Curriculum innovation proposal
I have chosen to focus my curriculum innovation project on the topic of collaborative learning. My incentive to do so came from a pupils comment during a lesson that I taught at a school while I was volunteering. The pupil shared with me the belief that he could not do his work because he cannot think about everything he had to write about by himself. He stated that he felt overwhelmed by the activity presented to him. Whilst I chose to support his learning by questioning, motivating and encouraging him, it provoked me to consider whether allowing the pupil to work with other pupils would help or, in the long term, hinder his learning by preventing him to work independently. Since the paradigm of collaborative …show more content…
Yet the benefits of cooperative learning are still questionable to some practitioners and academics, seen by some as ‘peculiar among teaching strategies’ (Schul, 2011: 88). This is a comment that intrigues me greatly as a trainee practitioner. I am interested in gaining an increased sense of understanding as to why cooperative learning may not be considered as a preliminary choice of pedagogy amongst practitioners. Part of the exploration of this aspect will include the alternative pedagogies that are used and why these pedagogies are favoured over a cooperative learning approach. Through my reading and research around collaborative and cooperative learning, I hope that I can develop an understanding of the academic arguments surrounding the topic and learn more about relevant …show more content…
Collaborative learning is both a seminal and recent focus within academic literature and government policy. The prospect of entering the teaching profession with an in depth understanding of a pedagogical approach such as collaborative learning will mean that I can make informed decisions which will benefit the children that I teach. Equally, through the critical element of this assignment, I will gain knowledge of other pedagogies and approaches that are appropriate at different times in the classroom. The knowledge will allow me to make informed, professional decisions about the best way for pupils to learn in any given
I have chosen to focus my curriculum innovation project on the topic of collaborative learning. My incentive to do so came from a pupils comment during a lesson that I taught at a school while I was volunteering. The pupil shared with me the belief that he could not do his work because he cannot think about everything he had to write about by himself. He stated that he felt overwhelmed by the activity presented to him. Whilst I chose to support his learning by questioning, motivating and encouraging him, it provoked me to consider whether allowing the pupil to work with other pupils would help or, in the long term, hinder his learning by preventing him to work independently. Since the paradigm of collaborative …show more content…
Yet the benefits of cooperative learning are still questionable to some practitioners and academics, seen by some as ‘peculiar among teaching strategies’ (Schul, 2011: 88). This is a comment that intrigues me greatly as a trainee practitioner. I am interested in gaining an increased sense of understanding as to why cooperative learning may not be considered as a preliminary choice of pedagogy amongst practitioners. Part of the exploration of this aspect will include the alternative pedagogies that are used and why these pedagogies are favoured over a cooperative learning approach. Through my reading and research around collaborative and cooperative learning, I hope that I can develop an understanding of the academic arguments surrounding the topic and learn more about relevant …show more content…
Collaborative learning is both a seminal and recent focus within academic literature and government policy. The prospect of entering the teaching profession with an in depth understanding of a pedagogical approach such as collaborative learning will mean that I can make informed decisions which will benefit the children that I teach. Equally, through the critical element of this assignment, I will gain knowledge of other pedagogies and approaches that are appropriate at different times in the classroom. The knowledge will allow me to make informed, professional decisions about the best way for pupils to learn in any given