Interactive and Collaborative Learning

Axia Vang
William Minh
Education is highly surrounded by technologies creating class instructions that are
integrating curriculum with technologies. Therefore, innovative pedagogies are emerging to class
instructions to allow technologies to play a role. Two pedagogies highly impacting technologies
into class instructions are interactive learning and collaborative learning. Interactive learning
allows students to manipulate objects for learning purposes. Students can work in groups to
interact and use objects to solve problems and learn to communicate amongst peers for a deeper
learning experience linking to higher levels of abstraction of interaction. Like interactive
learning, collaborative learning also known as cooperative learning, consist of students working
together, solving problems together, and learning together to build an understanding.
Moreover, interactive learning is a great method for online learning or hybrid learning.
This promotes students to access materials via Internet and learn to search resources or tools to
solve or find solutions. Of course, this method would work more efficient in secondary grade
levels and college students, but is not dismissive in primary grade levels. Teachers can use
interactive learning in primary grade level, too; with the help of minimal direct instruction to
help guide learners. The key point is giving students the opportunity to use simulations and work
in groups for active learning and understanding.
In addition, collaborative learning is a pedagogical method to help students to work
together as a team to develop the best learning outcome possible. To help students successfully
work collaboratively, teachers must clarify what are the expectations and the outcomes. Working
in groups promotes social interactions that will help students to synthesize their learning in the
process of articulating and discussing given class topics. Teachers can integrate technological
tools into collaborative learning such as G Suite, research projects, and online discussion boards.

YouTube Videos
Collaborative Learning
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujfbSOQ-Iaw
The Benefits of collaborative learning
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRtQUKSdxrM
Key Points
Interactive Learning
Uses objects to enhance students learning experience
Allows hands on learning
 Promotes communication skills among teachers and their peers
Collaborative Learning
Allows group interactions with problems solving
Builds teamworking skills
Provides accountability of each students learning

Discussion Questions
Please answer 5 out of 9 questions for discussion and then respond to at least 3 of your
peers responses.

1. Explain which level of education (elementary, middle, high school, undergraduate,

and post graduate school) will benefit the most with interactive/collaborative
learning in your opinion?

2. Explain which level of education (elementary, middle, high school, undergraduate,

and post graduate school) will least benefit using interactive/collaborative learning
in your opinion?

3. How would you use interactive/collaborative learning in your classroom?

4. What are the benefits for students engaging in interactive/collaborative learning?

5. How can teachers create an interactive/collaborative learning experience for their

students?

6. Elaborate one interactive/collaborative application you would use in your

classroom? Located in Google Docs Collaborative Learning Tools and sample
projects, under Tools for Collaboration
(Adobe Connect Pro, Any Meeting, Blab, Collanos, ConceptShare, Google Groups,
Google Docs, Diigo, Elluminate, Facebook, FreeConferenceCall, Google Hangouts,
GoToMeeting, GroupTweet, MeetingWords, Ning, OpenStudy, PBworks,Piratepad,
SlideRocket, Skillshare, StartWright (vitual teams), TodaysMeet, TwitterGroups,
Twiddla, Twitter, Ustream,WebEx, Wikispaces, Windows Live Groups, Writeboard,
Yahoo! Group, Zoho Writer, or Zoom)

7. Do you believe interactive/collaborative learning workshops will benefit teachers

instruction?
8. What are the challenges teachers can face with interactive/collaboration activities in
the classroom?

9. Which educational subject (Mathematics, Science, Literature, History, Foreign

Language, English, Health, Political Science, or Physical Education) would work
best with interactive/collaborative learning and explain why?