Stephanie Canuel 10034458

Reading Summary for The Art of Collaborative Learning and John Dewey: My Pedagogical Creed

The Art of Collaborative Learning explores the effectiveness in working collaboratively with

groups. Often students do better when they are working with others because humans are social beings;

having others to bounce ideas off of is essential to the learning process. I know that this is vital to my

own learning. When I can teach someone what I know or ask someone to help me with what I dont

understand I am much more successful at assessments and retaining information after the test is over.

Not only do individuals learn the subject matter better, but they also become more prepared for the real

world in which collaboration is becoming more and more commonplace. My job often utilizes the skills

of individuals working together to make everything function. We rely upon each other and are much

more seamless when everyone is there. Collaboration is normal in life, but it is not yet conventional in

an educative setting. With time, hopefully more and more schools will adopt this type of work for the

benefit of the students, both in the present and the future.

Outside of the classroom collaboration tends to be more autonomous, whereas in a class it is

just not possible. The institution still has to set learning objectives, and sometimes even form the groups

students work in. However, if the teacher learns to step back and let the groups dictate their pace and

the outcome of the activity this can still be a semi-autonomous process. When done properly the

teacher ultimately gives up some of their authority and allows for peers to grant it to each other instead.

This allows students to learn things for themselves at a deeper level. They are not merely gaining

knowledge but using it. I see this in my practicum. I see students choosing to ask each other and work

things out for themselves. You can see that their wheels are turning, and they dont need help from the

instructor because they are helping each other.

My Pedagogical Creed from John Dewey takes collaboration even deeper than the previous

article. His biggest conclusion is that we are social beings who need to learn out of social means. He

Word Count: 756 1 September 27, 2017

 Stephanie Canuel 10034458

believes we learn from both psychological and sociological perspectives and both sides must be

nurtured in order for a child to be successful in learning. If one side does not get addressed there are

deleterious effects to the child they either only ever get abstract knowledge (too individual) or they all

become the same (too sociological). Dewey believes that school is a community of life that it shouldnt

be looked at as a place to merely give knowledge for future preparation, but that even in the school

itself there is purpose that can be gleaned for right now. He doesnt look at subjects as fixed things but

rather something that should grow out of life experience. Almost everything in life can have an element

of science, or culture in it. If subjects are restricted it doesnt help the student in the social world.

Therefore, everything should be taught in a way that it connects to humanity social history rather than

facts and dates, literature as a window into how people thought and its communicative purposes as

opposed to simply looking at the reading/writing element.

According to Dewey there needs to be a shift in the way material is taught. It needs to be an

active process because humans develop physically before thoughtfully. Teachers shouldnt focus on

teaching facts but rather they ought to focus on making sure students have the right imagery of a

subject, and they should let students have interests that develop on their own to help them learn.

Ultimately though, Dewey believes that education is vital to shaping the world that society wants. It

shapes the members of society to what is wanted and thus can change the world. Education needs to be

given a higher priority if reform is ever to occur. For Dewey education is key, but it must be done in a

very different manner than previously thought. Dewey is on to something with the notion that

education greatly shapes our future and thus the way we teach should be a reflection of how we want

our world to look. I think there is a place for subjects, but I also think we need to teach more holistically

than ever before. Our world is not so black and white. It is all sorts of shades and colours. Thus

education must shift for our ever changing world.

Word Count: 756 2 September 27, 2017