collaborative learning

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Using Social Annotation Tools to Unlock Collective Wisdom


image of Gavin PorterGavin Porter, Lecturer in Immunology (HMS), helps students develop critical skills for research paper analysis. Prior to 2019, his students would individually read papers and submit their analysis through a traditional templated question approach. Due to the repetitive nature of the assessment product and after realizing that all students could benefit from each other’s questions and ideas, Dr. Porter transitioned this assignment to a collaborative one using a social annotation platform created at Harvard called Perusall. The platform embeds the research paper PDF that students read asynchronously and mark with comments or questions throughout. Students see each other’s annotations and can build upon each other in collaborative threads and answer each other’s questions. Comments are situated directly within the margins of the course documents, instead of a disembodied discussion forum. Paper figures can be annotated, and so can video content.

Inclusive classrooms: How can we put our ethos into practice?


image of Sharad GoelSharad Goel, Professor of Public Policy (HKS), teaches statistical methods in his application-oriented course, Law, Order and Algorithms, and in the team-taught course, Quantitative Analysis and Empirical Methods. He emphasizes the importance of making course content relatable and relevant to students' lives and interests to enhance their understanding of quantitative analysis. In addition, he believes that this approach is the initial step towards fostering an inclusive learning environment. Last year, Goel joined the Faculty Learning Community on Disability and Learning at HKS, which allowed him to align his research and course content with his teaching method through a wide range of integrated practices. Straightforward examples include always ensuring to use microphones, repeating questions for clarity, describing visual content for students instead of assuming students can see it, and allowing a brief pause after asking questions to give students time to think.

Fostering Collaboration Skills in the Classroom

 

Rosalea MonacellaRosalea Monacella, Design Critic in Landscape Architecture at the Graduate School of Design (GSD), works to create opportunities for students to build collaborative skills and facilitate peer-to-peer learning by “embed[ding] the techniques of joint problem-solving and ideas development” in her design studio courses. Monacella starts by fostering a classroom community built on mutual respect and trust, modelling and scaffolding collaborative behaviours to help students develop their unique individual capacities through collaborative work. She has found that instructors often assume that students know how to work effectively in group settings; however, oftentimes, students have never been provided with scaffolded experiences that will help them develop their group working styles. 

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