Cooperative vs Collaborative learning
"Is cooperative and collaborative learning the same or are they different?" is a question I am asked frequently. This is a good question as the two can be confusing.
Mostly, they are used interchangeably. However, they do not mean the same thing.
Cooperative learning is structured whereas, collaborative learning is open. Both the learning activities can be done in groups or pairs. In cooperative learning the teacher / facilitator / trainer decides on the structure, and flow of the activity whereas,in collaborative learning, a topic is given; it is for the learners to decide how and what to do to reach the final outcome. Use of certain tools for collaboration may be specified.
Last year, while working with Maharashtra Knowledge Corporation Limited (MKCL) Foundation, a project based learning activity was designed for a rural school project. The learners were ninth graders. This activity was designed as a Cooperative learning activity. Students were put in groups. They had to select a topic, which they thought was important locally. They then had to research the topic by using various sources and tools; link and apply concepts from various subjects, use technology to present their findings. They surprised us by working on topics like Social Equality, Right to Information (how it could be used when roads would be built in their village), and Swaach Bharat. They came up with technology solutions to take care of demand and supply of manpower requirements for farming and proposed solutions for water conservation.
However, the activity design included a sample topic 'Water' which was given to them as reference. How they could link concepts from various subjects to this topic was detailed out for them. The structure and flow of conducting the activity was specified. The final output – a Powerpoint presentation of their findings was specified. They followed the flow and sequence and further built upon how they could enhance their presentations. They linked language learning to the selected topic, by writing poetry, searching for existing poems on the topic, writing newspaper articles etc.
The same learning activity could be designed in another way - as a Collaborative learning activity. Groups could be formed. Students could select the topic of their choice (which they did in the earlier activity as well). The requirement and output could be specified.
Students could then work collaboratively; make decisions on how they would structure their tasks to find information or do research, how they would link various subjects and how they would present.
It is said that, Cooperative learning could be designed for school children and Collaborative learning for higher education or for workplaces. However, they both can be used for all age groups.
