Collaborative Learning Paper

Collaborative learning is beneficial to students in the sense that they are not only challenged to complete an assignment, but they are also required to work with others to finish the task. Sometimes working with others can be more challenging than working by oneself. This is because the different personality types within a particular group are usually unknown prior to the work beginning. The responsibility of each group member determines the level of ease or difficulty in completing the assignment. It is important that each member takes on an equal role in the process of collaborative learning so that the project will not turn into an individual project rather than a group assignment. Another important factor in creating a successful collaborative learning environment is communication. Using communication skills benefits each member of the group in that everyone can gain a clear understanding of where the group stands and what direction the group intends to go.

In the "Understanding Television" lesson plan, the students are broken up into groups and asked to produce a television show. There are several steps that must be taken before the actual show is produced. The students must research what goes into producing a show, create an idea for the show, develop a proposal, produce a script for one episode, make a storyboard that illustrates the script, hold rehearsals, and then have the performance of the episode. The internet should be used by the students to conduct their research about the show. The episode should be tapped using a video camera and watched by the other students on a television.