Ideas and Strategies to Praise Collaborative Learning

Writing for Associations Now, (ASAE & the Center for Association Leadership) Jeff Waddle, (a freelance writer based in Cincinnati, Ohio) notes, “… a revolution of sorts is underway, largely due to advances in technology and a society and economy that make continual learning a requirement.  Technology has made it easier to obtain information without attending a conference in person, and popular social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook allow friends and colleagues to stay connected in sophisticated ways. Those attending meetings are now considered "participants" who want to tell their stories and hear those of their peers.  And while presenter-driven content still has its place, those participants are becoming less willing to sit through a traditional presentation without having an opportunity to discuss how what they just heard matters to them.  

People want compelling content quickly and then a lot more time to talk about it and make sense of it," says Jeffrey Cufaude, a speaker, writer, and consultant on meeting design and learning styles. "There's a need in the meeting design format for people to quickly engage with each other and ask, ‘What's the information, why is it relevant, and what am I going to do with it?

So enters collaborative learning. Collaborative learning is a situation in which two or more people learn or attempt to learn something together.[1] More specifically, collaborative learning is based on the model that knowledge can be created within a population where members actively interact by sharing experiences and take on asymmetry roles.  Collaborative learning activities can include collaborative writing, group projects, joint problem solving, debates, study teams, and other activities.

In April 2010, Jeff Hurt posed a few questions to potential participants involved in collaborative learning sessions. “How do you feel when a speaker announces that you’re going to role play or break into small groups? What have you seen some experienced speakers use to overcome attendee resistance to participation?”  “Some speakers know that active, focused, relevant experiences like case studies, games, role playing and small group discussion foster learning. Structured activities and attendee participation enhances brain activity, deeper understanding, insight, memory and retention, and skill building.

Yet, some conference presenters abandon the use of structured activities because of attendee resistance to anything beyond passive listening. They take the path of least resistance. As Sue Pelletier said in a recent blog comment, “… People tend to not like the presenters who make them uncomfortable, versus those who keep them entertained and happy.”  Be sure to read Jeff’s full article entitled, Meetings Remix: Time to Rethink the Usual Format. 

As a conference attendee, do you want to be active and involved?  What other learning opportunities do you look for when attending a conference?