In Module two we were prompted to think about two topics:
1. Have you moved beyond cooperation? What role is collaboration playing in your professional learning and your practice? What’s new and different about collaboration for 21st century learners?
I have two distinct experiences with collaboration. One working with teams where collaboration was fundamental to getting the job done and to help improve people’s skills, where there was collaboration not only internally but with groups externally. The other experience is where people are asked to collaborate but the students don’t really see any benefit in doing so and are not very invested in the outcome and they don’t have a passion for collaboration (this is often on training courses where attendance is mandatory). How you inspire collaboration in this second group is a challenge that I face when conducting courses and trying to provide space for ongoing learning and collaboration.
I think the difference for 21st Century learners is the plethora of tools available to collaborate and the examples of people collaborating that demonstrate the benefit and the etiquette of collaboration.
2. Are you multiliterate? Of these literacies, which is most surprising to you? Which do you find least and most challenging?
Following on from point 1, I find advocating for students to collaborate and providing tools for that to happen one of the easier aspects. The harder challenge for me is fostering a community of collaboration and a community of learning in a job that is not centered around teaching and learning. I believe that I will have to establish those connections externally and then hopefully find answers from people who have tackled this issue previously.