War of the Roses scene Marion described here?), so don’t let that be a roadblock. Our family has devoted an hour in the afternoon to what we’re calling “Collaborative Learning/Explore Time.” We’ve agreed that it can be playing a game or doing a puzzle together, learning something together, or creating something together, but it can also be something to share with someone else. Writing letters or drawing pictures for others fits this category, as does designing something with someone else in mind, like creating your own lesson (a surprising hit and a surprising realization that this is hard and takes some trial and error, followed by refinement, and then re-testing). Or like Marion mentioned in her Making Media blog post, creating and performing tricks or skits, or making an exercise video! (By the way, this exercise video was a huge hit with all of my kids because seeing other kids as teachers is really exciting, made them feel like they can do it, and inspired them to do something similar!)

Collaborative learning can happen spontaneously and unexpectedly too! Today we got some new ping pong balls. When opening the package, one fell out and amazingly provided a half an hour of learning and exploring disguised as playing. Our twins watched where the ball would bounce or roll, following it around and giggling the whole time. Then they tried to roll the ball to specific places. There were lots of misses of the desired target, lots of moving of the target to try and catch the ball, and more giggles. What they didn’t realize, of course, was that they were learning about trajectories, friction, ramps and motion, about experimentation and asking questions, and about trial and error. And not realizing any of that is really the beauty of it all!

Finally, remember your non-quarantine village and reach out virtually to support collaborative learning! What skills, crafts, or other ways do friends or relatives have to play or learn virtually with your child? Heck, what can someone else do on the other side of the screen to entertain your child? My dad is giving my oldest son Hebrew lessons via Zoom, my friend’s mother-in-law is reading books to her son during their family quiet time, my brother’s kids performed a virtual concert on the piano and cello for our family, my boys often have video chats or virtual playdates with friends where they share new magic tricks or jokes they’ve learned. While my kids have not yet had interest, I’ve been excited about the potential of writing up interview questions and interviewing friends or families and then writing up news-like stories for a family newspaper or magazine. Or creating their own game. Or creating a scavenger hunt. Or starting a garden. Or using Peppa Pig as the inspiration behind a family skit.

As we think about supporting our children at home, this creative time to learn with and from others in new and different ways seems like a real opportunity. Keeping learning fun and interest-driven will not only help kids over their boredom hump, but it may actually lead to their learning in new ways without them even realizing it (a la ping pong chase)!